PARADE

I've been completely mesmerized by the RIO/Avant-prog genre for the last two years and Miriodor is a perfect example of this fascination. Even though the band have been in existence ever since the early '80s, they are almost completely anonymous to the average prog fan. The reasons for that are many but I guess that a combination of being an Avant-prog band from Canada with little exposure to the public outside of North America definitely has a lot to do with it.

Parade+Live At NEARFest just so happened to be my entry ticket into the adventurous world of Miriodor and what a beast of an album it is! A double album with over two hours of music was quite demanding for my untrained ears and mind to handle upon the first visit. Fortunately, I made the wise decision of splitting the material into four separate sittings and hence survived this roller coaster ride in one piece. It's not that the material is too Avant-garde to be digestible by a regular human being, like yours truly. Still, it does require the complete attention of its audience which is something that not many are willing to oblige in our day and age.

The studio portion of the album, called Parade, is an extraordinary collection of compositions raging from 1 to 6 minutes tracks in length. The performances are wild and adventurous but with a definite focus or idea at its base. This is why it might take quite some time for any listener to uncover what this music is trying to convey. Fortunately, the pay off is worth the investment, granted that you follow the active listening clause. The album opening Pyramide gives a clear indication of what this music will be all about by kicking things off rather sharply and things never lose this sense of constant alertness from here on.

The second portion of the album consists of a Live At NEARFest performance where Miriodor play a big portion of their material from the past. Since I'm still uncovering that part of the band's music, it's difficult for me to judge whether these performances are better or worth than their studio counterparts. Still, it's safe to say that the band keeps a pretty steady grip of this performance and that it must have been a great spectacle watching this performance!

This is an excellent double album that simply should not be missed by lovers of challenging music. Having said that, I would like to stress my advice of taking things slow with this huge release even if you're a fan of challenging music.

***** star songs: Pyramide (3:38) Uppsala (5:52) Tartine (1:34) Forêt Dense (6:21) Toutes Proportions Gardées (6:48) Le Sorcier (5:54) Boîte À Rebuts (2:00) Pas À Ce Que Le Sache, Sacha (6:31) Igor, l'ours À Moto (6:52)

**** star songs: Scarabée (3:25) Caramba! (0:50) Contrées Liquides (5:45) Polar (6:35) Boite À Surprises (4:08) Talrika (5:01) Le Cruciverbiste (5:29) Gavotte Chétive (1:58) Bonsaï Givré (6:48) Préparatifs De Vacances (1:20) La Célèbre Boucle (0:39) Le Règne Des Termites (4:08) Mine De Rien (3:45) Singularité (5:42) L'inévitable (5:43) Mangeur De Masters (3:53) Mme X (7:46) Le Fantôme De M.C. Escher (6:15) Le Roi Soldat (4:16)

*** star songs: Checkpoint Charlie (3:21)