Signal 9 is the latest release for French Canadian prog/avant-jazz act Miriodor, their ninth overall in a career that spans 30 years and has seen them become one of the mainstays on the Cuneiform Records roster. Here in 2017, the band is a quartet consisting of:
Bernard Falaise guitares / claviers / table tournante
Pascal Globensky claviers / synths / piano
Rémi Leclerc batterie / percussions / électroniques
Nicolas Lessard basse / contrebasse / claviers
All instrumental, Signal 9 contains eleven daring tracks that bridge the gap between vintage progressive rock, jazz fusion, and avant-garde styles, reminding almost like a head-on collision between Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and National Health. Big fan of weaving, complex arrangements and an effective use of counterpoint? Well, you've come to the right place! Miriodor don't waste any time delivering some intricate passages on the killer opening 1-2 punch of "Venin" and "Peinturé dans le coin", two upbeat tracks featuring some wild guitar & keyboard interplay, while the heavy grooves and avant-garde flair of "Transit de nuit à Jakarta" and "Portrait-robot" bring up images of classic Frank Zappa as well as Brand X, the latter song one of the heaviest tracks the band has recorded in some time. Other highlights include the mix of brooding menace and melodic jazz that is "Chapelle lunaire", the near 10-minute epic "Passage secret" (complete with some wonderful keyboard and guitar layers...another must hear for Gentle Giant fans), and the bubbling jazz-fusion romp "Le ventriloque et le perroquet", as haunting keys combat lumbering bass lines, tricky drum fills, and snaking guitar licks.
The end result is some dramatic and challenging music here on Signal 9, an album that won't be for the faint of heart or easy to digest for those unwilling to give complex, uncommercial material a chance. If you do however tend to gravitate to stuff that's well off the beaten path, or happen to be a follower of Miriodor in general, chances are you are going to love this. Go ahead, take the journey...you won't regret it.
Track Listing
1.
Venin 04:33
2.
Peinturé dans le coin 04:34
3.
Transit de nuit à Jakarta 02:00
4.
Portrait-robot 08:47
5.
Déboires à Munich 01:21
6.
Chapelle lunaire 06:52
7.
Cryogénie 01:38
8.
Passage secret 09:58
9.
Gallinule d'Amérique 01:40
10.
Douze petites asperges 02:39
11.
Le ventriloque et le perroquet 08:13
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