LAURENT THIBAULT

"Aquadingen" is wayward. The album continues with a short song driven by a dispassionate riff but giving action and concentration to the other instruments. This reminds me of high-energy symphonic songs like those of Yes and also of many funk albums. I like it mainly because it doesn't follow a specific rule, i.e. each musician seems to do what he or she wants to do. I would bet that the whole song or the vast majority of it is improvised.

I feel something strange is going on with "La Caravane De L'oubli". The fun returns with another guitar riff, but this time fun, and several wind instruments that provide oriental sparkles. The ambience is provided (at least at the beginning) by a keyboard that acts as a minimoog and has a very strange effect. Evidently this song ends any doubts the listener may have about the album and confirms that cultural and ethnic searches have no limits here! The voice of "Le Muezzin Mystérieux", Arabic and modified, is important for the song to make sense... Perhaps if this detail were missing, would become another of many similar songs in the progressive rock world that try to adapt certain traits from all over the place. For me, this song is the least interesting of the 4 songs on the album, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I just wouldn't listen to it many more times because I don't think anything transcendental exists here.

The last song on the album is the homonym one, "Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rever Tout Le Temps", and it starts with a man saying the title, as if introducing it. This was funny to me, I think it's the second time I've heard a studio song being introduced (after "The Return of the Giant Hogweed"). Well, let's get down to business: The energy of the first song returns here, in a sort of second part, with this beautiful female vocal by Lisa Bois and instruments that recreate as much of nature as they can. The purity is contrasted by more aggressive percussion and an electric guitar playing a noisy solo. Halfway through the song, the terrain takes on the colour of classic jazz rock and it all seems to blend into something that sounds like traces of a non-existent Weather Report song. The creativity expands more than anywhere else on the album and the cleverest minutes are created, closing the album by surprisingly exceeding expectations, with each instrument with its own particular riff and someone laughing.

"Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rever Tout Le Temps" is one of the shortest progressive rock albums I've heard, but in Zeuhl and related movements this seems to be normal due to the search for a concrete experience. Passed with flying colours, I think it's one of those albums that the more you listen to, the more you'll like it.

Oree begins with these vocals and an etherial guitar riff, before building slowly with the introduction of bass, keys, cymbals, drums in turn - plus the added vocals of Lisa Bois. The tone changes slightly on 5 minutes, dialling back to a solo flute briefly before the drums hit centre stage, much like Magma's work. All the vocalists get involved in a slightly Indian sounding passage which is just brilliant, and just when it hits a crescendo - complete silence. The flute and guitar pick up the original melody from the opening of the track, and it ends with Thibault's daughter playing a toy piano. Magical stuff.

Aquadingen begins with funky bass and drums alongside the effects of ocean waves. Half way through we are treated to some madcap vocals from Serge Derrien before more sound effects kick in, this time sounding more like a jungle, perhaps referencing the album's cover art. Its a shorter track but pretty interesting.

La Caravane De L'Oubli is very Arabic in style, built around a "snake-charmer" flute as a calm guitar riff and drums tap away in the background. The guitar that takes over following this is the start of a passage containing vocals in the style of Islamic call to prayer, building to a crescendo of several layers of instruments.

The title track unfortunately for me is the reason I don't give this album five stars. It begins nice enough, darker in tone to start with a very Zeuhl-like bass followed by ethereal vocals, and some guitar grinding. Its the second half of the track that puts me off though, full of screaming, manic laughter and gun fire. After the calm and upbeat tracks before this, it seems very out of place and ends the album in an odd mood. Obviously a message here that I'm not getting!

5* for the first three tracks, down to four as a whole album.

MAIS ON PEUT PAS RÉVER TOUT LE TEMPS (But One Can't Dream All The Time) may be a short little blip on THIBAULT's lengthy and diverse resume consisting of only four tracks that barely clock over the thirty minute mark, but what he left behind as his sole album is somewhat of a testament to all his musical influences with none other than fellow countrymen Magma themselves providing some of the primary inspiration. Yes, MAIS ON PEUT... is chock full of zeuhl-istic rhythms enriched with fretless bass, tom fueled percussion and heavenly siren vocals from none other than Hatfield & The North's own Amanda Parsons ( as well as Lisa Bois and Le Muezzin Mystérieux) but most of all this album is chock full of surprises with a roller coaster of changes that keep each track with a distinct flavor and occupying its own niche in the sonic jungle sprawled about in its short playing time.

The mainly instrumental music itself is a construct inspired by the paintings of Douanier Rousseau and as every bit as rich and diverse as Rosseau's cover art depicts. While vocals are heard by no less than seven individuals on the album, they are implemented as an extension of the melodies and therefore used as instruments and wordless (minus the short spoken narration towards the end). While paintings may have provided the inspiration behind MAIN ON PEUT... it is the percussive framework of Transit Express drummer Dominique Bouvier that provides the musical backbone around which the entire album was constructed. Bouvier in fact recorded the entire album's percussive parts completely alone and all the other instruments and vocalizations were added afterwards and were deftly woven around the percussive spine.

