L'ETHIQUE

Guitarist/keyboardist/visionary Richard Pinhas divided his time and creativity between Heldon and his own solo work: the latter usually gave room to those musical ideas that demanded less of grandiose deliveries but a more concise set of arrangements. "L'Ethique" is his fifth solo effort, and perhaps it is one of the most accurately encapsulated in the definition of "cyber-punk" - the use of electronic resources with heavy accents on counterpoint and pulsation aims at the creation of a rocking sound that feels direct yet still sophisticated beyond the standards of mainstream rock (and electro-pop). The opening namesake track and 'Melodic Simple Transition' are showcases of Pinhas' interest in exploring the potential of techno- pop and state it in a more ambitious framework: the utilization of electronic sequences and layers manages to create a hypnotic, machinist ambience coherent with the catchiness of the main motifs. There are also powerfully rocking pieces in this album, mostly influenced by the emerging Belew-era King Crimson: track 2, precisely titled 'Dedicated to K.C.', is an exciting exploration on guitar counterpoints and dissonant chord progressions. The succession of all three different sections leads to a gradual climax. An excellent piece such as this would have augmented the artistic value of "Beat" or "Three of a Perfect Pair", which only comes to show how an artistic influence received with talent and imagination can lead to a "surpassing the master" moment. The Crimsonian fury will surely return in the very neurotic closing track 'Southbound', where drummer Auger competes with Pinhas himself for the limelight - I wonder if this track wouldn't have been right in place in any of Heldon's late 70s albums. pure progressive historical fiction. 'Belfats' incarnates a very interesting mixture of krautrock-inspired tehno-pop and Frippian soundscapes - this confluence between the ethereal and the robotic portrays the horrors of a civil war in a post-modernistic context fairly well. The second 'L'Ethique' and 'The Western Weil' sets a peculiar combination of mid-70s Kraftwerk and subtle touches of fusion, framed in a Far Eastern mood. The other 'L'Ethique' pieces emphasize the album's ethereal side, which reveal Pinhas' clever use of synthesizers and processed guiar inputs in order to set up a refreshing idea of emotion in sound. My overall balance for this album is quite positive: it is an excellent example of creative regeneration for art- rock in the environment of 80s rock. Pinhas really nailed the art of simultaneously evolving and preserving.