REVOLU$ION

At first hearing I did not not know what to think about this album... the sound was heavier than in previous ones, with less catchy arrangements or melodies or even dissonances at several moments. But it didn't last... Since I received it, this is the only CD I am listening to, looping over and over again. And it gets beter over time. So clearly not an "easy listening" but a rich and dense music that reveals itself by learning to appreciate it. Their intention was to blend the 70's classic reference with a modern prog sound, and from my point of view, they succeeded in their objective.

Comparing their previous release ("Barbares") with this one, I have the feeling that something similar to what happened to Jethro Tull between TAAB and A Passion Play happened to Nemo: the first one is a masterpiece, with brilliant melodies that convince since the first hearing with still a lot to discover over time; the second tries to go further in the way they compose music, with more complex melodies or arrangement and more risks taken in relation to what their fans can like or love. But the comparison stops here: Nemo style of music is very different than Jethro (even if from time to time there are some closer similarities). R?volu$ion is also much easier to love than A passion play. At other moments, other big names of prog rock come to mind: PINK FLOYD, GENESIS or GENTLE GIANT for the classics. PORCUPINE TREE or DREAM THEATER for the more recent ones. To conclude, not all fans of Nemo will like this evolution, but most of them should. If you are not reluctant based on the small warning I gave you in the beginning of this review, go ahead this is an excellent album, an album that deserves the best rating as other "classical" albums.

What a brilliant piece of true art is this new NEMO release!Definitelly this amazing French band has managed once again to reinvent itself!It's hard to put in a category NEMO's music! Why?Because what this guys are doing is mixing in a very smart way the 70's clichees of prog with some modern aspects!The fact that they are continueing to sing is FRENCH is simply sensational!French is such a musical language and JP 's voice fits perfectly well with NEMO's musical message!Definitelly this album seems for me to be ,in a way,the most difficult to be understood by any NEMO' fan or any prog rock lover!We feel here some RUSH vibes and also some amazing technical wizardries a la DREAM THEATER,but ,God thanx,not in excess!BARBARES-LOIN DES YEUX-the monster track of the album of almost half an hour is a pure monument!Techically outrageous,complex,diverse ,with so many changes and twists-wow-pure ear candy and musical enchantment!What can we ask more?The Scottish traditional instrument present in the end of the song on prog rhythms is astonishing!Or it is a French folkloric instrument-a traditional one?Anyway-that's very interesting!An album made by mature musicians,with the purpose not to demonstrate anything-just a musical prove that NEMO is a band with an amazing potential and with neverending inspiration!Not only in my opinion-but this is the best French prog rock band-and with their will to sing in French,NEMO proves that not only English is the international language of music!All the musicians in the band are close to perfection and JP's voice is superbe-one of the best of the genre!This album is one of the major releases of 20011 and a superbe high quality album for any prog rock or eclectic prog-if we try to find a precise category for NEMO!4.5 STARS for a pretentious,intelligent and catchy album!More auditions are recommended fo fully understand the musical message od REVOLU$ION,that's for sure!BRAVO!

I'll start this review with a disclaimer: that I have written it after only having listened to Révolusion once, and will likely revise it after I've more perspective. Ironically for an album titled revolution, R?volu$ion (as an aside, I love the kitschy title) seems more of an evolution of Nemo's style than a dramatic change. The album is a little more ambient, or at the very least features more effects than past albums. The transitional track Aux Portes du Paradis is entirely ambient, for example, with fragments of themes playing across one another. This reminds me a little of the title track of Prelude a la ruine, but the difference in how the idea of a two-minute transitional track is dealt with there and how it is dealt with here shows some of the differences between the Nemo of 2004 and the Nemo of 2011. A better integration of the heavy elements of Nemo's sound with the symphonic elements is another noticeable difference.

Révolusion opens with Liberté, Egalité, Insurrection!, a short instrumental track that presents a theme, much like Introduction À La Différence or Les Enfants Rois in Si Pt. II. There is then a sudden transition to Ju Suis Un Objet, the first track proper. This track features an upbeat verse-chorus-verse structure with a space rock-ish instrumental in the middle. The melodies are great here, very catchy. A classic Nemo track.

The next track is the title track. What I've noticed so far is how much more assured the heavy instrumental sections sound here than on previous albums, when they could (at times) sound a little forced, and were normally redeemed by the quality of the ideas. A better job has been done on the production of these sections this time, I feel. The opening and ending sections are especially excellent.

