SI ON AVAIT BESOIN D'UNE CINQUIÈME SAISON

Si On Avait Besoin D'Une Cinquième Saison is, by far, my favorite album of all time. There is not a boring second on this masterpiece. While Vert has always been my favorite song, it should be mentioned that every song is unique in one way or another. Vert is mesmerising and melancholy; Dixie is upbeat and folksy; Depuis L'Automne is aural and rebellious (if you read into the lyrics, which are about separatism in Quebec); En Pleine Face is sentimental but bleak; Histoires sans Paroles is enchanting and mysterious. Most importantly, though, the artwork is completely and utterly evocative of the music within. The band-members are sitting on a hill in some sort of colorful meadow, alongside a myriad of enchanted, fairy-like creatures; the whimsy and wonder of this art perfectly match the majesty that the music beholds.

The lyrics of the songs are pure genius: the mood changes from song to song to signify the changing of each season. For example, Vert, or spring, is about parting, the colors, the forest, and the magic of it all. It is a somber tune in comparison to Dixie, in which the singer talks about how one should "take their fingers off their ears" and listen to the noises and the beauty of summer. However, this is not one of those albums you can just hear once: it takes a few listens to fully absorb what Harmonium has to offer. The final, suite-like "Histoires sans Paroles" is a story without words (as the title suggests) ; it serves to blend the elements of the earlier seasons into one hypothetical fifth season.

The band excludes percussion instruments entirely from the album mainly because the guitar, flute, and bass are so punctual. The flute shines brightly on Vert and Histoires sans Paroles, and the mellotron is beautifully intertwined throughout, notably in Depuis L'Automne. The acoustic guitar gives En Pleine Face its gentle tone at the beginning, but the bass and accordion at the end of the song help make it desperate and relenting. Though this is Harmonium's most symphonic release, the québécois folk-rock that was characteristic of their debut still lingers.

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