J'UN OEIL

Sloche were a jazz rock fusion band out of Quebec in the seventies and they released only two albums. This one, "J'un Oeil" (I, an eye) was their first and features a band that makes excellent use of their rock side to deliver some very exciting music steeped in a strong concoction of jazz.

The album opens with spacy effects and space music, nothing like what the rest of the album is going to be like. Some semblance of a tune emerges at about 1:20 and by 1:35 we get some pretty groovy music going with wah-wah guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. This is more like what the album is going to be like: a cross between jazz rock fusion that skirts the edges of symphonic prog here and there. All the tracks include vocals yet three of them are vocals only without lyrics.

Now sit back and listen to this band move and groove with organ and synthesizer solos, guitar solos, and some very lively and deliciously cooking music. Of the five tracks, four of them are longer than six minutes, the longest being "Le Kareme D'eros" at 10:56, and each of them go from section to section without coming back to repeat anything. Only the title track seems close to a normal song with lyrics that have almost as much relevance as the music. "Le Kareme D'eros" also includes a part with lyrics but it's mostly instrumental with the first 3:40 devoted to a classical piano composition.

While there is much for me to be excited about with this album, the track that has won me over completely is "Algebrique". The beginning is innocent enough with two electric guitars playing slowly like a ballad while some synthesizer adds a few trippy notes. An organ comes in with some weirdo notes and then suddenly the band jumps on with a very original-sounding meter. How can I describe it without a degree musical theory? The vocal part is next and a bit weird as they sing, "Schtoo-doop, ding! Schtoo-doop, di-a-wing!" No matter the music from here on in goes into something that I can only say must have inspired bands like Wobbler and Seven Impale. There's sax and this rock out part with guitar. And all that comes down to the awesome break with drums as the main feature and I tell you, the sound of these drums is so well captured. These days I don't hear anyone recording drums like this and it's like my head is inside the tom toms. I listen to this track several times a week lately and the highlight is always this drum part. And then things get heavier and the Wobbler similarities increase. Brilliant piece of work this one is to me!

But the whole album is really quite an exciting and vigorous collection of music. I am definitely going to track down their other album. A very highly recommended jazz rock fusion album if you prefer the rock side to have a firm presence.