SLANG !

According to the description Volapuk is a Jazz/Fusion band, but I consider this band a RIO chamber band. The trio offers the sounds of a bass clarinet, a clarinet, a taragot, drums, a saxophone and a cello. However, this album isn't Essential at all in my opinion. Moreover, most of the songs are quite boring, although they are some interesting moments. In addition, I suggest you try the old albums by Univers Zero if you'd like to hear good RIO music. In short, this one is recommended only for the die hard fans of Volapuk or RIO music.

1997 sees Volapuk launching another attempt to flirt with the audience of Avant Prog and RIO genres, the album ''Slang!'' was released again on Cuneiform Records.It finds the trio of Chenevier/Saurel/Mandel with an expanded instrumental armour, which now included a normal clarinet, a saxophone plus the use of electronics.15 tracks are presented here and six of them were originally composed and performed on a dance performance by Maguy Marin.

Truth is the album starts off quite nicely with a palette of RIO, Chamber Music and Avant Rock colors, the trio plays a dense music with dissonances and improvised parts, occasionally breaking into ethnic grounds, heavily based on wind instruments and percussion, featuring even some charming and entertaining tunes, which the debut was actually lacking.The display of electronic effects seems also to help the band at this point.The following mass of pieces are not that convincing, in fact the music becomes even catastrophic and chaotic.You will find yourself wondering why the instruments were expanded in the first place as soon as you face the mood of the band for sonic experimentations and minimalistic soundscapes.The atonal passages and pessimistic textures dominate the album with a jazzy and orchestral attitude, but the performances are not consistent or tight.Certain pieces sound extremely abstract and experimental, struggling to find a place between Ethnic, Experimental or Chamber Music, which is not a good thing.The technical accomplishment returns in a few MIRIODOR-like chamber orchestrations with a quirky execution, but the industrial moments circulate constantly around and result a very inhuman and cold atmosphere.The more ethnic-oriented tunes with the clarinet in the forefront appear to be the more interesting ones as well, with a slight KRAAN feeling and more adequate performances.

Instruments are expanded and so are the band's music fields, but not always for a good reason.Atonal approach on RIO music with a few nice instrumentals but also some cold-blooded experimentations with a doubtful result.Recommended only to fans close to Avant Prog tastes.