FRANK DERVIEUX - DIMENSION "M"

An album that Frank Dervieux made once very sick and made with his group that would go on as Contraction to records two further albums. From what I always gathered Dimension M is an almost- instrumental concept album of lost worlds, with Robichaud's superb scat voice, this album made quite mark on the provincial scene

Starting with the fantastic title track , with its middle almost free-jazz improv and taking a bit of a Canterbury slant, Dervieux shows everything he's capable of for a Hammond organ feast (Ratledge meeting Dave Stewart) but King's detuned violin are a slight flaw. The following Atlantide has Dervieux pounding the piano, where Christiane's scat voice des marvels. The Hyperborea is a quieter affair (all things relative) dying on a dissonant note, but overall it is another brilliant Dervieux piece. Just like the later contraction, there is a slight domination of the jazz element, but we're close to full-blown progressive rock, somewhere between Caravan and Camel at its easiest and as close to Gentle Giant in the more complex phases. Opening the flipside the Concerto, however is their most complex song with great dynamics, constant twists and changes. This 9-mins epic is a pure delight of funky guitar, booming bass (Laferriere's work were always indispensable part of Contraction), inventive drumming; St Roch is very much the unsung hero of side 2, but he gets much help from percussionist touche-à-tout Michel Seguin. The album goes on from enchantment to joyful surprises with Orejane Mater (where King discordant violin makes an almost brass-like interventiuon) and the closing Present Du Futur, where Robichaud's aerial voice and Dervieux's solemn organ give an almost liturgical twist to the track

Sadly Dervieux was not to outlive by long his album, he just managed to appear on Contraction's debut, before leaving us for good. Yet Dimension M is an essential piece of progressive rock in Quebec's prog history, often seen as Contraction's first album, and there are hardly any reasons not to. Essential and much more.

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