UNIVERS ZERO [AKA: 1313]

In 1977, when progressive rock in the United States and Great Britain was crumbling under the pressure of the greedy major record labels and the scorn of petty rock journalists, Univers Zero arose out of Belgium with their new take on RIO and chamber rock.

The songwriting at this time for the band, as many here know, was shared by Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux. Denis' compositions (Ronde, Carabosse and Complainte) tend toward the darker, and more orchestally based. Think Stravinsky writing for horror and suspense movies. Trigaux' writing (Docteur Petiot and Malaise , probably because he is a guitarist, have a bit more of a grounding in rock, with repeating patterns and complex time changes.

I love both composers' styles here. When I'm in a darker mood, Denis' pieces affirm those feelings. Lighter moods go with Trigaux' deep but playful tunes. And for this to appear at a time the industry why trying to dumb down was just a miracle.