LA CLEF DES SONGES

Consider this. These days it is nothing for a band to spend months and in some cases years to get out an album. Must be nice. Pentacle recorded this amazing work in 8 days! Reading about the pressure they were under makes their album all the more impressive. The album was produced by Christian Decamps of Ange fame. But it is much smoother than Ange, none of Decamps vocal theatrics. Very low key vocals, tons of mellotron and soaring lead guitar.

Pentacle surpassed all of my expectations with La Clef Des Songes. The pleasure center of the prog-fan brain will be rocked! Check out the very high ratings this album has garnered.

This is a well-rounded album with all musicians contributing much. Being a guitar man myself I am pleased with two aspects. First, the guitar itself is great from its sweet acoustic backgrounds to heavily saturated solos. But just as importantly the keyboards assume the role of creating the canvas of atmosphere for the guitars to paint over rather than challenging the guitar for the forefront. I'm not saying the keys are boring, far from it. I love some of the sounds he creates but he's playing to compliment the overall piece rather than to get noticed. Drum/bass play is decent and the vocals are pleasant rather than annoyingly overdramatic as is unfortunately so common. This band understood subtlety and how to leave space open, to give sound the room it needs. Check out the streaming sample here to see what I mean.

Some mention that Pentacle may recall early Crimson but I want to point out that they are not harsh or abrasive. They are a smooth, spacey, melodic band that is almost instantly accessible and I suspect would also appeal to fans of Pink Floyd. This is not a grower but rather an album you will love by the 3rd spin.

To give a bit more info I'll quote a few lines from the liner notes: "The disc belongs to the canon of delicate and refined progressive rock, showcasing a music which mixes energy, virtuosity and melodic beauty. The elegance of the themes reminds one of the kind of chamber rock elaborated by English groups like Cressida, Gracious, and Czar with an emphasis on the development of a sophisticated and lyrical symphonism." [by Francis Grosse]

The sound is not perfect but it is certainly good enough...remember, these guys didn't have a Pink Floyd budget, they had day jobs.

The Musea folks have outdone themselves on the CD. Super Bit Mapping, gorgeous artwork, many photos, and a long and thorough band history. Plus 3 rare live bonus tracks from the glorious 70s giving you another 22 minutes of music. If only all labels took this kind of care.

An essential recording for fans of 70s space rock or symph, fans of Floyd, and lovers of the French scene. 9/10

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