LA MARMITE COSMIQUE SIX

The most creative master of synthesizing old sounds and styles into knew and exciting (and often witty) compositions is back with yet another jaw-dropping adventure into sonic magic-making. I am continuously in awe of Arnaud's uncanny ability to replicate and/or adapt old sounds, styles, and riffs and then meld them into something totally new and fresh. It is truly an amazing gift.

1. "Contes lunaires" (22:14) orchestration and operatic vocals! Am I on the set of Camelot? And then the sly slide into Zeuhl with the pairing of Arnaud's bass voice with Cherry Pob's mezzo! Genius! But then, holy sh*t! At the end of the second minute, the music slips into jazz--a fusion of early Magma Zeuhl and Soft Machine Third Canterbury! Wow! this is an even better fusion than SETNA! At 4:22 comes another sudden shift--into a variation on "Slightly, All the Time"--using piano-based jazz combo with sax and vibes--and then that Canterburian funky saw-organ! At 6:45 Arnaud again turns, this time into pure chordal Zeuhl structure, using echoed flute as his lead to distract us. Acoustic guitar, piano and the wafting, lilting voice of Cherry Pob take over at 7:32. I am in awe! Arnaud, you have truly outdone yourself! This is Annie Haslem Renaissance/Mike & Sally Oldfield territory. At 9:22 those acoustic guitars start to strum as Mellotron, cymbals, and "horns" join Cherry and synth-flutes. "Can You Hear Me?" At 10:52 we shift back into Zeuhlish jazz--a slow pace that shows off the two vocalists (who possess a magical DEAD CAN DANCE Brendan Perry/Lisa Gerrard chemistry). Wow! The tears are streaming down my cheeks! (and this is the third time through the song!) At 13:33 we get a shift into some kind of mystical forest of glass and wind as vibes/marimba flutes and cymbals create this spacious soundscape before being joined by the odd, sometimes discordant strums of a zither. Definitely a dream interlude. At 15:35 we transition rather suddenly back into a more angular, DAVE STEWART-oriented style of Canterbury. While multiple instrument sounds used are straight out of the Canterbury lexicon, Arnaud cleverly brings in a few sounds that are on the fringes--though definitely from within the jazz fusion world. When the church organ begins mounting its ascending attack and the bass, drums, and bank of multiple vocals join in, we are in the realm of the gods--Prog Valhalla! Reverse-engineered guitar solos and then fades while the organ continues its slow, repetitive climb toward heaven. I think we've made it! Pure brilliance--from start to finish! Arnaud's finest hour! (45/45)

2. "Dynamogeny" (11:50) take an early Pink Floyd journey into psychedelia and throw in a little Procul Harum like- organ in the beginning and some upbeat 1940s (or -60s!) Eurojazz-pop, but then give it a metronomic yet-soulful Can-like penetrating Krautrock beat and you've got "Dynamogeny." What a trip! What a creative genius! (23/25)

Total Time 34:04

Those of you who have not give this master chameleon a chance, you are really missing out. There is true, rare genius happening here!

A/five stars; a true masterpiece of eclectic or crossover progressive rock music from the 21st Century's master synthesizer of our favorite sounds from the past. Congratulations, Arnaud! You've truly outdone yourself! A truly astonishing display of composition and realization!

The best album I've heard of 2020 (so far)!

Brilliantly colourful musical therapy in a progressive manner, let me say. A French multi-instrumentalist / wide-range progressive gift-child Arnaud BUKWALD launched the sixth album of the series "La Marmite Cosmique". Arnaud's terrific artistic virtuoso has been fully exerted in this creation. This album consists of two long tracks (especially the first one "Contes Lunaires" is over twenty minute long) but never redundant ... every single track tells you a kaleidoscopic variation of sound components. Sounds like they have mainly deep, fashionable, stylish atmosphere plus heavy, dynamic impressions here and there ... yes just like a mixture of sensitive, fantastic Bourgogne Rouge and astringent, powerful Bordeaux Rouge.

"Contes Lunaires" is a masterpiece. Magnificent opening and delightful female voices, seasoned with oriental flavour or sutra-ish taste, is another temptation. The following stage is quite lyrical jazz rock, that could remind you of the similar vein to Québécois versatile rock commune L' INFONIE. And comfortable is electronic spices. Symphonic female voices are kinda oasis, and it might be good such an oasis come between flexible jazzy movements. The latter part is quite exciting and thrilling, along with an attractive instruments parade. Intriguing guitar plays and solemn pipe organ chants are pretty of speciality. Wondering this soundscape would have been created by Arnaud himself? Excellent. Contrary to the first masterpiece, the second stage "Dynamogeny'' has quite different texture. Psychedelic organ pieces, slow-tempo shoegaze bluesy guitar explosions are melancholic but promising. Slightly lengthy but dreamy fluent synthesizer-oriented funky line-arts make you tonic. Arnaud's diverse soundscape can be heard through the entire creation.

In conclusion, you can digest his aesthetic music talent out via this album. A fascinating stuff.

This is only the second album I have heard from Arnaud and given that was the first of the "Marmite" series and this is now the sixth I am not surprised to find this is very different indeed. Here we have singer Cherry Pob combining with Arnaud, who provided all the arrangements, on two length tracks: "contes lunaires" is more than 22 minutes length, while "dynamogeny" is nearly 12 (both are deliberately titled in lower case). Here we have Arnaud working very much in the territory of modern classical, combined with experimental prog and even jazz, to create something which is both sweeping in its ambition yet also delicate and refined. It is an album which demands to be played on headphones, so that one can really get inside all the nuances and not miss anything, as the listener needs to pay close attention. One never knows where the music is going to lead, and while the main track is one long suite it could well have been broken into different elements as we can move from percussion-led orchestra to electronic keyboards that are staccato, or move into lounge, and be either instrumental or have stunning vocals with the male and female styles intermingling or being dominant, whatever the requirement.

At times it is almost reminiscent of Art Zoyd in its experimentation and RIO approach, while at others it is way more mainstream, which in itself can seem unusual due to the context it has been placed within. However, even though there is so much going on and the music is often changing dramatically in terms of style and focus, it is also incredibly interesting to listen to and enjoy on first hearing. Themes are sometimes returned to, especially within the vocals, and the double- tracking makes it seem that there is a full choir at play at times, with vocals which are more in the classical form than the popular. The result is yet another compelling album which is pushing musical boundaries and bringing together forms in a way that somehow makes total musical sense. It is thoroughly enjoyable from start to end, and I can't wait to see what Arnaud delivers next.