ECLIPSE

With their third album (yet to be re-issued on CD), Cano kept their high standards. Graced with an impressive photo-montage, this album appears to be at least thematic (if not conceptual) about the planet and space movements and time cycles. While the Northern-life preoccupations that were prevalent in their first two opuses are absent, they chose another pleasant direction for their musical wanderings.

From the first moments of Soleil Mon Chef's intro (and its weird funny-scruffy dialogue taken from a theatre play) to the lengthy finale, Cano is still out to please the most demanding ears. Not that the album is without flaws, most notably that they tried to appeal to an English public (right from the first album onwards, all their lyrics where translated more or less successfully to the other language), it is clear that Cano is not at ease singing in English, no matter which member is singing. The first side of the album is really of to an excellent start as the superb lead-off track gives way to a delightful semi-instrumental Mère De Ma Terre, which sounds like the best Renaissance albums around. Follows the very pleasant Cercle De La Nuit and the unconvincing Rumrunner Runway for the afore-mentioned English singing.

Same thing can be said of the second-side opening Moon Lament: here by comparing the French and English texts, one would wish that they had asked for a more artistic translator, because the English version (which is used for the vocals) is simply catastrophic and downright amateur. The folky Ca Roule brings us back to Cano's folk roots (always present even if often mixed in with rock and jazz) while the slow- developing Orwellian finale Bienvenue 84 starts as if uninspired (anything but, really), soon finds it demented groove, abruptly stops only to pick up acoustically with the piano and bongos. The track ends beautifully and ends in apotheosis. Rachel and André Paiement's vocals are always tasteful and Aymar sings on his own tracks.

Although not flawless this third album is still very worthy of the great CANO, but by the next album it will become clear, that to survive, the group would have to conquer the English Canada and their following (severely flawed) album would try to achieve this, but the only result is Cano losing their identity. Still definitely worth your investigation and your investment, Eclipse is the last classic Cano album.