EIDER STELLAIRE II

After their stellar debut, Eider Stellaire are caught struggling to adapt to the 80s. And it's not a success, like most Prog bands that tried to tune in with the times, they made the mistake to use the typical cold and clean sounds of the 80s, it's something that worked perfectly for the 80s bands themselves, but it doesn't seem to agree with Prog at all.

The songs are quite ok, the mood is lighter then the debut, almost frivolous at times, but the stark rhythms are still present, as are the typical drilling Zeuhl bass grooves. Fferyllt is an exception, it's very avant, almost like Univers Zero from the same period. Celebration de l'eau is my preferred track, it abandons the gated drum sound for a minimalistic approach with eerie keys, bass and sound effects.

There's not much to say about this 27 minute short album. It didn't satisfy the fans of the debut and it would surprise me very much if it did win over any new fan.