LE CIMETIÈRE DES ARLEQUINS

Ange's second album is a somewhat strange one. There are some genuinely good moments, but there's just so much I can't get into. I don't really care for the lead vocalist, and not just because he's singing in a language I don't understand. The man is all over the place- whispering, shouting, singing, bellowing. Another thing is that pretty much none of the songs end well- it's like Ange is unskilled at ending a piece of music. With the exception of a couple of short songs, I don't really enjoy this album.

"Ces Gens-Là" Immediate guitar bends open the album. Low French singing builds over a simple bass riff. The vocals sound very angry (to include slurping), which is juxtaposed with happy, almost ludicrous instrumental bits.

"Aujourd'hui c'est la Fête chez l'Apprenti-Sorcier" Fuzzy chords dominate this piece, but it does have a sweet middle section with whistling synthesizer and soft guitar.

"Bivouac - 1ère partie" The refrain to this generally gentle piece is downright goofy- I have no other word that fits better. It's flamboyancy reminds me of Queen. The middle passage is very low and dark, with gritty guitar and menacing keyboard work. The music fades out.

"L'Espionne Lesbienne" This is an acoustic piece with odd vocal harmonies. I wonder why the singer is laughing. It's a very strange song to me. As an aside, I believe the title translates to "The Lesbian Spy," but that's based on cognates.

"Bivouac Final" The music that ended the track before last fades back in. After a bit of jamming, the keyboards descend in a haunted house display of unpleasantness.

"De Temps en Temps" I rather like this piece, particularly the chord progression and how the bass works with it. The vocals are more reserved and sound very good alongside everything. As icing on the cake, there's a wonderful guitar solo toward the end. The noise at the end is terrible though.

"La Route aux Cyprès" Sweet synthesizer and acoustic guitar brings in the singing, and wow, this almost sounds like Echolyn- the singer actually sounds like Ray Weston! Even the harmonies are beautiful.

"Le Cimetière des Arlequins" After a soft theme to introduce the longest song, the singer does his thing over a descending bass line and distant keyboard. There's some strange vocal doubling and some theatrics; the former is interesting while the latter is a bit silly. Speaking of the latter, there's shrieking, shouting, and laughing, all over a rising tempo, none of which moves me. Dark symphonic music, dominated by percussion, turns into a strange incursion into electronic territory- very weird.