SAINT JUST

SAINT JUST's debut album did not appeal to me at first, but I soon fell in love with its music. The group released two albums around 1973-74 that featured progressive music that had nothing in common with the other Italian prog groups of the time. Rather this band's music mixed psychedelic influences with an electro-acoustic progressive folk sound that sounded rather dated for a 1973 release. On top of that, the group had a female singer with one of the strangest voices around. And, that unique voice took me a few years to appreciate. If you can imagine an Italian female singer (influenced by the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE) who sings in a style that has a bit more in common with the high-pitched female vocals found in Chinese and Vietnamese classical/folk music then you might have an idea of her style.

Yes, this style isn't for everyone, but give it time and you'll be rewarded by both the music and Jane's singing. The music, as I mentioned, seems influenced a bit by psychedelic music and progressive-folk. The recording tends to sound home-made and reminds me a bit of recordings by early AMON DÜÜL II ("Phallus Dei"-era). The tracks feature laid-back jamming from acoustic guitars, bass, and piano. Once in a while you also hear an electric guitar solo and drums. The cool thing about the band is that they knew exactly when to throw enough dark dissonance to throw the music off in another direction. Overall, if you're looking for something different yet progressive SAINT JUST might be what you're looking for.