NEMO

I gave this album a few spins in recent weeks. Obtained on recommendation, it didn't quite grab me at first, but for some reason I was reluctant to put it away, never to bother with just part of the collection. Still, there was something in there that I was intrigued by - deep under the surface. And just as well!

So, devoting some more time I gave it a determining last spin and more attention - for the last time. and the result was somewhat beyond my expectations. These guys can play well and the compositions are rather pleasing, too!

Hardly a masterpiece, but a pleasant diversion between listening to Brand X and Mahavishnu to soothe the excitement. Listed under Eclectic-Prog is probably appropriate as contrary to the Neo-Prog appearance, this is not yet another Gabriel-era Genesis clone - that I can't absorb any longer.

The pleasantly heavy and tasteful guitars and equally commendable keyboards make this album worthy of due notice. The odd, lull moment filled with vocals is also enjoyable. This album had grown on me in recent weeks Whilst it may never be part of my Desert Island Collection, it will have a space on my shelf.

It is always hard to review albums that one feels are like old friends, and I'm not sure where to start, so let's put these into some context. According to www.progarchives.com, 'SI Partie I' is still the top-rated album from 2006, while the follow-up is 24th for 2007, so not bad. Although all of their albums are always sung in French I have never found this an issue, as it allows me to view the voice as yet another instrument. Musically they have links with symphonic bands such as Pink Floyd while also containing elements of jazz, yet as well as musical mastery they also have a great control of space and dynamics. Songs can move from sweeping keyboards to acoustic guitar, harmony vocals, tight rock riffs, in fact whatever they want. They can feel loose and relaxed or intense and over the top, often within the same song and length doesn't hold any fears for them as they can be twenty minute epic or two minute wonders such as 'D'cadence' which in itself shows what the band are all about as they move and sweep through different emotions and styles.

If you have ever wondered if you should investigate the band or these albums, then the answer to that is a resounding 'yes' and the time to do that is now. Visit www.nemo-world.com to discover more about the band or www.quadrifonic.com for the shop

In this world of capitalism, we may need a revolution!

This is the seventh studio album by French band Nemo, a band whose music has entered in the progressive rock realm since the early 00s, and has maintained great expectations in every new release. The reason is simple, their music is great, so we are always waiting for some high-quality stuff. And this is not the exception, here we have an eight-song album with a total time of 62 minutes.

The first track is a short introduction, "Liberté, égalité, Insurrection!" shares soft piano which later is accompanied by the other instruments. The structure is repeated over and over for two minutes, then it leads to "Je suis un objet" which is an explosive, dynamic progressive rock track. The rhythm is fast, vertiginous and attractive, I like the kind of funky guitar and how the vocals in French perfectly complement the music. The song flows and when you less realize, the five minutes full of a vast amount of elements, have finished.

"Revolusion" continues with that vertigo, a sound that invites us to feel involved in the music. The keyboard is great at the beginning, creating a symphonic prog sound contrasted with some kind of heavy rock guitars, and even a catchy chorus. "Aux portes du paradise" is another short track, with two minutes of soft instrumental music that sounds a bit folkish and even new age, it is a beautiful track.

"Seul dans la foule" on the other hand, is the first of the long compositions of this album, sharing almost nine minutes of excellent prog rock. The first minutes are really slow, a laid- back atmosphere, but then it begins to add new elements and to progress, until that tranquility disappears and a heavier sound reigns. But guess what, it is only for a moment because later it slows down once again, implementing a nice guitar riff over that mid-tempo bass and drums rhythm. Later, it progresses once again, the intensity increases and the song finishes with that heavy prog sound. "Chiens en laisse" has a cool soft sound with guitars and vocals, later there is a moment where they remind me of Gentle Giant due to the harmony vocals, and the second part is a bit heavier, with nice guitar riffs and a cool keyboard background.

"Loin des yeux (Barbares VIII a XII)" is the most ambitious track here, a 24-minute song with an explosive start that lasts for more than two minutes, where the bombastic musician's technique is evidently shown. Later the music slows down, with electronic drums and voice, and little by little it creates different passages, different pieces that seem not to fit in the same puzzle, however they do and are essential for the song's success. I like a lot the faster moments, with heavy guitars and symph keyboards, but it is also worth mentioning that all the changes of mood, rhythm and style are well placed. That is why I say this is a complex, challenging and ambitious song, 24 minutes of a mixture of elements, of a prog eclecticism with a bagpipe highlight after 17 minutes.

The album finishes with "Notes pour plus tard", whose first three minutes are instrumental, with great use of both acoustic and electric guitars. The piano gives beauty, calm and tranquility, and then vocals enter with the same delicate style. A minute later the instrumental passages return, and the song flows and adds heavier moments in which one can feel Nemo's energy. So this is the end of the story, this is a very good, strong album by Nemo, though I must admit it is not my favorite of theirs. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!

Highly recommended.

Generally the instrumental sections feature the most interesting music. "Je Suis en Objet" starts with some funk-rock guitar and digital synths as the other instruments come in. The music gets more symphonic sounding later on. What the drummer is doing sounds interesting but I can't really make it out due to the mixing/mastering. After awhile things go into prog metal territory. The title track is very 1980s and Neo sounding. The chorus is almost punk sounding. "Seul Dans la Foule" begins segued from the previous song. Fairly laid-back for the first few minutes. Then some really cool bass synth. The song ends up becoming more of a symph/prog metal hybrid. "Chiens en Laisse" is more Neo sounding, gets more metallic during the second half.