While the zeuhl tag can immediately bring the pomp and awe of hypnotic Teutonic marches to mind, THIBAULT delivers one of the most placidly serene examples in the entire progressive rock subgenere utilizing ample doses of folky violin, arpeggiated acoustic guitar and ethereal vocals styles with only a very few spoken word sections. The conscious decision to eschew the overweening assembly of keyboard parts ensures that MAIS ON PEUT PAS RÉVER TOUT LE TEMPS exudes an earthly organic and comfortably warm touch as it touches upon Canterbury infused jazzy touches, Arabic vocal phrasing and contemporary folk touches. A total of thirteen guests includes a few members from Magma who ensure the zeuhl rhythmic drive never gets buried too deep beneath the parade of instrumentation that only occasional goes fully electric with heavy distortion on the guitars all for the sake of the contrasting crescendoes.

MAIS ON PEUT PAS RÉVER TOUT LE TEMPS is both hypnotic and seductive as it provides the nice warm and atmospheric touches to reel the listener in fairly quickly and then ratchets up the tension ever so gradually with the mellower tracks incrementally ceding into the climactic final stages of the title track. In addition to the lush verdant sonic pastures upon which the musicians graze and regurgitate in glee, THIBAULT busts out his best production skills with a well balanced and mixed assortment of musical instruments and disparate accoutrements such as flame throwers, rockets, machine guns and mad cantarices. This is also an example of how horrible an album sounds on YouTube as opposed to the actual album as i have been listening to the actual album but comparing notes as i write this. By all means, get the real thing as the internet version is woefully compressed and monotonic in comparison. Unfortunately for the prog loving world, THIBAULT to date has never released another musical gem under his own moniker but has continued in the production world, but this is not one to be missed for those who can't get enough of those bubbly addictive zeuhl rhythmic fixes in a free form psychedelic jazz folk way.

Five star songs: All four: the RENAISSANCE/ANNIE HASLEM-guests-JACO PASTORIUS-era- WEATHER REPORT-like "Orée" (11:28) (10/10); the Crosby, Stills, Nash &Young meets early PAT METHENY GROUP "Aquadingen" (4:30) (10/10); "La caravane de l'oubli" (7:08) (10/10) has an awesome kind of STEVE HACKETT and STEVE HILLAGE feel to it--even moreso with the Arabic influences, and; the experimental marriage of driving jazz funk and pastoral folk sounds on "Mais on ne peut pas rêver tout le temps" (8:21) (10/10).

Undoubtedly a masterpiece of cross-multiple-subgenres music. ESSENTIAL!

If you know of the Zeuhl genre through the likes of Magma and Ruins, you might expect music from these waters to be chanting like a druid´s convention - teutonic and staccato like an aggressive basketball player wearing a military uniform. This album though by Laurent Thibault, who in fact was the producer of Magma´s Attahk album and a bunch of other French curiosities, does successfully prove that there is more to this style of music than what meets the ear. Far more.

The beautiful artwork here is a painting called The Snake Charmer done by Henri le Douanier Rousseau, who happens to be one of my favourite painters. The parallels between the green lush and rather peaceful image and the magical music inside of Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rëver Tout Le Temps are more than anything, striking - in that intangible and dare I say esoteric manner, in which all musicians should strive their artworks and music to accomplish in unison. A connection beyond words.

I´ve always had a thing for Eastern philosophy and that good old phrase about the middle path. A path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification, which in this particular case - I feel is strongly represented in how the music comes across. Don´t get me wrong, I´m all for extremes and putting the pedal to the metal, but somehow restraint and the power of interplay does seem to reach some form of other level on here.

This album is almost instrumental, but nowhere near it. Haha! What I mean to say, is that we are not treated to any words or philosophical phrases, but there are moments of extreme beauty hiding in this album, which are set free by two different female singers. In keeping with the Eastern images, think of these female voices as a couple of Wushu practising monks - shifting through alternating stances fluently like ch´i seeking ballet dancers doing pirouettes in front of a red sun rising. I´d like to think that these two women singing resemble the most beautiful orgasming mermaids, - or if you have trouble picturing such an event, then imagine those ethereal lingering vocals from The Lord of the Rings - that every now and again speak of impending magic and sorcery. They feel like vocal frostbites delivered in the freezing winds. At other times they seem to be yodelling together with some backing masculine ones - and together they lure the music into unknown heights, that fuse the Zeuhl brand with some pretty astonishing folk snippets expressed through spiralling acoustic guitars.

