FICTION

Eskaton's third album (including their 4 Visions that was never on disc, but only on cassette) sees the band losing a bit its Magma fascination and renews the Zeuhl genre. Should you ever want to convert a French-speaking person not particularly prone to prog or Zeuhl music, I suggest that you try this one, because in some ways it is quite accessible. Line-up wise, violinist Patrick Lemercier who had come in with Ardeur is gone, so the group is back to the core six player including the two female singers Amara Tahir (the brunette) and Paule Kleynnaert (the blonde) and brother Marc Rozenberg on male vocals. Still unable to interest a major label with their superb music, Eskaton recorded this album in Sept 82 at home and released it on Eleanor Productions (as was Ardeur), and used a grim eye artwork with a digital time clock, giving it a post-atomic feeling, which the band confirms.

Opening the album (I will talk of the CD, not the vinyl, because the track order was purposely changed by the group) FX doesn't seem to have brought that much less Magma overtones, but things changes quite quickly with Les Deux Trucs, a hilariously- written "screw you" theme, and Automute (a story of mutation for protection), both being funkier that was Eskaton had gotten used to and more Crimson-esque (the Belew era). Simplicius and Danse Des Feux are even more jazz-rock, planet Kobaia was eclipsed during recording of these tracks, even if the scatting chants still bear a slight trace. Mort De Tristans starts out on a gloomy almost dronal keyboard. The rest of the tracks are more or less a funky Zeuhlian jazz-rock with accessible and funny vocals/lyrics. The album-closing Paranthese is a slow electric piano instrumental.

The Soleil Zeuhl label reissue also comes with five bonus tracks from their fourth album Icare that was never released and although you can hear the difference with Fiction, they are strongly Eskatonesque as well, and make a lovely and valuable addition to Fiction. Actually Gilles Rozenberg left the band in 84 prior to recording Icare, and much of the band's drive was lost, even if they remained active until the late 80's, before finally folding. Musicien was recorded in 83 and is probably the most Belew-era Crimson funky track on the album. The next four tracks are from 85, recorded for Icare. Generally, Kobaia has fled the galaxy (except for the vocals) and the music is very 80-ish, but escaping the worst trends of that dreaded decade. Only the lengthy Le Cri reminds of earlier times.

This Cd reissue is absolutely essential to Zeuhl and Eskaton fans (and at least as much as Ardeur), because it showed that the genre could move away from its Kobaian roots, a bit like Zao had managed to unveil but never confirm. Along with Ardeur, a must for Zeuhl fans.