HARMONIUM

The first side welcomes us with a playful feeling and much happiness in "Vert" which also has great vocal harmonies and in "Dixie" which has a totally different style, a very poppy symphonic folk song and "Depuis l'otomne" is also very different whit a lot of drama and the sound och sweaping wings and a strong ending. The second side's first song "En pleine face" has an acoustic feeling with a playful vocal section and very french accordion. Finaly we have "Histoires sans paroles", one of the best instrumental pieces in rock music history which is bult up so clever with a wonderful melody that starts softly (driven by flutes) and in the end of the song breaks out in music euphoria. What happens in the middle is fantastic. It goes from a folky to a mystic spacy atmosphere but something is slowly meant to come. The listener beacomes curious and the lasting minutes make it even more exciting. This track makes the record. Without it, with weaker b-track it would have ended up with three stars or perhaps four. But this monster of seventeen minutes also helps the other songs to recognition. Those have what "Histoires sans paroles" lacks, great vocals and other styles. A fascinating lp from this french canadian band. On more five star ranking.

The opening 'Vert' has some vocals and acoustic guitar along with a bit of flute throughout to give it a really folky sound. But the keyboard touches also give it that symphonic edge.

'Dixie,' as the name implies, is a very Dixieland-sounding song. It is fast, exciting, warm, and busy, very much like the summer season.

'Despuis L'Automne' perfectly conveys the feeling and atmosphere of autumn. It is mostly happy, but you can taste a bit of solemnity in the crisp sound. The mellotron use in this song is absolutely stunning, and extremely well done. As atmospherically proficient as this, there are still a few cool melodies, especially the one starting about seven minutes in.

'En Pleine Face' emulates the somberness of winter with its relatively more melancholic nature, but is still serene musically.

'Histoires Sans Paroles' represents the fifth season, which has a combination moods and soundscapes throughout. The opening is pretty folky and has a very positive vibe with flute and acoustic guitar. But the song quickly gains a symphonic edge with a substantial use of mellotron. The music gains a rather ominous mood by five minutes with the flute. The mood changes to joyful again around eight minutes when the piano and wordless vocals come in. This changes yet again to a more somber mood with gliding flute and sax superimposed over mellotron and acoustic guitar before ending on a gracefully positive note.

10/10

The opening track, Vert (Green) is about spring. It represents this season so well with the wonderful flute and the bass lines.

Dixie is about summer. It's about the joy that we live throughout this season. And this joy is also brought by the instruments. Everyone knew that this was going a hit. It's the only song from this album that was released as a single and did charted in my Belle Province.

Depuis l'Automne (Since Autumn) is again about this season and the inspiration about nationalism at the time. Lyrics like: Si c't un rêve, réveille moé dont. Ça va être notre tour. Ça sera pas long. J'espère ici parce que ça s'en vient (If it's a dream wake me up. It will be our turn. It won't be long. I hope that's now because it's coming) represents these aspirations.

En Pleine Face (In Your Face) is the saddest song, because it is about this sad season that we us quebecers live, winter.

Histoires Sans Paroles (Stories Without Words) is an instrumental, but it's about this imaginary season that the members of the band invented. It should be about the outbreak of the soul.

In conclusion, there will never be an album like this that everyone loved. I asked to my mom who in her familly listened to this album. And she said "everyone".

In conclusion, this is a perfect album, even if it dosent have drums.

The popularity of Harmonium apparently never extended to the west coast of California, where I cut my Prog Rock teeth at exactly the same time the band was reaching its creative zenith with this album. But they must have at least made it to the French Quarter of New Orleans, judging here by the song "Dixie". The combination of Québécois folk and Dixieland jazz may sound a little contrived on paper, but it works where it matters most: between the headphones, becoming just another unlikely but effective stylistic juxtaposition in the fertile musical landscape of the 1970s.

And after hearing the band's self-titled 1974 debut, it's clear they raised the aesthetic stakes for their sophomore album, from the peerless craftsmanship of their folk-rock origins to the pure artistry of whatever-it-is we define as Progressive Rock. To an Anglophile like me there's an echo of the same energy driving the better Canterbury bands, but expressed here with more upbeat, unplugged enthusiasm, better suited to the odd array of instruments: accordion, clarinet, zither harp, lots of acoustic guitars, and so forth.

You might hear the occasional spoon or washboard too (again, in the song "Dixie"), but elsewhere they manage to generate considerable symphonic grandeur for a group without a drummer (they do employ a Mellotron, and with dramatic flair). This is especially true in the joyful, rising chorus of "Depuis L'Automne", and throughout the 17-plus minute "Histoires Sans Paroles": a pastoral epic which borrows a sound similar to early Genesis and elevates it to a level the boys at Charterhouse could only imagine a half decade earlier. And all of it with vocal harmonies so gorgeous that you might suspect the cop out of studio auto-tuning if the album had been recorded today.

