AU-DELÀ DES OMBRES

An appealing blend of modern neo with the pastoral folk prog of a long gone era, Ere G (aka Robin Gaudreault)'s "Au-dela des Ombres" recalls Harmonium's "Cinquieme Saison" in its acoustic textures, flutes and mellotrons, but thankfully with a bit more edge.

At times, as in the opener "La Course Des Papillons", the aforementioned edge consumes itself, sounding disjointed and schizophrenic when juxtaposed against the mellower passages. But the folky "La traversée" really gets things moving in the right vein, from the flutes to the majestic chorus. "La rose de Stalingrad" blends mellotron and acoustic guitars as well as fine synths and violin into a dream like atmosphere. While the instrumentation and arrangements are abundantly progressive, Ere G also has a soft rock/jazz soul as illustrated in the workouts of the later parts of "La Rose". The eclectic parade is also in evidence on the classically inspired title cut, and the finale "Ardeur Temie" features fusion-y bass playing and ends with a measured and elegant synth solo over choral mellotrons. Yum!

Ultimately, these extended tracks do lack somewhat for compositional skill and cohesion while not denying their melodic grace. They leave me with the sense that what is most needed is maturation, perhaps another album or two to sort out an identity based on more than just a tasty potpourri of late 20th century styles. A very respectable effort, it nonetheless leaves healthy room for growth.