OUT OF RANGE

Sense is a serious enterprise that goes way beyond the norm, creating evocative and highly inspired progressive rock with loads of acoustic instrumentation like violins and reeds blended with passionately fragile vocals from Frank Bérubé and marshaled with the multi- instrumental prowess of the incredible Stéphane Desbiens (whose own the D Project has drawn rave reviews). Desbiens shiningly handles electric guitars, the legendary Rickenbacker bass, the hallowed mellotron as well as copious amounts of backing vocals with class and dexterity. The band come from that ongoing hot-bed of progressive rock, the province of Québec, a storied time and place for a strong platform to fame for so many prog bands in the glory days (Gentle Giant, Genesis, Supertramp, Yes) . The 2 long pieces are outstanding journeys into the diversely contrasting and exhilarantly euphoric , as both the incredible "Out of "Range/Out of Line" and the palpitating "Nothing Left For You" -with a nifty solo from Echolyn's Brett Kull- are spellbinding slices of imaginative prog , while shorter beauties like "Nightmare" feature stellar guest work such as Fred Schendel's rampaging Hammond B3 organ, he of Glass Hammer repute. The longer epics are liberally sprayed with timely orchestrations (strings as well as Irish low and tin whistles- lots of Irish in French Canada!) as well as various hair-raising axe solos . The final 2 briefer tracks are also appealing, the Gaelic lilt of "Shadows of Ignorance" is pure bliss, very "Irlandais" while "Election Day" is a nasty little diatribe against politicians "Real clowns will make you happy, the others will make you cry. Real clowns know dignity, the others know how to lie" Take that all you liberal bloquists, republican democrats and assorted other prancing buffoons! "Is justice just a concept" no just a prog saga to rail to! This is a most pleasing recording that fully deserves a wider audience, there is little here to dislike, influences range the entire prog gamut, from all the classic bands combined into an interesting and original package.

4.5 fleurs de lys