Philharmonie
Rage
1996
Cuneiform
Syn-Phonic

Review by Dan Luft

     To be completely honest, I haven't listened to this album in a while. When I first bought it I wore my CD player out on it, but after a while I sorta got away from it... these things happen. But Scott asked me to give this disc the once over, so here I sit in front of the Macintosh, sipping on a Budweiser and eating yogurt, while I listen to Rage by the French Quartet Philharmonie.
      Released on Cuneiform Records in 1996, this album is unmercifully advertised everywhere as "Reminiscent of 80's-era King Crimson," "Drawing heavily on the influence of Robert Fripp" and "A must-have for fans of Discipline, Three of a Perfect Pair and Beat." In a way, you gotta feel sorry for these guys for being so consistently typecast. But on the other hand, these guys really do sound an awful lot like King Crimson from the days of skinny neckties and "Sartori in Tangiers".
      Copycat bands aren't really anything new in music, and perhaps in the world of prog with everything constantly being measured against the genre's heyday in the seventies, getting a reputation as a copycat is a good thing. But after listening to Rage, it's hard to look at this band as just imitators.
      The seven tracks on Rage are filled with the signature Fripp/Belew interlocking guitar sound. But rather than creating intricate webs of sound, Philharmonie uses it more as a texture. Guitarists Frederic L'Epee and Laurent Chalef play very relaxed and flowing melodies throughout the album, especially on songs like "Sur un fil" and "Le dernier heraut." In fact, for an album named Rage, the whole thing is intensely polite. Philhamonie very rarely cut it loose and dip into the anarchy bucket. Even in songs like "Hexacorde," where things do get a little aggressive -- the tone is very controlled and restrained. In this sense, the fact that Philharmonie sound a heck of a lot like King Crimson hurts them in that they can never seem to achieve that same dark, threatening vibe that Crimson could turn on at will. Even when it sounds like the quartet is doing their best to be dissonant and ugly, like in the middle section of "Bourree tropicale," it comes off sounding very measured and precise. The only time that this sense of control seems to slip is on the fifth track, "Ouigaa" where the distorted stick melody seems to free the guitarists up from having to take such care in crafting their lines. The chords swirl out of the speakers, leading up to a truly cathartic guitar solo where L'Eppe lets his elegant European sound slip as he grabs the melody by the throat and throttles out a solo that just makes me clench my teeth with joy.
      Rage is a relatively short album, running only 45 minutes, but because so many of the songs are built around repeating melodies, it seems to last longer than that. In fact, I think it was the pervasiveness of the same melody repeating over and over and over that eventually got me away from listening to this CD. There are some beautiful moments on this album, and this is a truly talented group of musicians. But in the end, it all kind of sounds alike. Then it begins to wear on you, and it becomes one of those "when you're in the right mood" albums.
     And because of this shortcoming, the circle comes back around to the beginning where all those King Crimson references were. Don't get me wrong, Philharmonie's Rage is a beautiful disc with some great performances. But personally if I want to hear that Fripp/Belew/Levin/Bruford sound... I reach for Discipline.

Ruins
Burning Stone
Shimmy Disc
1992
CD Warehouse, Neptune Beach, FL

     Some of the weirdest music on the planet seems to consistently be coming from Japan, home of avant-noise maker Merzbow and just plain dumb groups like The Boredoms. Ruins, a duo of bassist Ryuichi Masuda and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, displays elements of both of these tendencies in Japanese progressive/avant-garde/alternative music -- noise and absurdity. Now, that probably doesn't sound too appetizing to you yet, but Ruins also has some other tricks up their sleeves, such as the fact that they can play. That puts Ruins more in line with fellow fast and heavy Japanese prog/avant outfits like Happy Family, Bondage Fruit and Koenjihyakkei. The latter group is actually a sister group to Ruins as it also features the drumming and twisted musical vision of Yoshida on drums. Incidently, Ruins also seems to be hugely influenced by the French group Magma, whose influence pops up to one degree or another in the music of all three of those bands. Yoshida must certainly have a worn-out copy of Magma's Udu Wudu in his collection because Burning Stone is loaded with nasty, distorted bass guitar riffs, frantic drumming and weird vocals in an imaginary language which looks in print very much like Magma's own Kobaian, complete with umlauts and other weird Germanic-looking characters. I have heard that the brand new Ruins album even contains a song dedicated to Magma, so there is no doubt that is where these guys are coming from.
     It might seem unlikely that such a stripped down ensemble as a bass/drum duo could produce very interesting music, but you'd be surprised. Ruins departs from the Magma ethic in that they are not nearly so repetitive. This is very active, energetic (some might say hyper) music full of twists and turns in rhythm and tempo. All the songs are short, but there are tons of different themes and riffs in each. It never really gets boring except in tracks like "Zasca Coska," which is great except for the two or three-minute interlude of white noise in the middle. Masuda is not your typical bass player either. He keeps things interesting because his approach is quite unique and offers a fuller sound than usual. He plays chords a lot and uses a variety of other techniques uncommon to typical bass playing. An awful lot of effects, including a harmonizer also help to create the illuison that there is more instrumentation than there really is.
     Ruins is certainly not for everyone. This album is a little silly and might even be good head-banging music for Beavis and Butthead if the riffs weren't so complex. If your tastes in prog rock never strays outside the lush symphonic styles of Yes and Genesis, you'd do best to keep away. If you're a fan of Magma, Happy Family and other Japenese bands of that ilk, this album is recommeded.

