četvrtak, 31. siječnja 2013.

Conventum - À L'Affût D'Un Complot (1977)





Najbolji neprepoznati bend iz Quebeca. Izvrstan komorni folk-prog eklekticizam s violinama, gitarama, mandolinama, recitacijama i višeglasnom tišinom.

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First released in 1977, guitarist Andre Duchesne's Conventum project also featured guitarist Rene Lussier and Jean-Pierre Bouchard, who played a variety of guitars and mandolins. All of these players went on to be part of Les Quatre Guitaristes de L'Apocalpso-bar, who had releases on Recommended Records UK, and they have continued to be prolific, inventive and creative musicians ever since. For Duchesne and Lussier this was one of their first significant projects, and they created an incredibly affecting and compelling band. Falling somewhere between progressive/chamber rock, folk and contemporary classical, they're a natural to fit into the R.I.O. aesthetic of eclecticism, brilliance in playing, and a balance of serious and humorous writing. Their music is both electric and acoustic, with a mix of songs and instrumentals, giving more of an instrumental feel overall. The pieces are intricate and well orchestrated, using accessible structures that makes the songs deceptively simple yet sophisticated. The album flows beautifully, an absorbing set of music and song. My only regret regarding this band is that they lasted only two albums; both of the Conventum releases are personal favorites that I'v returned to countless times over the year. Could I give more of a recommendation? - www.squidco.com/

For anyone interested in the music of Ambiances Magnétiques, Conventum's first LP is a must-have. The first significant recording from both René Lussier and André Duchesne, À l'Affût d'un Complot is the first result of years of learning, growing, and workshop writing. Here, the group had coalesced as a guitar quartet (Lussier, Duchesne, Jean-Pierre Bouchard, and Jacques Laurin, the latter on bass) augmented by violinist Bernard Cormier and the poet Alain-Arthur Painchaud. The original LP was released in 1977 by Tamanoir, a label at the heart of the Quebec folklore revival (they launched La Bottine Souriante and Le Reel du Diable). The music therefore draws on folklore (a title like "Les Reels du Conventum" gives a hint), but in a warped way that will remain Lussier's signature sound for years to come. Pieces like the title track, "Le Piège," and "La Ronde" could be described as chamber folk/prog, something like Art Zoyd playing acoustic guitars only with a taste for dissonance. The pieces feature intricate arrangements but simple melodies and structures. The result is beautiful, spellbinding, and unique, even though the Duchesne-led group Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso Bar (also featuring Lussier and Bouchard) would later develop an electric sound that was an extension of Conventum's heritage. Less experimental than Le Bureau Central des Utopies, this album will appeal to a larger audience and prog fans in general. The CD reissue on Kozak in 1996 adds 22 minutes of material previously unavailable from a live performance in April 1977, four months before the album was recorded (the track list below is taken from this definitive edition).- allmusic.com



Le Bureau Central des Utopies (1979) streaming





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