LE KOMUSO À CORDES

Madore 's debut album is a gentle affair that is rather difficult to classify, unless broad-brushing between Oldfield's Tubullar Bells and JM Jarre's Oxygène, but at times it sounds like a quiet Gong (the sedated RGI line-ups), the whole thing taking on a special space rock full of phasers and other electronic effects. Behind the superb and intriguing artwork, lays an assembled band that plays tight enough, but only drummer Mathieu Leger (ex-Lasting Weep and future Orchestre Sympathique) stands out with his superb and constant rolls.

Mac has a bit of GonG, more in the ambiance than in the pure zaniness, but sets the tone for the album to come. Closing up the first side is the lengthy Avant Dernière (second last), which claims a certain serenity that propulses into positive thinking, even if some of the sound effects can seem quite dated.

Highlighting the flipside is Rush, again is a bit reminiscent of GonG's isle of everywhere, but breathing its own life. The aptly titled Juggernaut (its almost 10-mins length) is a jewel of space rock that hovers the flying teapots and electric cheeses. Excellent stuff. The short Bali is fitting the album mould with haunting bells and birdsongs aerial synth lines and Madore's haunting 12-string guitar; a fitting close to the album.

Unfortunately, both of Michel Madore's albums have yet to receive a Cd reissue, but something tells me that either XXI or ProgQuebec should indeed one day get interested in them. In the meantime, Madore's two vinyl albums remains accessible (both musically and price-wise), and it shouldn't cost you that much to get acquainted with the man's works, which are much worth the discovery, this one in particular.

A Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer from the Quebec area, escaping from the typical style of the local groups into more synthetic music.He composed his first album ''Le Komuso a cordes'' in 1975, released the following year on Barclay, where he played keyboards, guitar and wind instruments.Errol Walters along with Fernand Durand play the bass, a member of Dionysos, Mathieu Leger provides the drumming, formerly of Lasting Weep and around the time a member of L'Orchestre Sympathique and Ron Proby handles the sax, synthesizers and percussion.

During an inventive and very different album regarding the more Fusion and Folk side of Quebec Prog, Madore enters the realms of GONG and CLEARIGHT with this release, providing a beautiful synth-based background with certain Electronic variations, upon which the instrumentalists build an elegant Space Fusion enviroment with dreamy and cosmic climates.The music is mainly driven by Proby's ethereal sax solos, a bit similar to DIDIER MALHEBERE's style, and the discreet acoustic soundscapes of Madore with spacey keyboard lines supporting the music.If you expect a vastly psychedelic album with long, hypnotic instrumentals you are completely wrong, because the team here occasionally breaks into more furious waters with a definite Fusion vibe, where the drumming becomes powerful, the sax plays are dynamic and the alternating piano, keyboard and synth moves offer a certain instrumental depth.Very cinematic textures with some great shifting moods between sax-based themes and keyboard-drenched sections, which are combined with intelligence and talent to delliver fascinating, atmospheric instrumentals.

Madore released one more work in 1978, ''La chambre nuptiale'', on Kebec-Disc, which is said to contain long Electronic ambiences in a more experimental style, executed exclusively by himself.From 80's and on he abandoned music and focused on his career as a painter and a sculptor.

Atmospheric Space Fusion.Beautiful images created by Madore's composing talent and an accomplished team of musicians, resulting to a work somewhere between Space Rock and Prog Fusion.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

Since 2006 I have been really amazed at the amount of great prog to come out of Quebec in the 1970s. The fact I was able to get a lot of these LPs for a real decent price helps big time (many of them on major labels helped so they were pressed in large enough quantities for the Quebec public in general to buy). The type of space rock as pioneered by the likes of Gong was not common in Quebec, but Michel Madore is that rare exception. Too bad he only came up with two album, this being his first. While Gong is a frequent comparison, this is all instrumental, and actually has a more serious vibe (no Pot Head Pixies here), so comparisons to the likes of Clearlight and Carpe Diem are more valid to my ears. Lots of spacy synths (not like Tim Blake), jazzy drumming, and similar style of sax playing to Didier Malherbe. I noticed how "L'Avant-Dernière" bears more than a passing resemblance to Dave Mason's "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave", the acoustic guitar theme sounds very similar. Of course, "L'Avant-Dernière" is all instrumental and progressive and spacier (where Dave Mason's song had a more down to earth folk rock sound reminding me of The Band). This is the kind of music, had Madore been French, Musea would have been reissuing. Sadly neither of his two albums had ever been reissued, forcing you to find an original LP. Another one of those total obscurities that I highly recommend.