TERRE

I have to say that I've been a little surprised when I saw that Julian Julien is on PA as a Jazz- Rock fusion artist instead of a Zeuhl one, but effectively one eclectic artist with several different influences and able to combine them can stay in almost all the subgenres.

Terre is his debut album on which he plays almost all the instruments and is first of all an album full of good music. Then, looking at each track, we can discover many different elements which make each track a worth listen each one for its own specificity.

The title track "Terre" is opened by some voices, few seconds but enough to understand that even Pink Floyd are not too far. However this track is made mainly of piano, percussions and strings, a sort of Latin America, maybe tango mixed with samba percussions, with a melody which has a bit of Canterbury. This is a great opener and also one of the best tracks of the album.

"L'Attente" is another excellent track. A bell instrument, I don't know if glockenspiele or Xylophone provides the base to a very relaxing ambience but at the same time sounds like gamelan and effectively there's also a short "Indonesian" interlude, but if you listen better it's like hearing sounds coming to your mind before you wake up from a dream. What I see in my mind is a watercolor painting with a clear childish line. A hypnagogic track I'd say.

"Tupperware and Bibelots" has an ethnic intro of wind flute and slow percussions, then a concertina together with a baritone sax transform it into a grotesque tango, made more grotesque by the trumpet. Astor Piazzolla would have liked it, but there's more behind. I can imagine a circus full of weird characters. This kind of jazz makes me think to Paolo Conte, an italian jazzist.

"Bencoleen Hotel" is where the influence of Soft Machine is more evident. The glockenspiele (or what it is) reminds clearly, and is maybe a hommage, to "Palace of Glass" from Land of Cockayne, but in the same time has a Balinese mood. Not bad for a song shorter than two minutes.

"Souquez" is driven by the cello that's a fantastic instrument and here is very fit for purpose. Its structure is similar to "Terre", but the dreamy environment is a little darker, probably because of the bass notes of the cello (or a viola?). A violin would haven't sounded so well. It's another excellent track which shows an impressive composing skill.

"Promenade" is another short piece with a repetitive theme backed by percussions- A very nioce one, which could have possibly been extended but even in thos form is good enough.

"Degung" makes me think to Soft Machine again, but in a darker version. It's another dreamy track, but it's like the dream is now deeper. Something is changing in the watercolor painting, now characters come and go seamlessly in this painting, it's not just a scene, there's movement brought in by the violin. Soemtimes a crescendo in the tempo with the violin increasing its volume and coming in the freground makes the tension increase. The tango element is now mixed with a middle eastern influence. Well, please consider that those are my personal sensations while I'm relistening to the album, I don't know which kind of ideas were in Julian's mind when he composed it. However this is surely one of the album's highlights.

A long piano intro on which percussions and, I think, some "pizzicato" are the start of another very good track. "Les Deux" is one of the more jazzy tracks. It seems like a long piano jazz improvisation but the structure lets intend that it's not so improvised. It has also some ethnic elements but is one of the most approachable moments for who is not familiar with this genre.

A young girl sings something in French, surely better than the Jingle Bells on Jon Anderson's "3 Ships". What follows is a piece of art. I've been able to put my head into the music without realizing that its only 1 minute and half long.

"P'Tite Peche" has a bit of sadness inside, even if not too different from the dreamy tracks in its structure. The good with this album is that can be apprecieated in different ways: both putting a lot of attention to the instruents and the composition, in a more "technical" way, or just letting your mind go with the music which flows very well.

A particular mention is deserved by "La Tombe Des Lucioles", that's the longest track of the album, the most dramatic and at the same time one of the most dreamy. I have exchanged some mails with Julian Julien and he has told me which situation has inspired this composition. I won't tell you. Close your eyes and try to imagine it. The track has a crescendo of intensity and in the middle it becomes a little chaotic, showing the influence of Zeuhl, even if I think more to bands like Art Zoyd than to Magma. IN the second part of the song a cello cries over a piano. Can you see firefiles slowly falling down to their grave? Then the song features very compulsive percussions and piano which make the tension grow and give to the strings the possibility to express all their dramatic potential.

The only thing that I initially didn't like is the sudden end of the song (and of the album), but knowing what's behind this track, I think that it's right so. The sudden end is one of the keys to read this track.

To summarize, this is a very good album, not too difficult but never trivial. Not challenging but not easy. I don't hesitate in suggesting it to who wants to explore this side of prog and I'm happy to rate it with 4 stars.