SI, PARTIE II - L'HOMME IDÉAL

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Said Lady Marmelade to the « Ideal Man », the second act of the Si (If) concept dealing with the greedy human condition. As this CD kicks off, we are witnesses to a spirited discussion in a bar between two guys in French, who argue about the benefits and consequences of a cloned DNA future where the grass is green, eyes are blue and hair is blond. Punch in some data and presto: perfectly ordered and expertly manufactured babies. Obviously, if you don't speak the language, you kind of miss the point of the concept which decries the surreal world of scientific sex. Pity, really, because the opening chapter, Si Partie 1 was a smoking monument of highly intricate, multi-mood progressive pyrotechnics with devastating guitars, rippling piano, sweeping keys, buzzing bass and deft drumming. Again, the menu has not been changed, as guitarist extraordinaire JP Louveton displays unusual mastery both of technique, feeling and tone, laying down some blistering runs on his fret board, certainly more aggressive and biting than the usual Hackettists that populated the genre, while relying on the always inventive interplay between the various keys, swinging from jazz to symphonic, forcefully bolstered by a creative rhythm section that understands fully its role as a most solid foundation. From the first spin through, the line-up plays way beyond expectations, delivering some eyebrow raising lush progressive that can only elicit a smile and a definite thumbs up. The contrasts between the softer passages and the sudden explosions are really what make this band so devastatingly interesting. While all the tracks represent a totality that needs no analytical division, there are some standout cuts such as the anti-racist lumbering steamroller "Même Peau, Même Destin", the bass funky, e-piano jazzy "L'Homme Idéal", the languid epic 10 minute Floydian romp "Reflets", to name a few. My fellow reviewers agree that Nemo should be considered from now on as a solid and reliable representative of the new prog movement. Along with Taal, Maldoror, Seven Reizh and a few others, Nemo seems to regularly and consistently provide some first rate intricate offerings that deserve not only praise but even reverence. Now where is this musical submarine going next? Only the Capitaine knows . 5 submarines