ET APRÈS

Another French obscurity from the 70's by a band relatively unknown to the public. MEMORIANCE existed and recorded between mid-70's and early-80's,having two full-length albums and two singles on their backs.This French sextet came from Le Havre and released their debut in 1976,finally earning a re-issue by the Japanese Label Tachika.

Their sound definitely belongs to the French Symphonic Rock school with plenty of sensitive guitars,atmospheric keys and generally the tracks follow a slow tempo.The opener ''Je ne san plus'' offers hypnotic pianos,intense French vocals,guitars in the style of STEVE HACKETT and JAN AKKERMAN and even moments with a slightly jazzy feeling and female choirs,resulting a melodic ANGE-like introduction to the band's sound.In ''La Grange Memoriance'' we meet a more spacey mood with tons of atmospheric keys,while drums and bass have a more energetic role and it contains even some psychedelic percussion at the end section,as the track gets close to the sound of CARPE DIEM and PULSAR.The eponymous track has a very dark approach,led by complex breaks,dramatic guitars but again spacey synths and deep bass lines,while the vocals gets more theatrical in the vein of ANGE and MONA LISA.After three rather long tracks,the short closer ''Tracsir'' offers the strongest guitar lines of the album,being in a Symphonic and Jazz-Fusion mood at the same time with little help from keys,but great bass work again by Michel Aze.

A quite good album overall in a typical French Symphonic style.Not that melodramatic as ANGE or that spacey as PULSAR,but certainly well-arranged and executed.Worth chasing it.