LES MORTS VONT VITE

Keeping the flame of avant-prog alive in the mid-1980s, on Les Morts Vont Vite Shub-Niggurath prepare a release that exists partway between zeuhl (especially in Ann Stewart's operatic vocals) and the dark chamber RIO of Heresie-era Univers Zero (the later of which is evoked in particular by Jean-Luc Herve's harmonium). The end result takes a while to sink in, but over time I have found its finer elements begin to shine through bit by bit. The ensemble is large enough to attain a real chamber music sound, and Shub-Niggurath may be one of the few prog rock bands out there with a dedicated trombone player (in the form of Véronique Verdier), who is about to add a certain off-beat air to things.