POLLEN

Phenomenal.

Again, being from Quebec, I snobbed the song of my own land, and I repent. Sincerely, the Quebec scene of the 70's is simply astonishing, revealing gems one after another. Pollen is not an exception, and I would say they should be on top of the list for beginners. They sound very Tony Banks' work in Genesis, and since he's my favorite keys player ever, I cannot but clap my hands in synch with the music. They also manage to blend a wee bit of Gentle Giant and ELP, but the main melody maker is the fabulous keyboard playing of Rivest! He's prodigious!

Speaking french myself I cannot pass through the lyrics without commenting: have they been disappointed by religion? They have a strong chip on the shoulder of the Catholic Church, with provoking lyrics (for the time) saying that Priests fooled them and the people have to pay the bill now. Considering the mentality of Quebec, this must have been a kick in the arse for the concerned and an appeal to youngsters who didn't want to follow their parents' religion. Wow indeed.

For a dynamic dose of keys and some of the best Genesis riffs (they never wrote), grab this cookie when you see it. No baloney.

Why this album hasn't gotten more attention est une mystère misterioso. I can't figure. A wonderful collection of original music using familiar Genesis sounds from the Nursery Cryme-through-Selling England by the Pound period.

The opener, "Vieux Corps de vie d´Ange" (8/10) has quite a wonderful climax section?incredibly powerful singing.

"L'étoile" (9/10) has a very Genesis feel to it from the very start with its picked 12-strings and Hackett-like volume pedaled electric guitar notes. As the air turns more festive a Rhodes piano takes a turn at some simple solo. Then, at 2:25, for a brief time, full scale unleash of the Selling England by the Pound/Dark Side of the Moon effect. Beautiful song.

"L'indien" (7/10) is a more laid-back almost droning song from the HARMONIUM school of acoustic-based prog. Pretty; no complaints; probably would be more meaningful and impactful were I to try to listen to lyrics.

"Tout le temps" (8/10) has a little GENTLE GIANT feel and sound to it?though not so complex or sophisticated, just similar sounds. Love the dueling keyboards in the middle?harpsichord and organ! A little 'Harold the Barrel" feel there! Add horn-delay keyboard and you've got a little prog magic going on there!

"Vivre la mort" (8/10) starts out a little too much like a French "Get 'em Out by Friday" (a Genesis song that I've never really liked). Luckily, the song is saved by a simply marvelous second half instrumental section in which all players are adding to a rather YES-like electronic mayhem.

"La femme ailée" (10/10) begins very delicately with some classical guitar accompanying the breathy Kenny Loggins-like vocalist. Vocal harmonies and organ are added to great effect while the acoustic guitar continues to steal the show. Beautiful! Brilliant, delicate, multi-layered, complex "Cinema Show"-like song!

This album has grown on my greatly since I first heard it?to the point that I hold it right up there alongside?or above?Nursery Cryme and Voyage of the Acolyte?the two albums it most reminds me of. This is a masterpiece of prog!

A one album wonder from the Quebec scene, Pollen's sole album finds them playing a style of symphonic prog structured heavily around the guitar work of Richard Lemoyne, whose style sounds to me a bit like a blend between Steve Hackett and Steve Howe's. As others have noted, a pastoral Genesis influence is appreciable, though to my ears Pollen seem to take a somewhat more accessible sound than classic-era Genesis. As others have noted, the vocals on the album are arguably the weak point, but otherwise this is competently performed (if not stellar) symphonic prog which should be of particular interest to those exploring the Quebec prog scene.

This album features sublime instrumental parts, wholly reminiscent of the "Trespass" era of whom you might know.

It is another story during some vocals "interludes". I don't know if Rivest was forcing his abilities, but as far as I'm concerned he was quite average in his vocal duties (except during the superb "L'Etoile") and his accent is quite difficult to bear. But to come back to "L' Etoile", the magnificent keyboard melody raises this song to another level, indeed.

There aren't any weak tracks featured on this album and thanks to some wonderful parts it really keeps up on the good side. At times the music turns out to be more jazz oriented ("Tout L'Temps" - Always) although some instrumental parts are totally borrowed to "Genesis". Too much really.

"Vivre La Mort" is quite an experience though: wild beat, heavy organ for a while, combined with such delicate guitar for a while. The closing section is an absolute and brilliant hymn to electric guitar prog solo. A great moment of music for sure.

The closing epic "La Femme Ailée" is quite a good musical moment to share: complex instrumental interplay (KC is not too far, even if "Genesis" is again present at almost any corner). A very good way to close this effort. A combination of "Cinema Show" with some church organ, scary mood and some great guitar. What else do we need?

I would rate this album with seven out of ten because it borrows a lot to some giants we all love. Since this more accurate rating is still not available, I will raise it to four stars.