Balancing these serene and crystal clear voices out and infusing warmth into the mix - is what the music is all about, and if I can redirect your focus towards the artwork once again and take in the freshness of the jungle - and the explosions of green, - then try imagining this image being expressed through acoustic guitars, bass, various wind instruments, drums and the occasional keys. When the vocals run out, it is as if a tree had died, but just like in nature - this macabre event leads to new possibilities and other structures - turning the forest floor into a hot bed of new seedlings and tiny plants. The music answers similarly, with those acoustic guitars sprinkling away like flocks of birds all flapping together simultaneously. The bass chimes in too, and shows who really is the boss here. It is front and centre, but as I explained earlier - it is never taken to any extremes - even when it unfolds itself in some rather sensuous fretless playing - kindly provided by Francis Moze. The bass is omnipresent, and works much like a musical leach - continuously jumping from elbow to knee - guitars to drums - leaving behind a small mark: The bass leach was here! Funny how some musicians are able to colour everything around them...

There is some kind of earthiness to these instruments, and yet quite the opposite. Listening to the combination of the guitars and the rhythm section genuinely makes me think of that artwork again. Those gatherings of green appearing like a thousand small brightly coloured mini cosmos, - the music is rather like that! There are so many facets to each of these instruments involved, that very similar to the subtracting chromatophors of the forest chameleon - shift colours all according to the overall feel of the music. The guitars are a perfect example of this, and although I sound completely loopy and ready for hospitalisation - they feel like they are made of light - even when the music turns Arabic in nature, where music often can turn quite muddy - they illuminate the ambiance and textures like burning torches in the night. Every time a chord is struck - be that a single string - it´s like the lights going on in a miniature L.A. in the middle of the jungle.

I´d recommend this little gem to folks with an interest in Zeuhl that incorporates everything from folk to psych - and takes you deep within the jungle where everything is greener than any form of green you´ve ever experienced before. What a trip! 4.5 stars.

"Oree" opens with a pastoral setting as gentle guitar and Amanda's soprano vocal melodies create paradise for the ears. Cymbals then light drums and keys are added to the melody. Laurent's wife Jacqueline plays the keys. Lisa adds her vocal melodies to Amandas' and violin comes in. Flute after 5 minutes. The tempo picks up a minute later with drums outfront. This is a beautiful passage. Lionel, Amanda and Lisa sing together in this Indian inspired passage that follows. The bass is fat and the music is uptempo. Suddenly it calms right down to the original melody with flute, gentle guitar, keys and violin all eventually taking part. Liquid keys after 10 minutes. The song ends with Laurent's 8 year old daughter playing a toy piano(can you say dissonant). That was actually the same toy piano David Bowie played on the original version of "China Girl" by IGGY POP on his "The Idiot" album that was recorded at Laurent's studio.

"Aquadingen" starts so calmly and builds with drums and bass leading the way. A full sound 2 minutes in with crazy vocals from Serge Derrien. It settles back down a minute later as we get sax, odd metered drumming, violin and animal sounds. This sounds amazing by the way. "La Caravane De L'Oubli" has a strong Arabic flavour. It opens with a catchy melody with drums leading the way. The sound is building until we get female vocals taken from a religious record of Laurent's of a muezzin calling for evening prayer. "Mais On Ne Peut Pas Tout Le Temps" opens with a dark mood as drums beat away. It calms down as female vocal melodies and the sound of water can be heard. Children are heard playing before the pace picks up. Check out the fretless bass of Moze ! Drums lead the way as the dark mood returns with vocal melodies. Sax comes in as the melody temporarily stops then returns just as fast. Derrien comes in yelling and laughing as that fantastic dark melody continues. Incredible song. The first and the last songs are truly genius.

This is a spellbinding release that I can't say enough good things about. A must have.

Starting relatively slowly in Oree, we are charmed by the ex-Northette Amanda Parsons' celestial vocalizings, accompanying a slow crescendo-ing track where Thibault's bass is gradually taking the calm reflective music into Zeuhl territory then climaxing to resume to its start again and end quietly. Starting on wind noises, Aquadingen picks up speed with a Pastorius-like fretless bass (played by Moze) slowly Zeuhl-ing away under jungle animal noises, obviously hinting at the front cover artwork.

The flipside is just as enchanting and the magic works much the same way, but the start of Caravane De L'Oubli will remind you of Genesis' Unquiet Slumber, but this is temporary as Arabic ambiances and Oldfield-ian influences creep in and Islamic prayer-type of scat vocals intervene over layers of guitars, keyboards, violin and ending with the only spoken vocals mentioning the album's title. The final title track explodes out of the spoken line with Thibault's bass starting, soon relayed by Moze's fretless bass, then Thibault's guitar grinds appears, launching some wordless chants and some blood-curdling screams, machine gun firing, madcap laughing all over Moze's fretless Pastorius-ian basslines.

A rather short album (barely clocking in over the half hour), but certainly one of the better to come from the later 70's, MONPRTLT is definitely worthy of attention by all progheads.