STRANGE

An eclectic collage of circus like melodies, including one track called "Cirque" lest it somehow be lost on you, and experimental world music, with generous dollops of violin and a smorgasbord of keyboards, this work by Julian Julien of France exposes the occasional futility of musical categorization. If the seemingly disparate styles possess a common thread, it would be in their minimalist nature, with a single dark figure winnowing across Julien's distinctive progscape. From light to lugubrious, it's generally hypnotic though the guitar figures can be a bit overly insistent. The more accessible numbers appear earlier, but even at his most circuitous Julien still gets me where I need to be. If I had to pick one favourite, it would be "Charlotte", which offers the most succinct distillation of Julien's binocular vision. Mildly recommended to almost everyone.