UN PEU DE L'ÂME DES BANDITS

Aksak Maboul's debut was, in my opinion, a near-masterpiece. The Rock-In-Opposition movement (which was at the time a collective of five avant-garde bands) thought so as well, and Aksak ended up being one of the three bands added onto the original movement. Unfortunately, though, the RIO boys couldn't leave well enough alone. The duo which produced Onze Danses soon found itself flooded with musicians from other bands in the movement; Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, and Michel Berckmans quickly displaced the Hollander-Kenis duo which had produced the first album.

With the change in musicians came a change in sound; the quirky and unique mixture of ethnic and non-ethnic influences was drowned, and we were left with a somewhat stereotypical RIO album; strange chord progressions, unusual instruments, and mixtures of genres are present, but in a far less inspired fashion than by the original and inspired duo. While there are more than enough moments of RIO joy to satisfy a fan of the genre, there are also many spots that seem to lack inspiration.

Closer to 3.5 stars than it is to 3, this album will be welcome in the collection of a Rock-in-Opposition fan. But do yourself a favor and pick up the debut as well.