ÉTOIFILAN

This second L'ENGOULEVENT album, branded as a release by a "new" group Etoifilan at the time, was conceived as a soundtrack to accompany a children's book of the same name. I cannot vouch for the book, but the music appears to be aimed at the parents. If anything the blend of folk, prog and jazz is more sophisticated than on the inaugural release, with more keyboard embellishments. Only the diminutive "Chanson Triste" sounds childish in any way, but even it seems like an embryonic blueprint for the much later works of MANU CHAO. La Chanson des Planetes" and "La Fete de la Musique" are the most evolved and appealing numbers, and there is nothing as egregiously untoward as "Je me Demande" had been. Yet, with the exception of the lively "J'ai des etoiles dans le nez". this refinement has usurped the unshakable emotional resonance of the recovered time capsule that was "L'Ile iu Vivent les Loups". It's worth seeking out on the CD reissue as a 2-fer that still manages to runs shorter than most modern releases. 3.5 stars rounded down.