WEIDORJE

Weidorje was one of many one­off Zeuhl bands that emerged in Magma's wake. What makes them different however, is that it was founded by two ex­Magma members, Bernard Paganotti and Patrick Gauthier. Both of them had played on Magma's album, Üdü Ẁüdü, taking their name from a song the two wrote for the album. The album features a melodic Zeuhl style that further explores the ideas that Magma laid out in Üü Ẁüdü. So without further ado, it's about time we set out on our journey into Weidorje.

Elohim's Voyage greets us as the album kicks off. It begins with a spacey keyboard melody similar that reminds me of Star Trek in a way. With the entrance of the drums laying down a beat that remains mostly unchanged for the majority of the track. It is followed by the bass, cranking out a throbbing dose of fuzziness with a rhythm that compliments the drum beat excellently. The band presents a melodic vocals using hey, ah, and oh sounds rather than actual lyrics, unlike Magma's highly technical Kobaian lyrics. Because of this the vocal parts are generally accompanied by a excellent blend of brass, sax, keyboard, and/or guitar parts playing the same melody. The resulting cooperation of instruments and vocals really helps to portray the concept of the "voyage"; with moods ranging from the mysterious at the start, celebratory fanfare as what I would presume to be the Elohim's voyage, to the ominous middle passage I refer to as the voyage itself. Their ability to convey emotion through their playing allows the listener to easily put together the story behind this song without having to say a word, a quality that will delight those listeners possessing a strong imagination.

Vilna is a departure from the catchy melodies and imagery heard on Elohim's Voyage. Vila is a jazzier track with a heavier emphasis on instrumental composition than what we heard in Elohim. You're introduced to the track with a keyboard solo right off the bat. After the keyboards lead the listener the saxes soon make their entrance with some jazzy repetition. The keyboards maintain dominance for most of the early portion of the track, but as it goes on the winds push them to the background. Vocals are seldom seen in this track, as the band has opted for more of a jazzy instrumental than a melodic style for this track. Because of this, the instrumentation is much tighter than on Elohim. This track is a prime example of Weidorje's exploration into the instrumental side of Zeuhl, something rarely done by other Zeuhl bands.

Booldemug continues the instrumental style from Vilna. But unlike Vilna, Booldemug has a more melodic focus than jazzy sound of the previous track. This is probably the most focused track found on the record. As the shortest track on the album, the band gives themselves less room for experimentation. Resulting in an almost symphonic level of meshing between each instrument as they build a single melody together, as opposed to the musical brawl heard in Vilna. The song itself is a very strong instrumental, with great musicianship and plenty of melody; a satisfying finish to this album.

For any fan of Zeuhl music or if you're looking for looking for something in the same vein as Üdü Ẁüdü, then Weidorje is the album for you. After listening to it, it's clear to see why many here consider it to be one of the strongest albums of the Zeuhl genre, and I have to agree with that. Very few Zeuhl albums pull of melodicism like this with this strong of a performance. But this is only my opinion, so go give it a listen for yourself and see if Weidorje really does live up to the hype!