LES FOUS D'OR

IGOR WAKHÉVITCH emerged in 1970 with his bizarre electronic concoction "Logos" and continued to release albums during the decade before relocating and retiring to Auroville, India thus leaving his experimental music behind however simultaneously while he was haunting the world with his avant-garde electronic music freakery, WAKHÉVITCH also was active in crafting scores for operas and ballets which for the most part were not recorded and released as albums under his name. Two years after the occult-tinged horror sound lunacy of "Hathos" emerged, WAKHÉVITCH released his fourth album LES FOUS D'OR (The Fools Of Gold) which was basically the soundtrack of a progressive electronic-infused minimalist opera score that was designed to be experienced with the choreographed visuals of Carolyn Carlson.

More steeped in modern classical music than progressive electronic experiments this time around, LES FOUS D'OR will come off as a less frightening experience as WAKHÉVITCH's first three releases that created some of the most terrifying, alienating and esoteric musical experiments possible. This album was divided into two parts. The original A-side was titled Cornerstone and featured three tracks while the B-side which also featured three tracks was titled LES FOUS D'OR. The musical procession though is quite avant-garde and without the visual dancers to narrate the storyline in some way, virtually impossible to follow in any logical way. The instrumentation is also sparse with WAKHÉVITCH delivering mostly minimalistic synthesizer drones along with a few scattered electronic sputtering as well as a cello and trumpet. Other uncredited sounds do occur though. There are occasional percussive clanging but for the most part this is a haunting ethereal vocal experience as well as spoken narrations in French and occasionally English.

As far as any connections to the progressive rock or progressive electronic universe, there really aren't any. While the electronic sounds are scattered throughout the album's run, they flow in connection to the avant-garde opera parts that feature quivering sopranos and a cello. The synthesizers are mostly clustered into looping patterns and a tape collage adds extra effects. A declarative trumpet also is featured towards the end of the album. Although the music was scored for a ballet it does provide enough zesty bravado in its own right to enjoy without the accompanying visuals however the sparseness and nebulous nature of it will be alienating to all but those who can patiently drift through the album's procession while suspending any expectations of where the music should lead. This release obviously derived inspiration from WAKHÉVITCH's collaboration with the visual surrealist Salvador Dalí's avant-opera "Être Dieu."

WAKHÉVITCH himself describes LES FOUS D'OR as constructing audio-mental landscapes and sound images which is supposed to inculcate a journey inside ourselves however what artists themselves envision and what the audiences will experience doesn't necessary coincide especially in the heady abstract world of the avant-garde. While the album is very much a departure from the electronic-fueled wild rides of the first three albums, this fourth release is by no means not without its merit. Particularly captivating are the unusual vocal performances that are utterly unique ranging from strange alien siren calls to breathtaking octave leaps in an oscillating frenzy. A few attentive listening experiences will give some context to the madness at hand and the album offers enough classical orchestration to at least paint a rudimentary structure of the nebulous nature of it all. While hardly my favorite of the WAKHÉVITCH canon, LES FOUS D'OR is still a fascinating mix of modern classical, avant-garde opera and electronic music. Not one i revisit often but an occasional visit now and again isn't uncalled for.

3.5 rounded down

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