HELDON II - ALLEZ TEIA

3.5 stars

Where as HELDON's first album was rather electronic and refreshing, the second effort "Allez-Teia" is more rock-oriented. Its violent cover contrasts greatly with the peaceful and relaxing nature of the music. More precisely, the style is very simlar to Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting", released two years before. Richard Pinhas pays a warm tribute to its idol Robert Fripp here, which makes you wondering if you're really listening to HELDON. The important usage of the mellotron and VCS 3 reinforces this impression.

"In the wake of King Fripp" is oviously a reference to KING CRIMSON's second opus and its leader. A calm and soothing opener. The peaceful acoustic "Aphanisis" displays a pastoral ambiance. "Omar Diop Blondin" is dedicated to Robert Fripp. Still soft, this track is supported by Pinhas' distorted guitar. First genuine electronic moment of the record, "Moebius" features a short synthetizer sequence more typical of HELDON.

The 12 minutes track "Fluence" is the longest. The first eight minutes are mainly ambient, with sonorities sometimes reminding TANGERINE DREAM's "Phaedra". The end part reuses the short sequence from "Moebius". Enjoyable, but a bit long and repetitive. "St Mikael Samstag am abends" is more varied and interesting. This composition waeaves a mysterious, dark and spacey soundscape, with drone sound effects, guitar and mellotron. The ending track, "Michel Ettori", is a soft acoustic guitar piece, rather anecdotic.

Apart in HELDON's discography, "Allez-Teia" is their least electronic and representative album, however also their softest and soothest. Without the band's typical ramshackle, tortured ambiance and hypnotic loops, this unusual record is also their most accessible.

Let's go straight to the point: if you enjoy Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting", you'll like "Allez-Teia". The reference sounds sometimes too apparent, nonetheless it can be a good entry point to discover HELDON.

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