SIGNAL 9

So the Canadians are back with their ninth studio album, and a slight change in line-up as they move back to a quartet, but as all of the guys play multiple instruments anyway there isn't a noticeable difference in that area. As with the excellent 'Cobra Fakir', the first word that springs to mind is 'staccato', as this is music that is rapidly moving around and for the most part doesn't have time for long held-down chords but just wants to get on with it. Coming from a RIO/Avant background, they have been listening to some of the early Canterbury bands as well as to King Crimson and Art Zoyd to create something that is always interesting and complex, and just a little different to much that is available within the prog scene, let alone mainstream.

It is the type of album that will polarise opinions, as those who like it will enjoy it a great deal, while others will fall into the 'what on earth are you listening to' camp, and won't give this album the time it both needs and deserves to get the most out of it. This is complex, with lots of melodies and counter-melodies, with Bernard Falaise often crunching the guitar against myriad keyboard sounds, but that can all change in an instant. It is music that does demand respect and attention, and those prepared to do just that will get a great deal out of this, as it is incredibly rewarding.

Much Quirk, Less Musical.

The most recent album by Miriodor, Signal 9, ramps up the quirk factor, but in the process loses some of the musicality that made albums like Avanti so good. There are more stops and starts, and the transitions often seem too quick, not fully thought out. Simply put, the music flows less well on this album. This is not to say that there isn't some great music here - there is. The opening track, Venin, provides a good start, and the high quirk level (or, as some reviewers call it, 'staccato' approach) on the second track ('Peinture Dans Le Coin') to a large extent constitutes its charm and musicality. But not all the tunes are so compelling, and this is generally not an album one will want to listen to all the way through very often. A lot of the tunes are shorter and less developed, snippets really, and so have less musical heft, and the contrast between tracks can be jarring. In general, in addition to the first two tracks, I like the longer ones here. 'Portrait-robot' (in English "Identikit", or reconstructed portrait) is the best track - starts off really heavy and crunchy, turns dark and quieter in the middle, then becomes very melodic with a baroque-like bass pattern through to its ending. That one is very musical. The last two minutes of 'Chapelle Lunaire' are also great, very musical, but the first four minutes that one must wade through to get there leave me flat. 'Secret Passage' contains some great parts too (wonderful last 3.5 minutes!), but again, not the whole thing, and some parts simply drag. The long closing track, 'Le Ventriloque Et Le Perroquet' (The Ventriloquist and the Parrot) is up there among the better tunes here too, fairly inventive with strange vocal effects and patterns, some nice minor-key fairground chord progressions, and some great dissonant interlocking guitar lines, although I find the telephone ring that accompanies the main quirky theme annoying. Indeed, many parts of this album seem intended to grate for the purpose of waking you up, or something. This would be fine if there were a good reasons to be so woken, but I find there are not enough musical sections to justify the non-musical parts. So, a mixed bag with some good music, but I would recommend other Miriodor albums before this one. I give this 6.9 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to (mid) 3 PA stars.

4.5 stars. An absolute gem this one is. First of all the band dedicated this album to multi-instrumentalist Francois Emond who passed away this past year and was one of the founding members. His work on their debut was so impressive and that happens to be my favourite album by them. I think the most impressive thing about MIRIODOR's new album is just how many twists and turns we get pretty much with each song. And it's not that this is turn on a dime insanity at all, it's the way they introduce completely new themes then repeat them sometimes. Every song has something that I really like about it. Now I'm not into circus melodies at all or this might be a 5 star album, not that there's a lot of them.

"Venin" opens with spacey synths before a rhythm kicks in that's a little off-kilter(haha). Organ too then we get a calm before it kicks back in in a deranged and powerful way. Love that dark sound too and check out that bass before 2 minutes. Nasty! A lighter and complex section takes over before 2 1/2 minutes then it turns silly(circus melody). Love the melancholy that follows before 3 minutes. So good! Guitar to the fore with percussion 3 1/2 minutes in.

"Peintore Dans Le Coin" opens with intricate sounds that pulse, beat etc. It settles into a heavy groove with piano over top then the guitar replaces the piano. I do like the angular guitar. Electric piano and a determined rhythm after 1 1/2 minutes. Nice. A feel good section for me. The flavour keeps changing though as we get a heavier sound after 3 1/2 minutes. More angular guitar after 4 minutes. "Transit De Nuit A Jakarta" opens with the sounds of a horn from a train then a heavy groove kicks in with experimental sounds in tow including mellotron-like sounds. Such a cool section that goes on and on to the end.

"Portrait-Robot" is one of my favourites. This has a catchy beat with synths over top before it turns more powerful with angular guitar, organ and more. It becomes avant briefly then heavy before 2 minutes. Insanity! A dark and creepy calm follows(so good!) but when the heaviness returns it's sounds so much like KING CRIMSON with the mellotron and very heavy sound. Incredible! Suddenly a circus melody arrives out of nowhere after 4 1/2 minutes but it's brief as a completely different sound takes over of upbeat beats and guitar. Circus stuff. Then it calms right down before 7 minutes to a haunting ending.

"Deboires A Munich" opens with what sounds like a picked stringed instrument as the music builds to an uptempo pace with drums and guitar leading the way. Some faint vocal sounds and keyboards too. Really cool. "Chapelle Lunaire" is a favourite and it has this repetitive beat in a dark and industrial soundscape to begin with(headphone music) before turning light with a beat, bass and keyboards. An experimental calm takes over before 2 1/2 minutes, organ too. It doesn't kick back in until around 3 minutes but it's faster paced. Some crazy synths and humerous sounds. A dark mood arrives before 4 1/2 minutes then it's like they jam. So good! Beats only end it.

"Cryogenie" is a short experimental piece that works good with headphones. So interesting as these sounds come and go in a dark atmosphere. The organ before a minute is avant as it builds. "Passage Secret" opens with laid back keyboards and electronics as it starts to build and become even more experimental. Suddenly after a minute the drums, guitar, bass and full sound kicks in. So good! A light calm takes over after 2 minutes that lasts until before 4 1/2 minutes when strummed guitar, a beat and synths take over. It then kicks into a more energetic sound a minute later. Great sounding bass here. A change 6 minutes in as we get a catchy beat with liquid keys and atmosphere. Great sound! Organ too then we get a more determined sound with electronics and drums after 8 minutes, spacey synths too. So innovative.

"Gallinule D'amerique" is a short uptempo and experimental track with electronics and a circus vibe. The organ pulses with electronics and a beat before a minute. "Douze Petities Asperges" is also fairly short at over 2 1/2 minutes. This is mellow with bass, a beat and vibes? Electric piano takes over at 1 1/2 minutes as it turns darker.

"Le Ventriloque Et Le Perrouquet" is the over 8 minute closer. A powerful atmosphere like thunder really as abrasive sounds come in briefly. A circus-like melody follows. It's experimental before 1 1/2 minutes. Pretty cool then a beautiful section follows. The cymbals and atmosphere sound gorgeous. That circus melody is back as it comes and goes. Deep sampled vocals 3 minutes in seem to growl in atmosphere with bass. The vocals stop before 4 minutes but they return briefly with piano before 4 1/2 minutes. A great sounding section follows with guitar over top. Relaxed is the word as those vocals return briefly once again. Some intense guitar then that circus melody returns after 5 1/2 minutes. Love the spacey atmosphere though. There's those deep vocals again after 7 minutes as this continues to the end.

There's so much about this album that blows me away but that's off-set by some sections that aren't my thing but those are usually brief. So close to 5 stars regardless. One of the best from 2017.