Island
Pictures
The Laser's Edge
1977
On loan from the record collection of Jason Ellerbee (Purchased from The Laser's Edge)

     Island is an unusual band for several diferent reasons. How many other bands can you think of that are from Swizerland? How many other bands don't have a bass player? How many other bands have made only one album and made one this good? Island is one of the few in all three categories.
     This album has earned quite a reputation as a dark progressive masterpiece. I imagine most of that reputation has been earned in the two years since it was released on CD by The Laser's Edge, and it is well deserved.
     Island is comprised of four musicians; Benjamin Jäger on lead vocals, Güge Jürg Meier on drums, Peter Scherer on keyboards, pedal bass and vocals and Rene Fisch on saxophones, flute, clarinet and vocals. All four also make contributions on various kinds of percussion, which is featured prominently throughout the album. Scherer leads the band with his fantastic classically inspired organ and strikingly nimble bass pedal work through a musical landscape full of twists and turns. He will often swing rapidly from complex and heavy odd-timed arpeggios to subtle, atmospheric chordal moments. Jäger's vocals are equally dynamic and dramatic, switching from a whisper to confidently sung, but sometimes frantic vocals in the blink of an eye. Throw in some occasionally wailing, jazzy saxophone and you end up with something that may remind the listener of Van Der Graaf Generator's better moments. One may also hear elements of ELP, Univers Zero and even a bit of the Canturbury sound in this music too, but Island were hardly pretending to be anyone else. Any similariteis seem unlikely to be intentional.
     My favorite tracks on this album are "Zero" a comparatively short six-minute instrumental (four of the six tracks on Pictures are between 12 and 24 minutes long!) and "Herold and King (Dloreh)." "Zero" stands out as being the only "up" sounding track on the album. It's an energetic workout with some excellent playing form each member of the band, especially in the great keyboard work. This is also where most of the aforementioned Canturbury style makes its appearance. "Herold..." is probably the darkest and weirdest track on the album, complete with frenetic vocals sung backward (not a backward-played recording). It also features a heavy keyboard riff which would have been at home on a Present album.
This CD faetures a nearly 24-minute bonus track not origianlly available on the LP (as if you'd be able to find that anyway!). This track, "Empty Bottles," is of unknown origin, according to the liner notes. It's a clear, clean recording, but the mix is not as professional as the rest of the album. It sounds a little like it was recorded in someone's house, rather than in a studio. It is ceratinly a welcome inclusion, however, since is a good piece and it would have filled up half of another LP. It also seems to feature a real bass player, but no one is credited.
     I recommend this album to everyone, no matter what your tastes in progressive music may be. Island was a highly original band and it is a shame they didn't make more than one album. They would surely be a household name in the prog community if they had.

