LES FOUS D'OR

Les Fous D'or follows in the same path established in Igor Wakhevitch's albums prior works, but includes minor differences. Les Fous D'or is much lighter chamber orchestra arrangements, and the music focuses completely on the intermingling between prominent experimental electronics and increasingly bizarre vocals. The electronic elements are much more important on this album, making up the "music" portion of this album. Avant-garde buzzing, cascading sequences of waterdrop-like synths, and ambient drones of blackness, all of which are collected in full on the finale "Ritual Of The Master Of The Doll", which is mostly an accumulation of the electronics portion of the album condensed into a single track. The vocals are much stranger on this album; they squeel, bark, scream and yell over the strange electronic soundscapes.

Again, another solid release from Igor Wakhevitch in the avant-electro-choral arena, if there is such a thing.

Fourth and very schizophrenic album, Les Fous d'Or is again in Igor's logical musical continuity, going more experimental, but keeping a lugubrious doll-related esoteric/religious concept, that I won't even bother understand and explain. Figure it out for yourselves, but the artwork his from his brother George. Just know that the project was coupled with a dance choreography under Carolyn Carlson's direction.

Opening on some kitschy French-spoken narrative, the Cornerstone side features some lengthy soothing and cosmic electronic soundscapes, interrupted by dumb liturgical mass lectures. A while later, one has to "suffer" some Devil's Trill violin lines with some agonizing diva (Eva Brenner) yodels, rendering the listening particularly difficult if you're afraid of ridiculous and sinister rising-from-the-dead ambiances. The Fous D'Or flipside is not much easier, because the agonizing diva hasn't croaked yet and she's billing overtime hours on your brains' patience budget. Even the 'tronic soundscapes are patience-grinding and are fast eroding it, especially once the newborn cries, loony laughter and clown-horns are spilling from your speakers.

To be honest, this is easily Igor's lesser and more ridiculous work, mixing French narratives and declamations with English titles. To think it took two years for Igor to generate such nonsense is actually just as mind-boggling as the music is, but this is not a positive thought. Best forgotten if you ask me, but you might not have a choice in avoiding it, because it comes in the 6-discs Don boxset, but no doubt it will stay at the bottom of the box.

Not much is known about Igor Wakhevitch, but from what I gather he was pretty messed up in the head, where tales of hallucinogenic chemicals are legion.

'Les Fous D'or' is an avant garde opera replete with wobbly Eve Brenner soprano vocals. Add to this some cello and stabbing trumpet all drenched in reverb and you'll have some idea what this strangest of all Wakhevitch albums sounds like.

The cover artwork sums it up well. It sounds how it looks - like a mentally deranged 'Peter and the Wolf'. Doom laden piano chords appear half way through which are guaranteed to put shivers up your spine.

Frederic Lodeon and Henry Smith's vocals gradually emerge from mid album beginning off just unusual, but steadily becoming more and more bizarre the further into the album you get, particularly on 'Ritual of the Masters of the Doll' where you'll be left looking over your shoulder nervously, expecting ghosts to emerge from walls.

This is the kind of music I'd expect the baddie from 'Blair With Project' would listen to in a deep, dark forest all alone, just waiting on a victim.

A fascinating piece of strangeness which is continually captivating and ultra odd with its mixture of electronics and opera.

IGOR WAKHÉVITCH emerged in 1970 with his bizarre electronic concoction "Logos" and continued to release albums during the decade before relocating and retiring to Auroville, India thus leaving his experimental music behind however simultaneously while he was haunting the world with his avant-garde electronic music freakery, WAKHÉVITCH also was active in crafting scores for operas and ballets which for the most part were not recorded and released as albums under his name. Two years after the occult-tinged horror sound lunacy of "Hathos" emerged, WAKHÉVITCH released his fourth album LES FOUS D'OR (The Fools Of Gold) which was basically the soundtrack of a progressive electronic-infused minimalist opera score that was designed to be experienced with the choreographed visuals of Carolyn Carlson.

More steeped in modern classical music than progressive electronic experiments this time around, LES FOUS D'OR will come off as a less frightening experience as WAKHÉVITCH's first three releases that created some of the most terrifying, alienating and esoteric musical experiments possible. This album was divided into two parts. The original A-side was titled Cornerstone and featured three tracks while the B-side which also featured three tracks was titled LES FOUS D'OR. The musical procession though is quite avant-garde and without the visual dancers to narrate the storyline in some way, virtually impossible to follow in any logical way. The instrumentation is also sparse with WAKHÉVITCH delivering mostly minimalistic synthesizer drones along with a few scattered electronic sputtering as well as a cello and trumpet. Other uncredited sounds do occur though. There are occasional percussive clanging but for the most part this is a haunting ethereal vocal experience as well as spoken narrations in French and occasionally English.

As far as any connections to the progressive rock or progressive electronic universe, there really aren't any. While the electronic sounds are scattered throughout the album's run, they flow in connection to the avant-garde opera parts that feature quivering sopranos and a cello. The synthesizers are mostly clustered into looping patterns and a tape collage adds extra effects. A declarative trumpet also is featured towards the end of the album. Although the music was scored for a ballet it does provide enough zesty bravado in its own right to enjoy without the accompanying visuals however the sparseness and nebulous nature of it will be alienating to all but those who can patiently drift through the album's procession while suspending any expectations of where the music should lead. This release obviously derived inspiration from WAKHÉVITCH's collaboration with the visual surrealist Salvador Dalí's avant-opera "Être Dieu."

WAKHÉVITCH himself describes LES FOUS D'OR as constructing audio-mental landscapes and sound images which is supposed to inculcate a journey inside ourselves however what artists themselves envision and what the audiences will experience doesn't necessary coincide especially in the heady abstract world of the avant-garde. While the album is very much a departure from the electronic-fueled wild rides of the first three albums, this fourth release is by no means not without its merit. Particularly captivating are the unusual vocal performances that are utterly unique ranging from strange alien siren calls to breathtaking octave leaps in an oscillating frenzy. A few attentive listening experiences will give some context to the madness at hand and the album offers enough classical orchestration to at least paint a rudimentary structure of the nebulous nature of it all. While hardly my favorite of the WAKHÉVITCH canon, LES FOUS D'OR is still a fascinating mix of modern classical, avant-garde opera and electronic music. Not one i revisit often but an occasional visit now and again isn't uncalled for.

3.5 rounded down