OPHIUCUS

Ophiucus

Crossover Prog

2.86 | 22 ratings

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What an absolute gem!

This band were really onto a sound that Harmonium would soon make famous in Canada. Interestingly, the album was also issued in Canada. While the year of the Canadian release appears to be uncertain, I have to figure that Serge Fiori was on top of this find, because the delicate juxtaposition of soft, French language vocals and melancholic Simon and Garfunkel folk is impressively executed on this and it came out three years before Harmonium's debut!

There are some tracks on here that are quite simply breathtaking!

Disappointingly, the previous reviews seem hung up on to what extent this is a "prog" album. To me, once it's here, I prefer to judge it upon the music. And this beauty has songcraft all over it! There are some excursions into acid guitar experiments that wouldn't be out of place on a period Gong album, and even a blues number, but at the core here is the very sound which eventually made Harmonium famous. Perhaps less intimate, and more ethereal, but any fans of Harmonium should be all over this fantastic record!

Be advised, the Musea/Lion CD is typically bad mastering from them. Bright and tinny. The Wah Wah LP sounds a bit better but it's licensed from Musea so I suspect whoever cut the vinyl had the sense to dial back the treble a bit as I would assume they were just sent a copy of the CD to use a source.

The album is so good that I'm off to find the original French LP or at least the Canadian pressing.

Think of "Harmonium Suite" from the s/t Harmonium record, and that should give you an idea what you're in for. Not as fleshed out in terms of instrumentation because you'd have to subtract the trumpet, but think of the "floating through space" mulitracked vocal alongside gently played acoustic guitar ... that's what this album delivers! And some of the melodies are to DIE for!

5 stars; firm.

Jeff Carney | 5/5 | 2016-11-16

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