UN RÊVE SANS CONSÉQUENCE SPÉCIALE

"Un Reve sans Consequence Speciale" is my all-rime favourite Heldon album, and it is certainly the most aggressive of this French project's discography. For this one, Pinhas had a very effective partner in drummer/percussionist François Auger, who without doubt played a crucial role at enhancing Heldon's sonic power the way it is reflected in the album's repertoire. Other collaborators are synth player Patrick Gauthier, and bassists Didier Batard and Janick Top (of Magma fame). The featured presence of the rhythm section is based on a more pronounced role of the synthesized loops, and of course, Auger's intrepid drumming: some percussive stuff is frontally tribal, like a soundtrack for a wildest mystic trance. This album is pretty much like a constant ride though stormy weathered lands, with Pinhas' guitar lines and riffs assuming a higher level of aggressiveness than ever before: at times the guitar gets really violent, and as a Fripp-inspired guitarist, he keeps the guitar stuff very dissonant and floating. This intention is made clear from the opening track 'Marie Virginie C.' - the CD edition ends with a live rendition of this same number, which bears a slightly altered title. The 15- minute 'Toward the Line' is the longest track in the album, and it also represents firmly the line of work described before: this is as powerful as minimalistic rock with an electronic basis can ever get. 'Perspective IV Ter Muco' and 'MVD II' keep the same ideology, only with a decreased level of energy, but still these are strong numbers, designed, just like the other two, to shake the listener's aesthetic foundations rather than to make them enjoy (in a conventional sense of the word). The repetitive nature of this tracks' cadence may remind the listener of Can or Neu!, but with a more ballsy attitude - that comes from the Fripp influence, of course. 'Elephanta' is the only non- Pinhas number in the album. It was written by Auger, and it mostly consists of a hypnotic ritual of drums and assorted percussions "dancing" frantically to an eerie tempo, with Pinhas using his Moog as an extra percussive implement in order to give this ritual a more delirious texture. Well, I've got nothing else to say about this exciting album, except that it is a prog masterpiece. I know that Heldon is not your typical progressive band, and it even was labeled as "cyper-punk" by the French musical press; I also keep in mind that Heldon is not a band you might call particularly recommendable, since its style is overtly cryptic. But if we keep in mind that, generally speaking, modern experimentation is an essential ingredient of the greatest prog, and that Heldon's music is closely related to big prog names such as KC and Tangerine Dream, then I can only conclude that this is not only a very good progressive music album, but also a masterful example of the most experimental side of the prog movement. This is Heldon's most brilliant and cohesive album, and as such, I can only give it the maximum rating.

Almost four star!!!!

The most uncompromising Heldon album ever. My dear reviewing colleague Cesar Inca wrote such a fine review that I could only duplicate what he says. I will point out a few things though: My fave track is also Towards The Red Line but it is not a bonus track as mentioned in the info box but , man, does it smoke. So does the rest of the album except for that weird and out-of-place track Elephantia with its ethnic (African) percussions. It is probably the only reason why this albumdoes not get a fourth star right on.

If you ever meet a youngster into Techno and want to save his soul and get him on a better musical path, you might want to point out this kind of album as well as classic Can stuff because the minimalistic approach to Heldon's music is probably intriguing enough for Technoheads stand up and notice and to pay attention. Do not get me wrong Heldon is much more than rythm patterns repeated endlessly. Pinhas's admiration for Fripp is quite evident but not derivative and is probably even more violent that his "maître de pensées et d'inspiration". The bonus track is also riveting the listener to his seat.

Stunning work, astounding execution.

a very garage/ chaotic sounding album by Pinhas for his band Heldon. The guitar parts are really near to Fripp's style, always chromatic, modern and distorted, almost without any melodies. The better part of the album comes from the electronica background with the use of molecular machines, also a great mention to the technical drums parts which give an enthousiastic and rythmical feelings to the compositions. The best tune is "Mary and Virginie Comp" with its almost never ended and harsh guitar / electro / "hellicopter" drums combinaison. However a very hard approach and boring dissonant guitar lines!!

For a lot of HELDON fans this is their favourite HELDON record. This would be drummer Francois Auger's first album with the band. The experimental soundscapes continue, although there is less guitar on this one than on the next two studio records.