So many treasures in 70's Québec scene! POLLEN is one of them who grabs me more in spite of not being the most original. The evident basis comes from Yes/Genesis formula; it works pretty with the French theatrical (PENTACLE, MONA LISA) influence.

The music is in surreal/ fantastic field with great vocals, maybe more accessible, so with repeated listens it tends to run out, unlike more adventurous Canadian SLOCHE, MANEIGE (with GG influence) or SYMPHONIC SLAM (the 3 first linked tracks are quite original and over shine the rest of the album, they are prog classics to me) or TRUE MYTH. I'd like to thank the Canadian guys who created PA site and all maintenance world team!

My favorite Pollen tracks are "vivre la mort" and "la femme ailée" (the conclusion is a killer hymn). But I like the entire album, delicious prog ! I'm glad this obscure album gets many reviews here. There are more obscure and underrated Québecois like EDEN (***) and MILKWEED (Sergio Gonçalves failed to conclude themes, so I give only **). My vinyl pick up is broken, I intend to review later HARMONIUM " l' heptade" I want to listen my double vinyl brazilian edition (I really don't know how, but there was a little edition here, believe me !) carefully, I know this is the most original or folk Canadian band. Oh yeah I love "si on avait?" but give my 5 stars to Sloche "j'un oeil".

This album is one of those hidden gems in this scene. The prog rock scene is full of them and it is difficult to find them. I was alerted to it by browsing the ProgArchives, the letter "P" section. The album soon landed on my doorstep.

The vocals are in French, this being a French-Canadian band. The music comes across as a bit Italian Prog Rock scene to me. PFM springs to mind. But the music is mostly a blend of their own style, GENESIS, YES, PENTACLE, CATHEDRAL and GENTLE GIANT. The music is therefore pretty varied. It changes from uptempo and pretty adventerous to moody pastorial ballads. The music is vocals and keyboards driven and the musicianship is pretty amazing as far as I can see.

This is not an over-the-top symphonic prog album. It is more song orientated than classical music orientated. It is still an album I really like. It is a fresh breath of air, compared to the English/American symphonic prog bands. POLLEN has their own style and it is a shame this is their only official album. This is an excellent addition to any prog rock collection. In particular; to my own collection.

4 stars

What a wonderful surprise!

I love Pollen's album, so why did I wait so long before trying this one? I don't have a good answer--I'll have to chalk it up to the cover!

Tom Rivest, the vocalist/guitarist/main songwriter for Pollen, released this album a few years after the Pollen album was released. I think many of the elements of Pollen which I love--wonderful melody, thick textures, interesting harmonies--are present on this album, in a stripped down form. This album to my ears brings much of what I love about Pollen, but is more subtle and accessible. The flashy instrumentation, more complex arrangements, and complex time signatures are also downplayed. In fact in many respects this album reminds me of some of the other solo type projects that I love (Pierpaolo Bibbo, Enzo Capuano, and Anthony Phillips come immediately to mind).

Some of the highlights are La Langue De Son Pays, Voyage Au Tibet, and Messager Du Temps. If you love Pollen (or any of the artists I mentioned above), don't hesitate to give this album a try. I think you'll agree that it brings many many rewards.

Pollen's one and only album is a forgotten gem that more people need to investigate... they are as talented as any of the big-name bands. By far my favorite French-Canadian band, they're similar in style to the classic British Symphonic Prog bands mixed with the unique charm of French bands like Atoll, Pentacle, and Carpe Diem. 'Vieux corps de vie d´ange' starts off similar to Gentle Giant, with excellent dueling-Moog-and-guitar play; the first half of the song is very aggressive and complex. The musicianship is incredibly tight on every song, but here especially. The second half of the song is more subtle and is in a classic Symphonic Prog mold with wonderful synth playing, powerful droning organs, and lovely piano solos. The keyboardist is brilliant on every song. 'L´étoile' is slower; featuring beautiful acoustic guitars and Moog playing. It has the most touching and memorable vocal refrain on the entire album. The lyrics are all in French so i haven't a clue what he's saying... but i can tell it's heartfelt. The singer doesn't have the strongest voice, but it's pleasant in tone and he sings with great conviction and emotion. 'L´indien' is an atmospheric and meditative acoustic ballad; dream-like and blue... I would say the mood is a combination of 'Dust in the Wind' and 'Entangled' by Genesis. The second half of he album contains my two favorite songs: 'Tout l´temps' is upbeat with an almost 'Hatfield and the North' Canterbury-like feel... followed by 'Vivre la mort' which is much darker and reminds me somehow of Russian folk music. This song is led by an amazing organ riff and a relentless driving beat... growing more aggressive as the song goes, this contains some of the best Moog solos i've ever heard in my life! The intro of the final song 'La femme ailée' bears a passing resemblance to Pollen's fellow countrymen 'Harmonium'. I highly recommend this to all Symphonic Prog fans... especially those who like the French strain of the genre. 4.5 stars.

