EN REGARDANT PASSER LE TEMPS

Carpe Diem are considered by many one of the best of the French prog scene of the 70s. The group spent many years slogging through clubs playing covers and dealing with personnel changes until they had built a good reputation beyond Nice. They play a style of progressive symphonic combined with space rock that is sophisticated, understated, and to some perhaps a bit dry. There is none of the ribaldry of their countrymen Ange which I miss, they perhaps fall somewhere between the likes of Pulsar and the more zesty Pentacle. I think you can make the case there is even a bit of Canterbury to their sound in the reserved perfectionist play. Carpe Diem will absolutely thrill some proggers with their tightness and composition and will disappoint others who prefer a bit more fat left on their steak. One thing for sure is that I didn't "get" the beauty of Carpe Diem on the first few spins. Their lower key style makes active listening a must and therefore this is music that takes longer to appreciate but as is often the case, it translates to bigger payoffs in the long run.

"Voyage" is a brisk intro with keys and sax taking a mysterious sound atop a tight, consistent drum/bass line. Electric guitar lead breaks in about half way through but the pace is still driving. The track feels full even though only 4 minutes long because of the minimal changes in rhythm but it still is mostly an introduction to "Reincarnation," one of the three meaty tracks that make up the album. "Reincarnation" has a classical sounding keyboard opening with delicate flute sprinkled in, very nice. Soon the vocals come in and they are modest by French standards, pleasant and downright serene compared to the likes of Christian Decamps. After this verse the band gets to work piloting the craft for orbit with tight and technical structures that build with very deliberate lead guitar and great percussion. Vocal sections come and go but they remain background to the spacious instrumental work around them. Half way through comes a break where the guitars get sparse and the pace slows for some strange robotic vocals. Slowly things build again until the energy coalesces into some beautiful leads that remind me a bit of Camel's Moonmadness phase. "Jeux du siecle" begins very softly, rising from silence with quiet guitar. Flute and synths begin to well up as the song begins to animate. Plenty of tasty runs of keyboards and guitar follow, together and separate, always conjuring rather "airy" feelings and supported by economical but interesting drum play. Last we have the succulent "Publiphobie" with its relentlessly plodding bass line and lead guitar fireworks that clearly indicate some jazz fusion influence in the mix.

Mike McLatchey at Gnosis2000 calls En Regardant "a supremely excellent example of progressive rock.on par with the greats - Atoll, Shylock's Ile De Fievre, Pulsar Halloween, Arachnoid, Terpandre, and Artcane Odyssee. spacey and atmospheric with that rare sense of professional restraint that only the classic symphonic groups had like PFM, Banco, or Ezra Winston. The result was a slightly jazzy and very spacious music of a fragile and delicate nature, yet with a sense of power that grows behind the complex musical structures. Throughout the four tracks, their melodies are very harmonically rich and refined, often with three parts from keys, sax, and guitar."

While I agree with the mountains of praise heaped upon Carpe Diem for their skill and arrangement talents, as hinted above I need more of an emotional connection to give something our highest ratings. I do find the band's music to be dry and just a bit lacking in cholesterol. Their peers in Pentacle may not be as talented as Carpe but are bursting in richness which is why they garner the higher rating from me. The Musea booklet has a great history with photos and the cover art here is spectacular. Take some time to really drink in the cover if you buy this, it works so well with the music. 3 ½ stars.

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