UNIVERS ZERO [AKA: 1313]

This is one of my favorite albums. As a bassoonist, I may be a bit biased, but this is a perfect album. This is more of a classical album than a rock album. To all fans of chamber music and RIO, enjoy. A round of applause to Michel Berckmans for an amazing job on bassoon.

Ronde - This is the best track on the album. It is like a dark version of classical composer Olivier Messiaen's work. The bassoon and violin together are excellent. The bassoon has nice staccato notes while the violin has long drawn out notes making the two a great combination. The percussion sometimes accompanies the bassoon in the short notes. The intonation of the bassoon is not perfect, giving the illusion of madness. The screeching violin parts add to the insanity.

Carabosse - The melody of this track is haunting. The instruments blend together nicely. It is upbeat but far from any normal music. The violin is superb.

Docteur Petiot - The violin's melody is matched with great percussion. The violinist's hands are on fire on this track. There is a nice bassoon passage in the middle too.

Malaise - The violin, bassoon, and percussion fit so nicely. All have an equal part in the madness of Univers Zero. The crashes and violin melody with bassoon runs are amazing.

Complainte - The intonation stands out as imperfect. The track is slow and depressing. The strings and bassoon continue to be great. This is the most melodic song, very similar to classical chamber music. It is a great calm end to the album.