PROGRESSIONS IMAGINAIRES

Admire this cover which smacks of psychedelia from the 60s and 70s, leaving little doubt as to the musical content of this discographic object. Bring out the mellotrons, the tube amps, the Fuzz pedals! Here is Perilymph and his fourth album 'Progressions Imaginaire', a kind of potion capable of reviving the nostalgic fiber of psychedelic prog lovers. The album is made up of four long tracks, linked by numbered interludes, all framed by an intro and an outro and entirely sung in French.

The short "Intro" develops a theme in the form of an instrumental build up. The characteristic sounds are there, small mention of the drum sound, very dry and precise. The first long track "Les Yeux" is linked without pause and presents another of the group's specialties: the vocal line is systematically doubled with keyboards or other instruments. The title alternates passages sung in French (which is unusual enough to be underlined) and breaks, instrumental restarts, without any concern for futile technical demonstration. In the process, the acoustic guitar of "Interlude 1" blends perfectly with the previous track and offers a beautiful melody carried by singing straight out of a daydream. "Loin Du Bruit" arrives with a rhythmically complex dynamic and a little South American touch. The group manages to vary the atmospheres and orchestrations, while maintaining the same rhythmic pattern. Return of a small guitar arpeggio on "Interlude 2" which takes up the melodic motif of the previous piece and the singing line of "Interlude 1". Great feat. "Adventure" is the longest song on the record. At a slower tempo and in a psychedelic atmosphere, it can at times evoke Pink Floyd , the overall sound becoming thicker and thicker as the track progresses.

A jazz tempo, almost bebop, features "Interlude 3" which offers unexpected chord changes and makes me think of a soundtrack from a television series from the 70s. Then comes the single "Un Instant Ou Deux", a kind of psychedelic pop ("Far from here, under the clouds, where time belongs to me, I flee, before the storm, into the uncertain horizon?"), with "twang" guitars, keyboards and vintage sound effects. The album ends with a final Interlude (4) whose guitar plan resembles the beginning of "Stairway to heaven", then the "Outro" which takes up the theme of the "Intro" with an additional dose of orchestration.

A little anachronistic UFO, 'Progressions Imaginaires' is a coherent and mastered album that makes no concessions to modernity. It takes us back to a period of unbridled and relaxed creativity, far removed from the constraints of profitability of current music. So, let's embark in this time capsule and relax away from the noise of the contemporary world.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.