PLAT DU JOUR

It's not that every French band or artist has to be classified as Zeuhl, but effectively I initially wondered why Plat Du Jour is not in that subgenre. The opener "5 Autoroute" has everything to be considered Zeuhl: even if the vocals are screamed drums, bass and sax work in a way that's between Magma and Art Zoyd.....two big names just to start. It's with the guitar solo that really rocks that the difference comes to air. Then bass and keys makes it more jazzy for a crescendo that is suddenly interrupted by the end of a track that could have proceeded for twice its length.

At the crossroad we turn to "11 Autoroute". This one starts with keys and bass and still reminds me to the two big ones (let me clarify that even if founder of the RIO I consider Art Zoyd very close to Zeuhl), but after a slow start the music becomes very jazzy and this may explain why they are eclectic: I'm used to call this "Canterbury" in a Soft Machine sense.

"Zilbra", still maintaining the jazzy flavor is different from the previous two. It has clean vocals (apart for the last growled minute) and a lazy bluesy ongoing. Definitely not Zeuhl. It reminds me to the early albums of Modry Efekt. Very in advance with its time for a 1977 release.

"Totem" starts bluesy too and is the album's highlight. How can I describe it? Based mainly on two chords with a good base of bass if flows very well adding a touch of psychedelia to the album. In the last minutes it slows down and fades out in a very melodic way. Great song.

"L'Homme"(The Man) starts from where Totem ends: acoustic guitar and voice and ends to be a very good song.

"Rock 'n Speed" explores the fusion realm with a lot of funk for the first two minutes, then it becomes a little unstructured and surely less easy with the sax in the foreground interpreting the leader's role. Two minutes more and it slows to "dark ambient". Piano and sax add jazz to a floydian keyboard layout and again I think to Canterbury, at least to the Caravan of Waterloo Lily but with much more jazz. Also this closing track ends suddenly leaving me wishing for more of this.

Let's rate this "eclectic" album with the maximum, then I think I'll give a spin to some Univers Zero

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