In retrospect, if I had come of age somewhere closer to the Canadian Maritime Provinces instead of a continent away on the Pacific coast of northern California, I likely would be awarding the album the coveted fifth star of an undisputed classic. It might earn that honor yet, after a few more spins. Don't be like me and deprive yourself of music this good for half a lifetime.

"Vert" Light acoustic guitars and dual flutes lays the foundation for delicate male vocal harmonies similar to those of America, eventually erupting in layers of saxophone. This band makes an interesting use of delay, which has the effect of doubling the lead instruments such that it sounds like two musicians are performing one after the other. The final moments offer some impromptu vocalizations, guitar work, and flute that fit within the scope of the music.

"Dixie" This ragtime piece relies on fingerpicked acoustic guitar, honky-tonk piano and hushed layers of vocals. The singer begins scatting before a sprightly clarinet bursts in with a lively solo. It's cute, fun, and well-performed, but that is all.

"Depuis L'Automne" Pleasant vocals and acoustic guitar open this one. Washes of Mellotron and harmonics eventually bathe the listener in a pleasant musical aura. It is a gorgeous piece of music that makes lovely use of major-seventh chords. It picks up in a happy mood later, but ends in a menacing Mellotron that does not fit the context of the piece.

"En Pleine Face" A weird, spacey tone introduces this piece, which goes straight into more light acoustic music. The addition of the accordion and zither adds another dimension to the song, but that high-pitched whistling in the background is piercing and unwelcome.

"Histoires Sans Paroles" The lengthiest piece, a fifth season, begins with a woodwind and acoustic guitar. It stays pleasant for a while, but becomes rather discordant about a third of the way in. Dreamy Mellotron envelopes the piece. Eventually, a charging piano enters underneath additional vocalizations. While the segments are mostly beautiful, they do not fit well collectively, as though they were randomly strung together to fill out the rest of the album. Many of the parts consist of a Mellotron or piano alone. The jaunty section toward the end is rather unimaginative, comprising woodwind soloing over a rather banal rhythm.

The first Harmonium album and by anyone's standards as debut albums go this is a great start and the band went on leaps and bounds for their second album 'Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison' which rightly so is one of the highest rated Prog albums of all time.

The eight compositions that make this album are all beautifully crafted works, gentle and relaxing. Very very easy on the ear. Sung with tenderness too. But I can't rate this too highly for a couple of reasons.

Part of it is my own fault for not paying attention in French classes enough at school so I haven't marked it down for that but it could play a part in other peoples reviews. My main problem is there is a substantial lack of musical diversity on the album. Don't get me wrong I love the acoustic sound they have but a whole 42 minutes of it (aside from the fleeting visit from a fluglehorn and the use of a metronome on 'Attends-Moi') is just dull.

Also, the general structure of the album and songs doesn't really strike me as Prog. It's definitely not Symphonic Prog as the tag atop this page says, Prog-Folk would be more accurate but Folk even more so.

Of course Harmonium would go on to swell their ranks with other musicians to get that Symphonic sound for their next album and really hit their stride!

Negatives aside, this album is unequivocally nice and I thoroughly recommend it as background music to serenade a young lady/old man with.

Rating: 6/10

L'Heptade is the third and final studio album from French-Canadian progressive-rock band Harmonium. The group's sophomore effort Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison is almost universally regarded as a masterpiece among progressive-rock fans. That was a transitional album from Harmonium. It showed them moving away from the pure folk-rock of their debut in favor of symph-prog grandiosity. On L'Heptade, the symphonic elements of Harmonium's sound take center stage. There is still folk influence to be found here, but it's only that: influence. Zealous ambition accompanies this stylistic development. This 90-minute double album is certainly a far cry from the band's simple folk roots. Unfortunately, I think Harmonium bit off a little more than they could chew on this release. Some of these tracks are incredible, but others are ploddingly overlong and dull.

"Prologue" sounds like a legitimate classical overture, with sweeping strings and quiet flute. "Comme Un Fou" opens with acoustic guitar and soft vocals. It grows more and more bombastic; drums actually show up about halfway through. This is one of the album's strongest tracks. The band is doing what they do best here. "Sommeil Sans Reves" is a short orchestral interlude. "Chanson Noire" is an interesting combination of jaunty ragtime and symph-prog. The woodwind section in the middle is fantastic, and Fiori's vocals are gorgeous as always. "Le Premier Ceil" fuses jazzy influences with the normal symph-prog sound. This track goes on a bit too long, but the fantastic synth solo near the end saves it completely. "L'Exil" is an overlong and rather dull track that takes far too long to get going. "Le Corridor" features some female guest vocals that don't do a whole lot for me. The atmospheric middle section is pleasant, but this is another somewhat boring track overall. The 14-minute "Lumieres De Vie" follows the same path of overextended mellowness, although the piano playing is impressive. "Comme Un Sage" is also similar. Nothing about this track manages to engage me. "Epilogue" is a suitably bombastic orchestral conclusion.

