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Pokerface - Transeo CD (album) cover

TRANSEO

Pokerface

 

RIO/Avant-Prog

3.67 | 3 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

octopus-4
Special Collaborator
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
4 stars I had this album from the "review our music" forum and I didn't know exactly what to expect, but the RIO/Avant classification was enough to switch on my interest. This is what I have found:

"Hypocrites", the album opener starts with heavy drone percussion which remind me to the industrial metal of the Russian Senmuth, but instead of distortion what follows is a mainly electronic instrumental. Ozric Tentacles is the name which pops in my mind.

"Krtek Ve Snu" has avant elements but the sounds are typically "techno-house". The same for the following track " Buildings" which in some moments reminds me to "Archive". Those tracks are good enough but you have to be familiar with the sounds. I'm used to hate everything is played in a disco and refuse to listen whatever sounds like that, so I admit that I had initially to force myself, but this is NOT disco-house, luckily. "Buildings" has an intro that I dislike, but quickly the hypnotic repetitive bass line played by a very nice sound is stopped by some speech and followed by an electronic performance with some jazz elements that I find extremely good. The heavyness of the percussion still remind me to Senmuth.

"Beginning and Ending" make clear to me why this project is in the Avant section of PA. This is the first song with lyrics and alternates a clean whispered singing on a very melodic line with dissonances and reverberations putting my mind an a dreamlike state. going to the last part of the track, when the percussion are over, is dark spacey, then they are back for the last weird minute. The first real highlight of the album.

"Quicksand/Concrete" seems to be a live medley of two songs. Quicksand is again close to Ozric Tentacles. The good is that we have here a real drumset and a drummer who makes excellent things. The chill-out mood of this track is enhanced by the sax. Very jazzy.

"Like Love" is another live performance. A characteristic of the band's sound seems to be clear: A fusion of dissonances and melodic lines.

On "Miss You" I think there are also a violin and a cello. The pitch changes remind again to Senmuth, but they are less randomic and discordant. This track has lyrics, too. The vocals have a bit of Canterbury. Nice track.

"Really Real Reality" starts with techno psychedelic sounds followed by a weird speech. Weird in a musical sense. I haven't taken care of the lyrics, honestly. This track is as dark as some Art Zoyd.

"For Those Who Have Fallen" is opened by a keyboard layer with light drums and vocals. This is an eclectic song. which has made me think to a lot of artists for single elements. I could write down a list including even Kayo Dot. The high pitched operatic vocals are remarkable.

"Spider" gives the idea. It's a techno track suitable also for a rave party, but I imagine a jumping spider in a grotesque situation. Good guitar here. A sort of free-jazz improvisation on the likes of .... who knows? Stormy Six? Univers Zero? Another highlight track.

"Ending" starts with a heavy distorted sound, another thing that reminds to Senmuth, but when it stops we are in a dreamlike psychedelic world that I see close to planet Gong.

"Stagger" remains in the same area. Dissonances with heavy electronics, bass and sax. There's also violin while the bass repeats the same few notes seamlessly. Great clean jazz guitar.

"Red Room First" is another good reason to put this band into Avant. This noisy dark track is at the level of the best Art Zoyd, just a bit more noisy. The bells throughout the track enhance the dreamy experience. It's dark but not a nightmare. It has the weirdness of a dream.

"Born To Murder" Is as dark as its title. The speech is in Swedish and it's a "light noise" electronic track. I find similarities with some of Christian Kolf's side projects.

"Morning Storm" start totally noisy: a keyboard chord, but it may also be a sequence, overlapped by various rhythmic noises for an effect that's still oniric. After about 3 minutes the drones stop and there are only noises of various (electronic) kinds. I surprise myself thinking what could have been if Syd Barrett had instruments of this kind actually available for him. This is a very excellent track for those who like this kind of experimental music. The sounds of bells similar to the Balinese gamelan mixed with all the electronics sound like some old sci-fi movies like the Forbidden Planet's soundtrack, but they have also a grotesque feeling.

Finally, "Nana-dudeh" is a synth joke which starts smoothly and grows slowly to the chaos, like in the early Battiato's collages of sounds. It's like the band has walked a pathway from House to Avant starting from the initial techno to the last absolutely psychedelic and noisy tracks. I wonder if there's a timely sequence in the tracklist.

For who loves the genre and is not disturbed by sounds typical of the house music. I think it deserves the fourth star even if "any prog rock music collection" is a range too wide. Excellent production, as for any electronic album should be and the capacity of putting and keeping the listener to a certain level of attention are the bigger merits of this album.

octopus-4 | 4/5 |

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