PHASE IV

This progressive Rock In Opposition "RIO" album is good although the 100% instrumental tracks are quite cold, not accessible at all, VERY dramatic and full of lengthy bits. The music uses an excellent and balanced combination of strings and horns arrangements. The comparison with Univers Zero and Frank Zappa around the Orchestral Favorites album is valuable. However, Art Zoyd here constantly produce a palpable climate of tension and unease in their music: the tracks often sound like a film music, and some parts flirt with minimalism like on the "Naufrage" track: they could have been made shorter; also Art Zoyd here are much less symphonic, melodic and rhythmically sustained than Zappa and Univers Zero. The omnipresent trumpet sometimes sounds Latin and sometimes has the Mark Isham's style. The omnipresent electric piano a la Tony Banks circa the And Then There Were Three album gives a too artificial dimension to this very acoustic album: they should have played an acoustic piano. On "État d'urgence", there is a Magma-esque passage. I like the calming and secure air change a la Ekseption in the "Dernière danse" track. "La musique d'Erich Faes" is an irrelevant 13 seconds random violin rub that must be skipped. I much more prefer the more rhythmically sustained and structured tracks like "Ballad" and "Dernière danse". This music will definitely amplify your worries.

rating: 3.5 stars