The first half of L'Heptade is superb, featuring fantastic musicianship and memorable songwriting. However, I wish that the band had nixed the entire second LP. It's not an entertaining listen, to put it simply. Compositions drag on beyond their capacities; for example, a simple guitar/vocal folk arrangement goes on for seven straight minutes. The entire album has a nice atmosphere, but the compositions fail to back it up. This is all the more tragic given the excellent first half of the album. Overall, L'Heptade is an inconsistent follow-up to the masterpiece that preceded it.

Rating: 9/10

Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison is the second album from Quebec-based progressive-rock group Harmonium. A quick glance through other reviews will reveal abundant use of the word "beautiful." The unfamiliar may be tempted to scoff at such a description; after all, "beautiful" is a rather loaded word. However, if the term aptly applies to any album, it is this one. This sophomore release shows the band combining the folk sounds of their debut with complex symphonic structures and lush pastoral atmospheres. The result is one of the most gorgeous albums ever recorded. Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison sounds just like what the album cover would suggest: an ethereal voyage through a sun-soaked meadow.

These five pieces form a conceptual sequel to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. The first four tracks represent the four normal seasons, and the fifth and final piece symbolizes an imaginary fifth season. This concept fits the music perfectly, from the rural instrumentation - acoustic guitars and flutes galore with no percussion to be found - to the quiet vocal work of Serge Fiori. "Vert" opens the album with gorgeous flutes and subtle guitar. Fiori's vocals are in prime form here, particularly during the scat sections near the end. "Dixie" is a ragtime-infused folk-rock song with jaunty instrumentation. This track tends to divide fans, but I find it to be irresistibly charming. The ten-minute "Depuis L'Automne" is an absolute masterpiece. The vocals are unforgettable, and the Mellotron-laden middle section is one of the most beautiful things to ever grace my ears. The somber "En Pleine Face" features Fiori's best vocal performance on the album, which is definitely saying something. "Histoires Sans Paroles" is a 17-minute symphonic piece. This breathtaking track needs to be experienced; I cannot quantify it through words.

Harmonium created something truly special with Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison. It's difficult not to get chills during certain points of this pastoral masterwork. Perhaps the most impressive element of this album is Harmonium's ability to create so much out of so little. The instrumentation is rather sparse, but the band manages to craft enormous music out of it. The performances are tangibly soulful and the composition is a nothing short of genius. Many consider this to be the greatest album ever to come out of Quebec, and I must agree - every second of this masterpiece exudes pure beauty.

Rating: 6/10

Despite being virtually unknown within the general music community, Quebec's Harmonium are considered by many progressive-rock fans to be one of the greatest bands of the 70s.Their second album Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison is renowned for its gorgeous pastoral atmosphere and rich textured symphonics. Before they made that masterpiece of an album, however, Harmonium were a relatively low-key folk-rock band. This self-titled debut is a subdued and fairly simplistic piece of light folk music. The songs are largely centered on acoustic guitars, bass and vocals, although the occasional piano, flute, and sax show up as well. This album tends to be overshadowed by Harmonium's later work, which makes sense. Although this is a pleasant debut with many pretty moments, it's not a particularly deep or complex piece of work.

The title track is the definite highlight of the album. The vocals are absolutely gorgeous, and the acoustic guitar is simple yet effective. 'Si Doucement' is a nice upbeat folk song with a cool flute solo. 'Aujourd'hui, Je Dis Bonjour a La Vie' continues with the excellent guitar work, but is rather unmemorable otherwise. The same applies to 'Vielles Courroies', despite the nice piano. 'Attends-Moi' is more pure folk, with simple guitar backing up quiet vocals. 'Pour un Instant' is similar, although the guitar interplay is interesting. 'De La Chambre au Salon' is probably the album's strongest pure-folk piece. 'Un Musicien Parmi Tant d'Autres' is an overlong folk piece with an unnecessarily anthemic conclusion.

Harmonium's debut is a fun album with nice vocal melodies and competent musicianship. However, such things aren't enough to fully hold my musical attention. Most of these tracks fail to present enough diverse musical ideas, and the result is a rather homogenous release. There are some great moments here - the title track is one of the best pieces the band ever did - but the album as a whole is a bit too low-key for its own good. This is a good album; I can't imagine anybody having a particularly negative opinion of it. Regardless, it doesn't do justice to Harmonium's future legacy.