B.A.G - "Soudain L'elephant" (Musea FGBG 4079.AR, 1993, CD)
This French instrumental five piece of guitars, bass, keys, winds and drums
plays music in a somewhat jazzy vein, yet with a rock flair and a multitude
of influences ranging from world jazz and Arabic themes to folk stylings and
new-age. The result is a very soothing yet energized music falling somewhere
between early Ozrics, Joaquin Lievano, and Material's "Hallucination
Engine", perhaps with flashes of influence from Metheny, Alain Markusfeld,
and others. Primal exotic percussion abounds in almost every tune, as well
as heavy and moody atmospherics, didjeridu samples, bagpipes, and other
interesting wind-synth textures. One can't help being captivated by the
variety and refinement of the compositions and arrangements as the band
works their way through the album's eleven tracks, mostly in the
four-to-five minute range. Yet the music here is not overly complex or busy
on the nerves, instead being more laid-back and melodically oriented. All in
all this is an outstanding album by what seems to be one of France's most
promising new bands, an album that grows on the listener, slowly revealing
itself with each repeated exposure.
(Originally published in Exposé #3, p.11, Edited for Gnosis 3/23/01)
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