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Harmonium - Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison CD (album) cover

SI ON AVAIT BESOIN D'UNE CINQUIÈME SAISON

Harmonium

 

Prog Folk

4.35 | 1446 ratings

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Hibou
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Someone once said that music has the power to make you long for yesterdays you've never known. For those of you who weren't around in 1975, this wonderful album is a good case in point: it speaks volumes about the musical mood in French Canada back then. Way before cynicism had set in, when people still dared to dream, just about every young Québécois knew of HARMONIUM, had been to their gigs or was seen carrying one of their albums under his arm. In fact, in 1976, a local artist by the name of Sylvain Lelièvre had popularized a song called "Marie-Hélène" in which he describes a girl who whiles away time "wearing out her Genesis and her Cinquième saison" (my own translation). That line always brings a smile to my face...

A product of its time, La Cinquième saison, bolstered by Serge Fiori's exquisite vocals, exhudes a peacefulness, a mood of tranquil surrender that pervaded in the 70s and had all but disappeared by the end of the decade. In retrospect, one would say there is an innocence, almost a naiveté to the album that endears you to it; its melodies are simple and the rendition is so totally devoid of posturing. But it is precisely this genuinenes combined with the excellent songwriting, flawless musicianship and fine production that make the album timeless.

If you expect to get hit over the head with your prog, no doubt you'll be disappointed with La Cinquième saison. But if you are willing to sit back and let the music wash over you, you will find it hard not to be moved by its grace and beauty. From beginning to end, the album is chock-full of achingly beautiful passages that stay with you long after the music has died. A classic.

Hibou | 5/5 |

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