MESSE EN RÉ MINEUR

All my recent Mike Oldfield reviews really made me want to revisit this relatively obscure little gem of an album by the French band Wapassou. Messe En Ré Mineur is an album consisting of one continuous 40 minute track. The reason why this lengthy suite reminds me so much of Oldfield's escapades from the '70s has to do with the absence of drums and pure bass lead, although both keyboards and guitar carry enough bass in their arrangements to keep its absence almost unnoticeable. The biggest difference to Oldfield's recordings comes from the fact that the music never seems formulaic and overproduced, plus I generally believe that four minds can produce more exciting music than one will ever be capable of!

The music itself is highly atmospheric with a definite Space Rock flavor added to the mix. I'm not sure that this particular release has anything that would resemble Avant-Prog on it so everyone who doesn't necessarily enjoy the genre can still safely check out this album. I get a big kick out of this album's unpredictability while it still always manages to keep the underlying groove going while adding new layers of sound with every new section of this lengthy piece. The keyboard sound does have a definite advantage compared to the rest of the instrument arrangements but, I personally, wouldn't have it any other way!

Messe En Ré Mineur is an album that I really think can have a much broader audience compared to the one it has relieved so far. I'm looking especially at all the prog loving Mike Oldfield fans out there who have praised albums like Tubular Bells, Ommadawn and Amarok. You guys should definitely give this release a shot! I know that it can feel like a drag seeking out an obscure album like this one but, in the end, it will be a much more rewarding experience than purchasing one of the lesser Oldfield albums just for the sake of not abandoning your comfort zone.

**** star songs: La Messe En Ré Mineur (39:23)