SI ON AVAIT BESOIN D'UNE CINQUIÈME SAISON

I would hardly call Harmonium a "symphonic prog" band. All of their albums, in my opinion, belong in the folk-prog genre. Not only do they belong there, but they actually helped *define* the way the genre should be handled. Harmonium had a profound and undisputable influence on all of Quebec's folk bands since the release of their first album.

It can be argued "Harmonium en tournée" is a better offering because of how singer Serge Fiori seems to put his life at risk every moment he's performing there (I would strongly recommend "L'Exil" for those of you who're currently discovering Harmonium's works and don't know where to start after La Cinquième Saison).

But really, their best song ever is probably "Histoires sans paroles", a pure jewel of pastoral rock that I actually overlooked for about ten years before realizing how the apparent simplicity of its melody could be misleading. This is definitely progressive folk at its best, a 17-minute epic that really can't be compared to anything else. It plays at the same level as Genesis' Supper's Ready, or Yes' Close to the Edge, really. It's a shame it's not as popular in the progressive circles. Hopefully one day these artists will be as widely recognized worldwide as they are in Canada (and, to a lesser extent, in France).