Our next track is the aforementioned Aux Portes du Paradis. The ominous bass on this track particularly struck me. The balance on the whole album has much more weight on the bass. Fragments of themes, including that heard in Liberté, Egalité, Insurrection! play back and forth.

Seul dans la foule comes next. This track features one of the great Nemo melodies I like so much. The length of the track gives time to let this melody breathe, a lot like longer Nemo tracks such as Reflets; it's not so much about contrasting sections. Loins des Yeux styles itself as pts.8-12 of Barbares, the epic off of the last album. It stands pretty much on its own as far as I can tell though. I can't really say very much about this structurally after one listen, but I enjoyed the track a lot, and found once again that the heavy or grandiose elements seemed a lot better integrated into the track and a lot more convincing.

Notes Pour Plus Tarde is the final track, with Guillaume Fontaine-penned lyrics. This is a very upbeat end to the album, with a pretty melody and some lovely guitar work by JPL.

I'm a massive fan of this band. They write precisely the style of prog I enjoy listening to, and this is (although I've only listened to it once) at the very least as good an album as Barbares, although maybe not as good as the Si albums. No dip in quality, thankfully, although certainly Nemo have continued to develop their sound. Long may they continue to do so.

Since Nemo's latest poped through my letterbox a week ago I've played it every day, it usually being the first Cd I reach for, such is my enjoyment of Revolu$ion, their seventh studio outing to date.

On the surface it's pretty much business as usual for Nemo with no great leaps or progression. After quite a few plays I'm still of that opinion but Revolu$ion comes up trumps with a consistently excellent collection of songs that equals the band's finest past moments and often surpassing them. Revolu$ion is if not the bands finest moment to date damn close and in the twenty four minute Loins Des Yeaux they have an epic to rival the the sprawling title track off 2009's Barbares, itself one of the best releases that year.

For those who aren't familiar with Nemo here's a bit of background and what to expect on a musical level. The band come from France and sing in their native tongue. They released their first album back in 2002 and apart from the occasional slight dip along the way have pretty much improved with each subsequent release. They're fronted by Jean Pierre Louveton, who as well as supplying vocals plays some stunning guitar. The rest of the band are no slouches either who easily deal with the complex arrangements and as much as I love the classic sixties and seventies keyboard sounds it's nice to sometimes here a more modern approach which Guillaume Fontaine has.

The band are at the heavier end of modern prog, sometimes drifting into metal territory. In fact on the whole Revolu$ion is probably their heaviest album to date with a higher than usual metal quotient. Don't be put off by that though non-metal lovers as it's not your usual prog metal by numbers that you've probably heard many times before. The arrangements are largely captivating and they've come up with some of their strongest melodies to date and they make plenty of use of quieter more restrained moments that give the songs room to breathe and the heavier sections even more impact as a result.

The highlight has got to be the previously mentioned epic Loins Des Yeaux (Barbares Parties VIII a XII). Without speaking French the bracketed part of the title gives it away that this is a continuation of the last album's title track. It's a killer from start to finish which after an explosive opening cools down somewhat. From there it shifts through a myriad of complex parts building to some climatic instrumental interplay that'll blow you away including a section using some pipes (bagpipes or something along those lines) that soar over an inventive staccato rhytm including some impressive drumming from Jean Babtiste Itier. The final vocal section hits another high making for a goose bump ending.

One track alone though, even as long as this does not make a classic album. Fortunately there are no fillers here, each track worthy of inclusion. The brooding Seul Dans la Foule, the highly melodic closer Notes Pour Plus Tard... and the driving metal of the title track for starters.

What a stunning return for Nemo then. I'm tempted to stick my neck out and say this is their finest to date but only time will truly tell. I'll wait for the dust to settle before coming to a conclusion on that one. What I can say is any fan of the band is almost certain to not be disappointed with Revolu$ion and this superb album deserves to bring the band a whole lot more fans too. Now hurry up and get on with the next one guys.

Another prolific and spectacular Nemo

Nemo is one of those bands, you won't forget, if you once get familiar into it. With their typical and distinctive style of playing and songwriting, they manage to grip the attention of listeners. Revolusion is another strong evidence of that. After magnificent Barbares came out two years ago, I was convinced of future Nemo successes in the world of progressive rock music. Earlier, with Barbares and now, with Revolusion, they established themselves as one of the leading bands of eclectic movement.

