NI VENT... NI NOUVELLE

Ni Vent...Ni Nouvelle (english translation "no wind no news") is a tremendously successful transition album, as the heavy chamber influences of the first two albums is replaced by far more concise song structures with progressive fusion tendencies. The start-stop dynamism is best represented by tunes like Les Folleries and Douce Amere . The latter tune exerts great Zappa influence and his rock and jazz perversions are mastered here, flung into the listener with far more whimsy than Frank's absurdities. This is top notch instrumental music that has withstood the test of time beautifully. Maneige has a few masterpieces of the progressive canon, but this is their last before they really start to play it straight.

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