Robert Fripp
Let The Power Fall
E'G
1979
Manifest Discs and Tapes, Wilmington, NC
Review by Scott Matthews

      I'll preface this review by giving thanks to your editor, Scott Hamrick for steadfastly insisting that I buy this CD. As his gentle admonitions degenerated into out-and-out threats (the harmless sort that arise from a continual confrontation with blind indifference) I finally succumbed and walked away with what may be the most important CD I own. Also, let it be known, it was DD who introduced me to the world of Frippertronics (Robert Fripp's tape loop method devised by Brian Eno) in the first place. Many a languid Friday evening in Carteret County, NC was spent with Scott listening and relistening to pieces like "Red Two Scorer" from Under Heavy Manners/God Save the Queen and "Water Music" I and II from Exposure . Regardless of how empty and interminable those nights could be when one's mind turned to the unpleasantness of the day's and week's events, five or ten minutes spent drifting in the orbit of Fripp's undulating tones would lift the fog from here to the horizon.
      "One can work within any structure...The appropriate structure will recognise structures outside of itself...The appropriate struture can work within any large structure..." These postulations, written by Fripp, are found in the liner notes of Let the Power Fall and while they are not expressly attributed to his intentions behind this CD or Frippertronics in general, they do provide the listener with a schematic notion of the characteristics and variables at play in this music. There are six pieces on this CD (each recorded live at various cafes and record stores in Canada and the U.S.) and superfically each one mimics the other. Each begins with an emission of a tone-pulse from the guitar which then vanishes before another new note follows in its wake. By compounding and intertwining these looping tones in the first 10 seconds or so of the piece a recognizable melodic strucutre begins to manifest itself. As this initial structure begins to fade another one emerges and organizes itself around the vestiges of its predecessor ("The appropriate structure will recognize strutures outside of itself"). Thus what arises is a continually evolving series of amalgamating and cyclical melodic structures, each feeding the next until the final loop gently evanesces into silence.
      While all of these six pieces are related insofar as they are Frippertronics creations, they each possess their own distinguishable and individually haunting characteristics. And within the totality of one of these there exists a number of differing personalities and emotions which suspend themselves in a placid and contemplative sea, exposing themselves to the ebb and flow of the music's tidal procession.
      There is an undeniable yet subtle melancholy that pervades Let the Power Fall which never lapses into effusive despair or sentimentalism. The inherent singularity of it almost insists that it be listened to alone and at night.

X-Legged Sally
Land of the Giant Dwarfs
Knitting Factory Works
1995
Special ordered at Borders Books and Music, Chicago, IL.

Review by Mike Eisenberg

     This is for all you prog-funksters out there...yeah, I see you, hiding in the shadows, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to segue into a discussion of George Clinton on RMP. Well, X-Legged Sally will definitely do the job of getting your prog-funk ya yas out. This band smokes and if after about 10 seconds of slapping this on the sound system you DON'T get up and shake your symphonic/RIO/Zeuhl/Devil Doll-listenin' buttocks then...well...let's just say maybe you and John Tesh do belong together.
     Land of the Giant Dwarfs is the latest installment in the Sally panthenon (although I have heard rumors that there is a live disc floating around out there somewhere). Recorded in 1995 this features basically the same instrumentation as previous titles. Drums, bass, woodwinds, brass, keys,demented vocals and totally in-your-face guitar are all added liberally to concoct one thick and spicy funkified stew for the listener to gorge themselves on.
     Lots of credit is due to the production team on this disc. Pierre Vervloesem and Peter Vermeersch (guitar and clarinet respectively) have managed to create a sound not unlike Bill Laswell would if he was at the mixing board (he was on earlier efforts). Everything is loud here, when one instrument is soloing it is usually of the screaming variety, especially those sax and guitar solos. Think the intensity of Doctor Nerve circa Skin and you might begin to see what X-Legged Sally is all about.
     The vocals, when present, (only on about 25% of the disc) are quite disturbed. Thierry Mondelaers is credited with most of them and they kinda scare me, at times sounding like the nonsensical rantings of a severely challenged psycho. Did I mention this is a good thing? I think it is, it just adds to the urgency and punk jazz feel of the music. There are also taped snippets of conversation about male and female sex organs and even a blues song -- albeit done in bizarre X-Legged style -- written by Larry Graham of all people. A lot of this reminds me of the downtown avant-garde, scene in New York with bands like Chainsaw Jazz, Curlew and the aforementioned Doctor Nerve coming to mind. This is one of those discs that always sounds loud no matter what volume at which it is played . The bottom end especially will satisfy any bass freaks out there, such as myself. In fact the whole rhythm section is extremely tight, driving the music with force and velocity into the nether regions of hot and sweaty funkdom.
     If you need a rest from your Upper Extremities and Projekct 2s, this is just what the doctor ordered. As cliched as this sounds, put this baby on and play it loud. I think you'll dig it. Indeed, the mother ship has definitely landed.