AMNÉSIE

Despite Lazuli creating a small surprise in the last two years with their slightly ethnic-laced light prog, the group had not started at all in that direction. Amnésie, their first album is from 2003 and it sounds a very different animal: an electric pop laced with some trip hop beats and plenty of effects. There are few interesting things the proghead might catch at first glance, like the use of a Chapman stick, 12-strings guitars, many electronic doodlings, a few deep ambiances and that most of the seven group members are multi-instrumentalist, plus a bunch of guests (including the sister and another brother of the two Leonetti brothers), but despite these facts most of the tracks remains desperately pop tracks of the kind that fills the French radio airwaves.

While some tracks might be appealing to just about anyone, don't go look for deep lyrics and anything but deeper songwriting. A faraway beast than that of its follow-up, Amnésie is best put aside to first start with En Avant Doute and maybe even waiting for the third one (coming up soon as I write this in Oct 09), Just a pop album, like those thousands flooding the planet, neither good nor bad, Amnésie might just as well suffer from your own amnesia about its existence.