ET LE TROISIÈME JOUR

Of the two albums Vincent Dionne and Michel Georges Brégent made together, it's clear that their debut together, ...Et le Troisième Jour (I guess that translates as "On the Third Day", but you can be sure they probably didn't get that title from ELO, but from the Bible) is a more difficult listen. I can't believe the kind of albums that Capitol once had on their roster, but I'm willing to believe the unbelievable mega success the label had with the Beatles in North America afforded them to take a few risks and take a chance on some artists that might have artistic merit but even they knew would never receive much commercial success (until the late '70s, that is). I don't know how well-known this duo is known in Quebec, but I can guarantee you that Capitol really took a big gamble. This is basically a fascinating combination of electronic, gamelan, opera and avant garde. I could imagine Joel Vandroogenbroeck of Brainticket liking this album, in fact it features a lot of the same kinds of percussion as early '80s Brainticket (Adventure, Voyage) even if there's a totally different approach here. The first side of the LP emphasizes the electronic side , "Chant D'espoir", for example has this theme played on synth from Brégent, with gamelan-like percussion from Dionne, and a male/female choir and the second half features operatic voice from opera singer Pauline Vallaincourt. The avant garde stared rearing its face with "Résurrection". Side two of the album emphasizes the avant garde side of things. A good portion of this side really has a scary and ominous feel, and for those put off by that, it's little wonder some prefer the more prog rock leaning second album called Deux. In Quebec, these two LPs don't seem to be particularly expensive, and if you collect vinyl, you should be able to get a copy for a reasonable price. It's quite a far cry from the more folk-dominated groups like Harmonium, Le Temps, Beau Dommage, Lougarou (Garalou), and I noticed Quebec didn't have a whole lot of electronic acts (but nether did the rest of Canada). Dionne/Brégent might not be for electronic purists, that's for sure. I really can't say which of the two I like better despite their very different approach, if you can't take Et le Troisième Jour you might like Deux. If you thought Deux seems a "bit generic" then go for this one instead.