Re-releasing their 1988 album, albeit in a re-mastered format complete with bonus tracks, lyrics and full discography, Group De Jour are trying to cash in on the surging interest in what has been termed "Techno Ethnic" music with a slight fusing of ideas from Jade Warrior and some of the proto punk / new wave bands from England during the 80's. I am thinking along the lines of singers like Jim Kerr from Simple Minds or Robert Smith from the Cure who in particular, sang with a gloomy, dirge-like style that suggested their melodic pitch hardly varied. Although their voices are somewhat different, there is a slight similarity here although I find the vocals on this album far more droning and with even less variation in pitch.
Liberal lashings of flute and fuzz guitar are slightly reminiscent of the sound that Jade Warrior achieved on some of their more inspired albums back in the 70's but Group De Jour just don't quite attain that same level of excellence as their songs amble on a bit too long with insufficient variation. Some of the songs also suffer from a rather simplistic compositional structure, reinforcing the droning effect that sometimes plagued the lesser inspired songs by Jade Warrior. This could be due to the fact that of the 14 tracks represented, 12 are written by Daniel Crommie suggesting that he has run out of original ideas. Of particular note however, is Paul Parker's menacing style of guitar playing which takes full advantage of the fuzz-box but don't expect anything flashy or pyrotechnic here. He certainly doesn't try to emulate the Vai or Morse style of playing, concentrating on a more cutting and incisive thread with a deep pulsing and throbbing sound. Although their instrumentation is reasonably well accomplished, with drum machines and percussion propelling the songs forward, the lack of anything really memorable here will have this disc left on the shelf unplayed for years while other, more successfully composed albums will deservedly grace your ears on a more frequent basis. If you've heard one track, you've basically heard them all.
Track Details:
1. Paradise Lost (5.43)
2. Even The Score (3.12))
3. DMZ (4.13))
4. Big Small Talk (4.26))
5. The Mystery Machines (4.49))
6. Sleepwalking (4.01))
7. Treadmill (5.23))
8. Listening In (4.32))
9. Walking Down Lonely Street (4.35))
10. Watching The Flames Die Down (3.59))
11. Troubled Mind (5.56))
Bonus Tracks
12. Dangerous Weapons (3.33))
13. Under Surveillance (3.47))
14. Time To Go (4.07)
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