CIRCONVOLUTIONS

The album released after their reforming in 2014, Circonvolutions (2015) is the band's first release in nearly 40 years! I hope they stay together for long and continue to release more material. This is worth a listen.

From the get-go with "Along the Great Wall", very electronica(?)-forward. But herein is really so much more. Very interesting reeds work. Toward the end is this horn that is so compressed and morphed, I thought it was a keyboard. I honestly love this sound. Reminds me of old PC games from my childhood. Regardless of how they made it all, it's a pretty infectious opener.

A winner from its get-go, "Conte de saxs" is fun and upbeat. Sort of reminds me of latter-day '70s Daevid Allen Gong. Don't know how not to love.

Despite sounding a bit like tired Synth-Pop at times, "Tibetan Monument" still has some charms, especially toward the end. This band has strengths in its rhythm section, no doubt about it, but the reeds work is most lovely.

And then, the title track, "Circonvolutions" [DO NOT MISS THIS], at first a scurrying, spacy number with soft, pillowy instrumentation. Nearing minute 2, the beat comes in. What I assume to be synth, though it sounds like sped up lead-bass melody(?!), scurries along in this upbeat, positive way. Pretty darn unique sound. Then the horns... sheesh... So nice. I'm very impressed. Compositional knack out the wazoo. All falls away near the midpoint. Then what sounds like a modernist church organ comes in around minute 5. Things rise and fall together. Cloudy and beautiful and quietly epic. I had no clue what to expect from this album, but it wasn't this.

I wouldn't say that I'm such a fan of the so-called 'Progressive Electronic' idiom, but they are using elements from it throughout this album in such a way that I'm just so drawn. "L'imagerie fantastique", quiet and soft at first, is such a lush use of space. And then wow! What occurs around 3:00... indescribable. Things pick up, some guitar lead over epic, grandiose keyboards and classic rhythm section. Gee whizz haha. "Fantastic Imagery" indeed! I'm pretty speechless. A goddamn blessing, this'n! hahaha.

"Namire" is a beautiful acoustic guitar solo interlude. A lovely and appropriate breaking-up of the norm.

Then, the queer, almost Gothic(?) "Wedding Day". Again, sonic choices that could have sprouted out of early-80s Synth-Pop, though this is clearly more a 'Post-Progressive' thing. The vocalist has a nice voice, but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. Brought the album down a hair, for sure.

Finally, "Jardin de verre", another lush use of space, this time featuring soft violin lead over ethereal, sort of baroque (to my ears) accompaniment. Then very modern-sounding (ya know, post-1990) drums enter. The performance is very cool and slowly ramps up with duel synth-guitar (and eventually reeds) leads. Real nice. Once more reminiscent to me of the work of Didier Malherbe (of Gong).

Those tracks that are not only bolded, but are italicized as well, are essential listens in my book. Good god, I'm so impressed!

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