"Loins des Yeux (Barbares parties VIII a XII)" is the 24 minute epic of the album. Excuse the following rant, but I don't understand the need for 20-minute epics in the post-vinyl world. (Yes I know vinyl is still around but you get my point). Why not 15 minutes or 30 minutes? Making a 20-minute song to me just seems like you are pandering to the prog crowd. Anyway, let's talk about that song now. Overall a pretty bombastic and symphonic track. Lots of metal guitar too. Some electronic beats are used to good effect. Acoustic guitars and more interesting drumming with a snare drum sound I don't like too much. Nice vocal harmonies. The guitar solos are generally good but not very original. I like the mix of metal riffing and piano around 10 1/2 minutes.

This is followed by a great symphonic part with powerful, emotive singing. After a piano and vocal dominated section it goes back to prog metal territory, where this album likes to stay a lot. I like how the guitar solo from around 16 minutes gets panned back and forth in the stereo spectrum; you don't hear that much anymore. Nice section with piano and electric guitar for awhile. You hear some bagpipe toward the end, followed by some fuzz-wah guitar. The whole band comes in prog metal style as the bagpipe solos away. Ends symphonic metal.

"Notes pour plus Tard..." is the last track and starts off with some great synth bass and then a lovely piano melody which I swear I have heard before somewhere. Before you know it those metal guitars are just around the corner. I really like the melodic guitar playing in unison with the piano. Overall not a bad album but nothing to text home about either. I hate the mastering of this album; too loud and very little dynamics. The drumming in particular suffers from it. My final verdict will be 3 stars.

Nemo is a contemporary Prog band from France whose newest album REVOLU$ION mixes neo-prog with heavy guitars (a pretty common formula these days.) Despite the fact that these "new prog" bands are categorized all over the map here, they share more with each other than the classic bands in their respective genres. Spock's Beard, Nemo, Magenta, and Porcupine Tree have more in common with each other than Marillion, Genesis, King Crimson, or Pink Floyd. The point being that REVOLU$ION fits comfortably alongside a large group of modern bands (Transatlantic and Frost* also come to mind), and fans of those groups are going to enjoy the album. But while Nemo explores this territory with reasonable skill and very strong emotional expression, they bring absolutely nothing new to the table.

Singer Jean Pierre Louveton has a pleasant voice and avoids contrived stylistic articulation. I feel like he genuinely feels his lyrics and the heart behind his vocals is strong. At the same time, his range and breadth aren't that wide, and his performances really don't rise above merely competent for me. Similarly, his skills as a guitarist don't pass what I'd consider the basic skill set of a professional player. He has some chops, but no more than every guitarist had in 1991. He does a reasonable David Gilmour and the guitars sound best when he's in this mode. His basic tone is pretty fuzzy and old-school and is one of the least polished aspects of the album. Like Riverside, the heaviness derives more from 80's and 90's sounds, more hard rock than heavy metal. Again, while the playing is extremely competent, there's absolutely nothing truly individual about it.

Unlike most of the newer retro-prog bands, the keys take a decided back seat to guitar on this album. Occasionally, the two instruments work together, but there are no "wow" keyboard moments that are usually one of the features of this style. Similarly, the rhythm section holds down the foundation well, but is never really featured. The compositions have the required amount of complexity, and aside from the new age, flute driven passage, the sound is pretty coherent throughout. There is a section of duet between lead guitar and bagpipes!!!?! that perks my ears a bit during the enormous epic track 7. Again, like many modern "epics" this is more of a collection of cool-sounding instrumental and vocal sections that could have easily been re-arranged into separate tracks.

This feels like a 3.5/5 album. A good album, with a little extra added for passionate delivery. Rounded down for lack of originality.

I've been really looking forward to experiencing this album and added it to my Spotify playlist as soon as it was available but my first experience of this record was far from a pleasant one. Was this the direction that Eclectic Prog was going for in the new decade or do I smell a rat here? All I hear are recycled Prog clichés mixed into a slick production with lite metal/indie approach to it. Even though the vocalist clearly articulates the passionate lyrics in French, it really has no bearing on me while I experience "Révolu$ion". I assure you that the language barrier has never hindered me from being touched by great music and so I turn my attention to the songwriting.

Granted that I've never heard a single Nemo record up until now, it's impossible for me to judge whether the band has really improved upon their previous work or not. All I hear on this recording is complete blandness. Blandness in songwriting, progressions, themes and a complete lack of any ideas. Maybe it's just me growing grumpy and old, but please ponder upon this question - will any of you be listening to "Révolu$ion" in a few years time? Is it really the it album of 2011 that marks the pinnacle of modern Prog music? I surely don't think so and the fact that almost half of this album consists of a 24+ minute epic that leaves me bored to tears isn't really helping things out. Yes, Loins Des Yeux is truly an epic in length but all I hear are all those tiresome passages that we've heard so many times before. The real problem comes with transitions between different sections which are just laughable. Just take the first two minutes of fast-paced symphonic metal which then suddenly mute in favor of the slow moving keyboard/vocal section. This is almost as bad as the transitions on the two lengthy Rush tracks off Caress Of Steel, which in that case completely ruined the entire experience for me.

Sorry if I offended anyone with my rant, but I just don't share the enthusiasm that so many have for this particular album. I can't even stretch it to a good, but non essential rating in this case. The music that is included on this album is some of the least impressive Prog related material (I don't take this term lightly) that I've heard this year and it surprises me how much attention it has received so far. Please feel free to send me comments and explain why you happen to enjoy Nemo's new offering, I'm all ears. We really need to get to the bottom of this enigma!

**** star songs: Je Suis Un Objet (5:43) Révolu$ion (5:08) Chiens En Laisse (5:35) Notes Pour Plus Tard (6:43)

*** star songs: Liberté, Egalité, Insurrection ! (2:23) Aux Portes Du Paradis (2:21) Seul Dans La Foule (9:36) Loins Des Yeux (24:30)

Nice work, Nemo. Just not anything that I'll ever feel drawn to listen to. (Does anybody want my disc?)