LE MONDE EN ÉTAGES

You can do far worse than get this album, but it isn't a masterpiece as well. Yet this album has a special atmosphere to it, as if it were from another world made by mysterious people. Markusfeld's vocals add a very special touch to this album and are one of its highlights, in my opinion.

Starting bizarrely with an acoustic guitar where Markusfeld narrates more than sings until the chorus (which is the title of the album) arrives and brings the electric side of the whole group in. There you can hear the more psychedelic side of the music, a sound not too far from the 60's rock. It then continues in a more ethereal way with the male vocals accompanying the guitar that keeps on with its enchanting singing. There is also a piano to be heard way in the back, but it is hard to hear it and this is a downside to this album, the production which brings forth some aspects and neglects others.

The second song starts softly with a flute, but then come in the vocals which give the music a theatrical tone and there is more narration like talking by Markusfeld. The music shifts between the slightly weird theatrical approaches to the 60's psychedelic rock side. This narration style is actually a nice way of creating this special atmosphere in the album and making it more than just another psychedelic rock album (even though it is good in that way as well).

The third song has some funny lyrics but the music sounds like a Doors song at times. It's a nice tune and his vocals make it more special. It's a pity it ends abruptly.

The next two songs which are parts 1 and 2 of La Terre Se Devore, are your classic 60's psychedelic music with the guitar giving some nice solos and then giving a main music theme that the song will follow its lines. In part 2 you get to hear more the organ and there is the nice vocal line sung by the group.

The next one starts with a cool guitar sound that sounds like sea waves (closest thing I could think of). 1:30 after the song starts with the same sounds as before, the drums and guitars cease to let Alain sing alone and then join back in a slower pace, and we get to hear the bass clearly at last. This is a nice change from the otherwise similar sound in the entire album. Markusfeld sings melancholically about how he lost his planet and condemned to live in space, accompanied by the piano to enhance the feelings of loneliness.

In the last song, Markusfeld unleashes more of his vocal acting but with more power and energy this time. This song is weirder than the others as can be heard by the voices crying like ghosts in the middle of it or the organ playing as if the phantom of the opera just entered the studio.

The overall music is good and enjoyable, but nothing special that will make you regret not getting this long ago. As Oliver noted in his review the music does stray between psychedelic and pop music but the arrangements and the vocals included make it more special than it could have been otherwise. The music is good, but this is not something we haven't heard before or elsewhere. It does show more than just a good potential for the next releases. The music here would be great if played live.

Good, but non essential - 3 stars.