Edition Speciale- Horizon Digital
(Musea FGBG 4418)
Edition Speciale- Horizon Digital
(Musea FGBG 4418)
From Aural Innovations #39 (May 2008)
I really liked the other re-release record by this band that I reviewed previously.
This was a great French band in the tradition of Return to Forever and Weather
Report. This CD is their third and last official release (1978) finally out on
CD as well as the demos for the never released fourth record (recorded and mixed
in one day in 1980). The CD begins with the excellent instrumental Aurore, which
features really amazing keyboards and intense playing from all. Frank Zappa
would also like this piece quite a lot. Camara is 9½ minutes and begins
slowly with bass and piano but then moves into a bit of YES like area. Could
be the vocal just reminds me of Jon Anderson singing in French… The bass
is very up front in the mix and also really leads this track. Ann plays some
excellent solos. Ma Vie Dégénère is a short piece. Same
complex instrumentation but all the solos are shorter and it is more vocal oriented
and a very jazzy guitar solo. Daisy reminds me of YES again but the music is
more jazz like and reminds me of the 74´period of Frank Zappa. The instrumental
Jungle’s Jingle features totally amazing bass and drums and keyboards.
I really think that the guitar player is the weakest link in the band but in
no way a slacker. He just does not push the band or really let it rip. Confluence
is next and a very intense track. Features some hand drumming and really jazzy
piano playing and is the last track of the CD. The vocal chanting reminds of
Magma but the music is more jazzy. That is the end of this band as it was known.
The next 5 tracks only feature Ann (Keyboards) and guitar player Mimi from the
original band. The musicians they have though are amazing players. These 5 demo
tracks I think are only interesting to show the different and much less intense
and more mainstream direction the band was drawn towards. I did reviews of each
song but decided to just summarize and say that Horizon Digital is amazing and
you won’t spend much time hearing the extra tracks..
Check out the record label web site at: http://www.musearecords.com
Reviewed by Scott Heller