SI ON AVAIT BESOIN D'UNE CINQUIÈME SAISON

Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison is a Masterpiece of progressive music. I've listened to it many times and I can never quite understand what exactly I find so amazing. There is no virtuosity in this album, and there is no extreme innovativeness. But there is something Magical about this album, undeniably.

No matter how many times I listen to this album I always feel as though I never truely comprehend the amount of emotional depth this album has... The music is so pure and moving...

Something about the minimalistic nature of this music makes it sound absolutely heavenly. Sweet but not cheesy. Like a 41 and a half minute field trip to HEAVEN.

The key to the album is first of all the outstanding emotion invested by the musicians into their creation, and also brilliant arrangment blending acoustic and electric instruments with great balance and perfect taste, which gives the music a rich sound but not one that is overwhelming to the ear.

The highlight of the albums is number 5, Histoires Sans Paroles, but it is not the only thing reason to give this album a listen.. Every song is in this album is amazing. Watch out for Dixie, which has some outstanding solos and vocals in it, and for the small epic Depuis L'Automne, which is also packed with amazing moments. Also the harmony and melody first introduced in Vert, and reprised in En pleine face, is in my eyes genius.

Histoires Sans Paroles is something that must be reviewed with more depth... So here it is:

It is indeed a story without words. The key of this piece is the melodies that just make your heart melt over and over again, and there are plenty.

It begins with a beautiful flute melody, which I can honestly say is the best flute melody I have heard in my life. This melody develops with excellent harmony added, and is repeated many times... Afterwards, the feel of the whole thing changes substantially many times. It goes from sentimental, to folky harmonies with interesting solos, to mellotron heavy psychadelic sections, then to an amazing vocal solo accompanied by outstanding keyboard lines at first, then those moving mellotrons and flutes come in... I guarentee that you will never forget this short vocal solo in your life. Its THAT good. Then comes a combined solo of a soprano saxophone (or oboe, I'm not sure) and a flute in 6/8. This section is very folky and it just feels like the longest passage ever. It is indeed, a very long passage toward the climax of the piece. As this passage evolves the 6/8 beat gathers more strength and noticeability... Slowly it becomes a good old waltz that builds up more and more and then when finally it becomes as bombastic as it possibly can, a chromatic descent in two voices, followed by a break, leaves the flute alone with a melody. Yep, its that same heavinly melody from the beginning. After one bar, the rest of the instruments join in to the melody, but still playing the waltz in 6/8, which makes the melody EVEN MORE amazing and heart melting. The whole reprise of this melody is faster than the beginning, and this is what makes it much more moving and exciting... This is repeated many times, and then the epic comes to an end; the ending is very untypical to an epic of this type. It is basically a jazzy chord progression which leads to an ending chord which also, has a very jazzy feel to it; "C#m9", If my hearing is not misleading me.

Essential is an overused word, but this album is indeed essential to any person who considers himself a fan of music in general, and specifically symphonic prog.

Do everything you can to obtain this album.