One and only album by this fantastic Quebecois band: "Pollen" is a tremendous progressive opus by Pollen, an ensemble of very talented musicians/writers that mastered the art of art-rock more proficiently than many other bands that are usually more praised among prog circles and that have released more albums. Pollen created a stylish sound that incorporated a reasonable amount of complex ornaments in the frameworks of appealing compositional ideas. One can get the feeling that Pollen keeps a strong set of stylistic connections with Sloche, Et Cetera and Harmonium, and the reason for this perception is that this quartet pretty much encapsulates many recurrent facets that were heavily present in Quebec's prog scene. The album kicks off with 'Vieux corps de vie d'ange', wih bears a solemn aura of elegante extravagante, pretty much a-la Gentle Giant (with an Et Cetera filter), additionally combined with the majesty of good old Genesis. The way in which the guitar and synth are combined is simple masterful, as is the vibraphone solo (somewhat influenced by that in Gentle Giant's 'Pantagruel's Nativity'). 'L'étoile' reiterates the opener's meditative vibe but with a different attitude, which is more pastoral-driven. Given that its first half is dominated by dual acoustic guitars punctuated by flute and soft electric guitar, one might feel suspicious about how it happened that the guys from Harmonium sequestered the Pollen guys and usurped their recording schedule. Later on, things get livelier, with clavinet and Moog interventions that even sound a bit Mediterranean (just like PFM, Le Orme, early Atoll, Gotic). 'L'indien' also displays pastoral pursuits, only driven toward a more intimate realm - this is like a hybrid of Anthony Phillips and early Rägnarok, plus some early Harmonium as well. It's a beautiful song, indeed, with a moving vibe that doesn't kill its relaxing mood. The album's second half starts with the vivacious 'Tout l'temps'. The band takes full advantage of the 3 ½ minute span, predominantly using a 5/4 tempo for the track's development. The amalgams of organ and synth are very Minnear-like, although the eerie sound mix makes the keyboard input closer to Sloche. 'Vivre la Mort' echoes the preceding track's vitality and takes it to a rockier trend: one can describe it as a mixture of 1971-Yes and first album-BMS, with the (usual) leanings toward the GG standard. The album's last 10 ½ minutes are occupied by 'La Femme Ailée'. This piece starts with abundantly acoustic flairs of pastoral nature, in a way emulating the languid spirit of track 3. A few seconds before arriving at the 3 minute mark, there's this wind effect that announces the arrival of a sheer symphonic passage: with a well-ordained mixture of "Moon Madness"-era Camel and Sloche's symphonic side, this passage makes good use of the basically simple motifs and raises them to a crafty majestic level. Then things become a bit weird (interesting nonetheless) with a slightly creepy organ solo, which sounds quite Gothic. What should come after this surprising twist?: just the coda, which reprises some of the motifs in the second section and makes them a bit more intense. This is a big finale for a great album, or even more than great, masterful - "Pollen" is the kind of lost gem that deserves to be rescued from the shades of the 70s recording industry and taken into every good progressive collection. From my part, there is nothing left to say.

Interesting that they originally planned to use two keyboardists but one of the two they had lined up decided to play in a band called HARMONIUM instead. These guys are incredible musicians. Lots of synths, passionate vocals and intricate instrumental work. Impressive.

"Vieux Corps De Vie D'Ange" starts off with keyboards and French vocals. I like the organ here too. We some uptempo moments before settling down briefly after a minute.The guitar before 2 minutes is fantastic. These guys play so well. A calm after 3 minutes with organ coming in followed by flute, vocals, piano then xylophone 5 minutes in. Passionate vocals and guitar before it calms down with piano to end it. Incredible track. "L'Etoile" opens with flute before acoustic guitar and vocals arrive. A mellow and pleasant sound is the result. Vocal melodies before 2 minutes followed by laughter. The fuller sound 3 1/2 minutes in is so uplifting.

"L'Indien" features acoustic guitar and reserved vocals. Vocal melodies come in later. "Tout'l Temps" is an uptempo track with lots of keys.The drumming is killer. "Vivre La Mort" is my favourite song on here. The organ and vocals early sound excellent in this catchy song. A change 3 minutes in as intricate guitar melodies lead the way.This reminds me of GENESIS. Nice. "La Femme Ailee" opens with fragile vocals and acoustic guitar. Vocal melodies and a calm follow. The wind is blowing 3 minutes in, then the song kicks into gear after 4 minutes. Organ before 7 minutes as the tempo picks back up with drums leading the way. Some prominant guitar late.

Another amazing album from Quebec.