TRITON

Potemkine's second album is an odd but enjoyable affair. They had slimmed down to a trio of Charles and Philippe Goubin on guitar and drums plus bassist Dominic Dubuisson, both Goubin brothers doubling on piano and Charles also adding some wordless vocals, and Michel Goubin guetst on keyboards on one track.

The music has something of a Zeuhl feel, but has a lot in common with the Canterbury jazz rock of Hatfield and the North and post- Wyatt Soft Machine as well, although the general ambience is considerably darker than most Canterbury bands. The rhythm section dominates things a lot of the time, with sinuous bass and drums embellished by washes of guitar or piano, although when they take the lead the guitar and keyboards become a lot more prominent. The bass in particular is very well recorded, with a very warm and round tone, and there's some very tasteful interplay with Phlippe Goubin's drumming. The contrasting dynamics work well, but the downside is that the arrangements are a bit sparse, and the piano parts (mostly overdubbed) don't gel all that well with the rhythm section. The best tracks are Loolit II, which is played as a trio with minimal (if any) overdubbing, and Liberserium Urb et Chant de Victor, which features Michel Goubin on keyboards. The CD reissue has 4 additional tracks, 2 from the debut album Foetus and both sides of Potemkine's one and only single. These, especially the 2 pieces from Foetus, have a fuller and more rounded sound and the presence of electric violin recalls Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Triton is a solid piece of left field jazz fusion from the 70s, but nothing to get too excited about. Add an extra half star for the CD reissue with the bonus tracks, but newcomers would be better advised to start with Nicholas II.