Nemo: Revolu$ion

Following on from their excellent 2009 Barbares release French neo-proggers Nemo returned two years later with the less jazz infused, but equally hard hitting Revolu$ion. Right from that album title you know that once again Nemo were intent on commenting on the aspects which ail this world, while once more only those fluent in the band's native tongue will be able to follow their thoughts, with the lyrics exclusively in French. If that's enough to put you off, then you can be assured that you're missing out, with Revolu$ion being an excellent album from start to finish, where the music itself is compelling enough to reveal all of its stories.

As you'd expect from this style of music, the success of Nemo hinges on three or four key aspects, with the collision of biting guitars against melodic, atmospheric keyboards being equally as important as grand themes, expansive instrumental sections and enigmatic vocals. Jean Pierre Louveton may well sing in a language I am not familiar with, but make no mistake, you buy into every line he sings, through a heartfelt, utterly believable delivery.

"Notes Pour Plus Tard", while it closes the album, is a good place to start, with the slowly building themes conveyed by Guillaume Fontaine's keyboards and Louveton's guitars, demonstrating ably what this band do so well. Interestingly however Nemo always feel slightly less bombastic than many of their peers, with the ideas explored across "Juis Suis Un Object" or "Suel Dans Le Foule" always being considered and slightly less theatrical than you might expect. However don't take that to mean that Nemo can't, or don't stretch things out musically, as that would be far from the truth, the aforementioned "Suel..." verging on being ten minutes long, while "Loin Des Yeux (Barbares Parties VIII a XII)" - which continues a story started on previous album Barbares - runs into "epic" territory by virtue of being just under twenty five minutes in length. Both however are true highlights of this album, showing off the virtuosity of Louveton, Fontaine, Lionel B. Guichard (bass) and Jean Baptiste Itier (drums), while still remembering that keen song writing wins out over technicality every time.

In terms of comparisons, Nemo do pick up on many of the standard neo influences, with the likes of Arena, or IQ sometimes springing to mind, while Empires Never Last era Galahad is probably the strongest link to Revolu$ion. However the very fact that pulling out bands to compare this album to is a little bit of a challenge is a huge plus point, Nemo having the confidence and ability to simply be themselves; being hugely impressive as they do so.

Track Listing
1. Liberté, Egalité, Insurrection!
2. Je Suis Un Objet
3. Révolu$ion
4. Aux Portes Du Paradis
5. Seul Dans La Foule
6. Chiens En Laisse
7. Loins Des Yeux (Barbares Parties VIII a XII)
8. Notes Pour Plus Tard

Added: May 26th 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Nemo Online
Hits: 2373
Language: english

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