LES POULES

With this third stage of the Hétu rocket, the Québécoise chicks (les Poules in French) are now going all the way and as far as humanly possible. Down again to a trio, Hétu on sax is still having old pal Labrosse on keys and sampling and Danielle Roger on percussions. But if Wondeur Brass (during the 80's) was in general accessible, Justine (in the 90's) was definitely harder to "get into" or catch, Les Poules (in the 00's) make it almost impossible, although this man has heard worse in the early 70's from German musicians.

Indeed this could well be Popol's Affenstunde or Tangerine's Zeit, Kluster's Zwei or even Kraftwerk's Red Cone; but it's not "krauty", nor is it atonal or even really dissonant?. It's just fully improvised, at least I think! No beat or rhythm, no melodies, nothing to make this album an easy listen?. Well actually the first listen is somewhat easier than the future ones, because you're still discovering it, whereas once you know what's on it, you might have a difficult time returning to it. So the album is actually never unlistenable either, because it is not dissonant, and if you're to look at Far-Eastern music improvisations, you could see where Mme. Roger gets her inspiration for her percussions. The voices heard are more of the animal reign, all three musicians howling growling and meowing like females in heat, or on the hunt for preys. Hetu's sax parts make VdGG's Jaxon parts look like kids' stuff.

Another typical Ambiance Magnetique album, I'd be tempted to say; but this is hard to get "further/beyond" this type of music, and this is the kind of album that can only be recommended to those who have a solid idea of what they get into. I, once more, would like to thank my library system for quenching my thirst about discovering this album and the next one, because if I had to buy them, they'd be in my trade list waiting for a nuttier music fan than me wishing for it.

Hétu, Labrosse and Roger's latest album (so far) bears its name most likely because every time you think the beast is dead, it rises from its ashes and comes back to haunt you . I that regard haunting is exactly the right word, but applicable to all Les Poules' albums. Actually t looks like the trio has never been more active, but separately as both Diane Labrosse and Danielle Roger have not only one album solo each, but another in collab with someone else, Danielle working with Fred Frith in Pas De Deux.

Anyway, not much new under the Poules' skies, as musically this third album sounds very much like Prairies, except maybe the way the tracks are packaged. Indeed six tracks, five of which are divided in subsections (but can they called suites or mini-suites?), including a six- part Rencontre totalling some 13 minutes opening the hostilities with your eardrums. Not that you'd be able to tell when you've changed sub-section or even track, because the music remains so abstract (despite having a musique concrete side) that it goes deep into your brain and fry a few more brain cells. And the band knows this quite well, so they give us a clue a bit as they try to describe a bit what happens or what the section is all about. The album is probably best described as electronic drones and layers on which are glued whistling and screeching voices and cymbal making love to each others

Just like previous albums from this trio of Quebecoises chicks, their music keep evolving and going a step further, even if the music seems to have reached a certain plateau and doesn't seem to move on. But let's not sell the chicks' skin before having shot them?.. cos they probably haven't said their last words.