ÉQUINOXE INFINITY

Legendary French electronic icon Jean-Michel Jarre returns with a `sequel' to one of his most highly regarded works in 1978's `Equinoxe', and even if it's rarely ever too challenging or ground-breaking, and doesn't actually remind of the original much at all, 2018's `Equinoxe Infinity' still has plenty to offer. Jarre brings his army of digital and analogue keyboards to deliver a punchy and endlessly melodic set of bubbly electronica, sleek synth-pop, spacier dramatic themes, New-Age/ambient touches and one or two dancier spots, and like many of Jarre's past works, the pieces (all subtitled with `Movement') seamlessly segue into each-other forming an ever-evolving aural collage...or kind of like a cool spacey mix-tape!

The first half/side A is particularly strong, and `The Watchers' is a suitably announcing opener with fizzy electronics and the first use of a stirring main synth melody that will pop up elsewhere in the disc, sounding reliably like the Jarre albums of the Seventies. The twinkling electronica of `Flying Totems' teems with life with a victorious and dramatic theme, and the moody `Robots Don't Cry', one of the strongest moments of the disc, is a slinking head-nodding electronic brood with seductively clipping programming bringing a buoyant energy, and scratchy Mellotron and ringing electric piano motifs rise up out of its lush ambient caresses. `All That You Leave Behind' is an uneasy ambient interlude with tolling bells that lurches into a spacey heavy grind, but the brief `If The Wind Could Speak' wraps the first half with glitching synth-pop and slightly kitsch female voice samples flitting in and out.

However, the flip-side's `Infinity' is going to be the breaking point for some listeners! The catchy dance piece, all inane wordless vocal samples and clichéd repeating synth theme is probably the closest the artist has come to delivering something as obnoxiously cheesy and lightweight as a `Summer Dance Anthem', but while the track is not really surprising considering Jarre's diversity and desire to keep one foot in the door of commercial relevance and modern dance music culture, it's still a little grating (although some will probably appreciate its uplifting positivity). Thankfully the disc fully recovers with `Machines Are Learning', a mix of darting sequencer programming and whirring cut-up robotic voices, the superb `The Opening' has a confident and defiant recurring dramatic theme over pulsing beats (lovely ambient outro as well) and `Don't Look Back' elegantly weaves cello-like samples over glistening electronic trickles. The unhurried seven minute closing title-track `Equinoxe Infinity' is unexpectedly subtle and subdued, reprising earlier musical themes and revealing slowly unfolding ambient passages of Tangerine Dream-modelled deep-space atmospheres and fusing them with a Vangelis-flavoured cinematic soundtrack-like sophistication.

While there's often not a lot of depth to it, and Jean-Michel clearly slapped a fancy arty Hipgnosis/Storm Thorgerson-like cover on it and used the 'brand name' title to attract more fans even when there's not much to suggest this has any proper connection to the earlier album at all, `Equinoxe Infinity' is a classy work with a slick polished production from a legendary electronic artist that's easy to enjoy, with several moments that lift to real greatness, and plenty of Jarre fans should get exactly what they want with it!

Four stars.

Jean Michel-Jarre returns to one of his greatest well known albums Equinoxe released in 1978. 40 years later in 2018 he presents us with Equinoxe Infinity.

It opens with an atmospheric spacey wash of Mellotrons and synths The Watchers (Movement 1) and this segues into Flying Totems (Movement 2) with a majestic herald of trumpet synth melody. Things get nice and up tempo with Robots Don't Cry (Movement 3) that has a great percussion sound and very cool melody, along with his trademark Oxygene breathing sounds. This is one of my favourite JMJ tracks.

All That You Leave Behind (Movement 4) follows, with sparkling synths and a measured analogue keyboard and whale screeching synth sounds. The atmosphere is intense here and is augmented by spacey swirls and drones. It breaks into a glorious high pitched synth tune with buzzsaw synths layered beneath. If The Wind Could Speak (Movement 5) is a short 1 and a half minute transition with other worldly vocals and a strange melody.

Infinity (Movement 6) is extremely different with vocal intonations, and a very pronounced dance rhythm. It is a pop dance track, and a step in another direction for the Jarre catalogue. Really it sounds like something from 2 Unlimited or a techno group; I prefer it if JMJ steer clear of this style as it is a bit out of place on this album.

Machines Are Learning (Movement 7) is a short piece and it is back to business with a fabulous sequencer maintaining a steady pace and more vocals that are more robotic. I love the rhythms and how they progress seamlessly to The Opening (Movement 8), a hypnotic beat consistently building with grandiose melodic keyboards.

Don't Look Back (Movement 9) is a jumpy track with cello synths and echoing glockenspiel sounds. It gains in pace and then is joined by deep groaning synths and hypno trance beat and those swishing spacey washes.

Équinoxe Infinity (Movement 10) is a 7 and a half minute piece with very patient synths building gradually with a spacey ethereal atmosphere. The music is wet with splashes and waves as a mesmiric tempo ensues.

The album is unlike anything found on the original Equinoxe, so it is perplexing as to how this is a sequel, though I would say it is simply attempting to build on the success of the first. Overall it is an energetic and synth heavy lively release that has a lot of terrific music scattered here and there. Some moments are not up to standard but it is still a very spacey atmospheric album, and one that tends to grow on you on each listen.