EGGS AND ASHES

This album is mostly music accumulated from different projects (three apparently) that X-L S participated in. As most of the Belgian chamber prog groups have, they often were linked to multi-phase artistic projects and this made them fairly widely known in Belgium, even if this did not really helped them making a breakthrough. In this case, we deal with tracks that were written for short films of friend Wim Vandekeybus dating from 91 (Immer Das Selbe Gelogen), 93 (Her Body Doesn't fit her Soul) and 94(mountains made Of Barking). Needless to say that hardly none ever saw these movies outside of the opening screening events.

This mixing of the tracks outside their sequences and sometimes away from other tracks of the movies they belong to is somewhat a strange manner, but I programmed my deck to play the tracks as they were chronologically were recorded, there was not much difference. One thing for sure is that none of those tracks sticks out like a sore thumb, as could be feared with a such perilous gamble, and actually the whole ensemble of them make a very good album, maybe their better after Giant Dwarfs. If you heard the other X-L S albums, you will be categorically enthused by this one as it is right up their normal usual style, completely nuts, insanely crazy and absolutely impressive both in inventivity and virtuosity. Again, many parallels can be found in Quebecois groups like Miriodor, Interference Sardines and Rouge Ciel but also Swedish groups like a weird cross of Qoph, Von Zamla and Ensemble Nimbus, Finns such as Hoyry Koyne , Uzva and Alamaailman Vasarat or fellow Belgians Cro-Magnon,

Opening track sung in German (as are a lot of the tracks here) and close to German Cabaret music mixed insanely with almost acoustic hardcore punk is quite a stunner, while its follow-up is a cross of Talking Heads meeting Miriodor. Midwave is the first real highlight (but what is a highlight in such a bright album anyway) and its superb groove enthralling you to oblivion until the track fades out in total chaos, awaiting for its slow death until the bass is re-awakening from stupor and bringing right back into hell. Bigots beware, these guys are musically evil!!!! Vade Retro Deus!! In the dark ages these guys would've been purified on a bonfire for using so many crazy scales, notes and dissonance. Turkish Bath has evident eastern influences, Sparadrap being maybe the low point on the album for being a little too demonstrative and I am afraid it is at the track's expense. The closer Mask with its 17 min+ is a bellyful of peppers but much worth the successful digestion for future musical orgasms. Sounds intriguing? I certainly hope so!!!!

Even though this is maybe not an album per se since it is a compilation of three different sessions, the resulting object is pretty successful as an entity and is an excellent if not a textbook case of the typical album you might find in the RIO/Avant-prog section of the Archives.