PHÉNIX

Hétu, Labrosse and Roger's latest album (so far) bears its name most likely because every time you think the beast is dead, it rises from its ashes and comes back to haunt you . I that regard haunting is exactly the right word, but applicable to all Les Poules' albums. Actually t looks like the trio has never been more active, but separately as both Diane Labrosse and Danielle Roger have not only one album solo each, but another in collab with someone else, Danielle working with Fred Frith in Pas De Deux.

Anyway, not much new under the Poules' skies, as musically this third album sounds very much like Prairies, except maybe the way the tracks are packaged. Indeed six tracks, five of which are divided in subsections (but can they called suites or mini-suites?), including a six- part Rencontre totalling some 13 minutes opening the hostilities with your eardrums. Not that you'd be able to tell when you've changed sub-section or even track, because the music remains so abstract (despite having a musique concrete side) that it goes deep into your brain and fry a few more brain cells. And the band knows this quite well, so they give us a clue a bit as they try to describe a bit what happens or what the section is all about. The album is probably best described as electronic drones and layers on which are glued whistling and screeching voices and cymbal making love to each others

Just like previous albums from this trio of Quebecoises chicks, their music keep evolving and going a step further, even if the music seems to have reached a certain plateau and doesn't seem to move on. But let's not sell the chicks' skin before having shot them?.. cos they probably haven't said their last words.