"Marie Virginie C." is my favourite song on this album. It starts sounding very mechanical with electronics, guitar sounds and metal sounding percussion that comes and goes.The electronic beat with moog from Gauthier seems to rise out of this soundscape but it doesn't quite make it. Later 6 minutes in it does become the prominant sound. Auger on drums is fantastic 9 1/2 minutes in as he pounds away at the speed of light, just beating the hell out of his kit. A wall of sound to end the track. An intense song. "Elephanta" is the only Auger composed song (Pinhas did the rest) and maybe not so surprisingly it features the dominating sounds of percussion and drums. Very repetitive until it stops before 7 minutes.

"Perspective IV Ter Muco" is a live bonus track with Batard on bass.This really is a swirling mass of electronics, drums, bass and guitar. I like it. "MCV II" is dark and heavy with what sounds like someone banging a metal pipe once and a while as the electronics and drums play out. "Toward The Red Line" is the song Jannick Top plays on if you can hear him. It's not obvious unfortunately. A full blown electronic beat is though, starting 3 minutes in. "Marie Et Virgine Comp (live)" is the other live bonus track. It's the first song with a slightly different title.This one like the studio version impresses me the most partly because of Auger's drum work and partly because of Pinhas' Fripp-like guitar solos.

The bonus tracks really are a bonus for a change. Another excellent album from Pinhas and the boys.

As most of "Heldon" works, this "Rêve Sans Conséquence?" is not to be placed into all hands.

If ever you are fan of delicate prog electronic, the shock with the opening track "Marie Virginie C." might be fatal. It is a full and free jamming, experimental and VERY noisy track. Nothing to do with prog electronic as far as I'm concerned. More sounding as a second (at best) tier KC. Pinhas showed already lots of inclinations towards the master, but I can't tell that this particular track (which lasts for almost twelve minutes) does any good to his fame.

This might well be the most hermetic of their albums. The totally experimental "Elephanta" is just a parody of noisy elements which is stretched to the upper limit (over eight minutes!). So far, this album leaves me quite perplexed: I'm still looking to the first good and "listenable" moment.

OK. The jamming "Perspective IV Ter Muco" is by far the most bearable so far. Great beat (almost some "Santana" feel can be experienced) and some delightful guitar. But it holds more with free jazz than with prog electronic for sure.

I'm afraid that I won't rate this album as high as my colleagues. But I don't like very much the music that is played here. No feeling, inexpressive, void. Impossible to categorize really.

"Un rêve sans conséquences spéciales" holds more of a nightmare than a dream to me.

I am rating this album with two stars, but I'm not quite sure why. Not for the quarter of an hour of synthetic and VERY noisy sounds that can be heard during "Toward The Red Line".

Continuing the Heldon experiment of mingling Fripp-inspired guitar work and Krautrock motorik drum rhythms and synths, Un Reve Sans Consequence Speciale also incorporates a greater degree of industrial music than had previously been heard on Heldon's albums. In some cases, this is literal, with what sounds like factory machinery banging away in the background of some tracks. At its best, the album has this sort of hazy David Lynch/Eraserhead sort of feel to it, evoking decaying warehouses, crumbling cities, and terminal decline; however, after the first side or so the album does become rather wearing, and by the end of the album I'm left with the impression that aside from a few sound effects Heldon didn't really make much progress on this album - it feels like notes towards the production of the excellent Interface or Stand By than a fully developed album in its own right.

A dream... or a nightmare?

2.5 stars

Whereas HELDON polished their musical style on their previous album, "Agneta Nilsson", this fifth opus is rather experimental and heteroclite. It displays violent, cold and chaotic soundscapes. "Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale" is also the band's first studio release to feature its definitive 70's line-up, with ex-MAGMA bassist Janick Top as a guest musician.

The first half of the record is quite noisy. "Marie Virginie C" is a dissonant electro rock track. It contains ferocious guitars, frequency generators, a gong, and souns like a machine went mad, destroying everything standing in its way. The ambient "Elephanta" is a jungle mess of electronic and acoustic percussions. It may resemble concrete music.

The second half is more listenable. The sinister and pachydermic "MVC II" reuses the electronic loop from "Marie Virginie C", however in a much slower tempo. It may bring respiration during the listen, but does not contain many variations and becomes quickly repetitive. Finally, Pinhas and co. return to their usual style with the 15 minutes "Toward The Red Line". This composition is simply one of HELDON's bests and most futuristic. Furious rock and drumming supporting dark, frenetic, hypnotic synthesizer sequences. This is the track featuring Janick Top.

Even for lovers of the band, this fifth album will divide people. Some of them will love this experimental, disharmonious side, others will skip most tracks after a few minutes. If you're looking for heavy psych electronics, only the very nice "Toward The Red Line" matches your wishes.

My least favourite HELDON studio album from the 70's.