This album is serious surprise in terms of expectations. It's totally different from Barbares, but it's not weaker or more colourless than its predecessor. It's just another type of eclectic prog. It's more guitar oriented. Full of frequent tempo changes and variety of the sound. It contains lots of genuine ideas and logical links between the parts. Extremely precise album with solid conception and professionalism. The epic composition - Loins des yeux (Barbares parties VIII a XII) - is another gem into the crown of prog. It contains bagpipe sound at the end with terrific style of playing. All other songs are real musical experiences for listeners with balance between heavy riffs, ballads, jazz rock sound, piano solos and pleasant vocals and everything essential for a masterpiece and produced in refine manner. Five stars out of five and another strong challenger for the annual crown!

Nemo's Revolu$ion is an interesting album. It's got a really nice sound, some good songs, and it made a really great impression on me. That is, until I sat down and started to really listen to it. While there's nothing terrible about Revolu$ion, there's not enough great, and it functions better as background music rather than something to give all your attention to.

Although this is my first experience with Nemo, from listening to some of the previous album, Barbares, it seems like there hasn't been a drastic change in their sound. The music is mostly guitar driven, but with a good amount of keyboard thrown in. The guitar sounds range from a lot of heavy riffing akin to more standard metal, clean electric guitar, and some consistently beautiful solos. The keyboards used are mostly synthesizers (though there are a few piano sections), and I really appreciate the sounds the band chooses for them. They are not trying to emulate any past sound, and the tones are as fake sounding as possible (which I say in a positive way). Synthesized strings are used alongside the guitars to provide the background, and these two combine to give a very modern feel to the whole album. There are a couple oddities, like the occasional use of bass pedals, a handful of wind instruments, and one bagpipe section that is completely out of place (more on that later).

The instrumental sounds are really the highlight of the album, and regardless of song or composition, they are always used well. There's about one guitar solo per song, and though none of them is wildly different from the other, they are all very well done. Likewise, the synthesizer lines are pretty neat, and the few times the two play off of each other are some of my favorite moments. The guitar riffs, however, all sound interchangeable to me, and by the end of the album, they started to blend together in my mind. The vocals also started to blend together, not aided by the fact that I don't speak French. They are usually quite pleasant, but with really no standout moments, the vocal melodies all sounded pretty similar.

While Revolu$ion is instrumentally entertaining, it's in the composition area that the album fails to impress me. There's rarely anything particularly complex in any of the songs, and when you start to really listen, you'll hear a lot of repetition. While it's certainly not bad, it's not particularly interesting either. Also, while there are a couple great payoffs in songs, the buildups can be extremely long. Take for example, my favorite moment in the album, from Seul Dans la Foule. The guitar finally lets loose in such an epic way at 7 minutes in, with the previous 6 minutes being an antagonizing slow build. Though everything before the climax helps in making it so satisfying, while the build is going on, it can get a little tiring waiting for this 30 second moment.

Although the previous comments apply already, the epic Loin Des Yeux is worth noting, since it takes up over a third of your time with Revolu$ion. It is subtitled with "Barbares Parties VIII a XII," but having never heard the previous album's epic, I can only judge it for the music presented here. Loin is actually a pretty good representation of the album as a whole. It starts off with a really exciting introduction (that sounds like metal crossed with a movie score), turns to a slower vocal section, and then segues into an instrumental section with some mild ups and downs. If the song had ended 2/3s of the way through, it would have been a fine 16 minute song, however, the final 8 minutes are some of the worst on the whole album. The bagpipes lead the final section of the song, and they could not sound more out of place. They occasionally do some neat stuff, but they are really not needed. What blows my mind is the actual ending to the song is the exact piece of music that was used to close the previous section 8 minutes earlier. I could only ask myself why it was not ended there with this great ending, rather than be padded out, only to experience the same ending a second time. The epic, just like the album overall is fine, but for its length, lacks some excitement to make it great.

The album goes out with a little piano led song, just as it came in. Just as the finale peacefully reminds us of all the album has to offer, and brings it to a fitting end, so does my review. Other than the final section of the epic, I have very little bad to say about this album. I wish I had more great things to say, but there just aren't enough of those moments to make Revolu$ion an incredible album. There are some moments worth hearing, and if you don't mind reserving Nemo's latest to being background music, it's worth those few listens.

'Révolu$ion' - Nemo (9/10)

The theme of rebellion is one that pops up all too frequently in rock music. I suppose because 'obeying your superiors' doesn't make for as catchy of a chorus hook, but rock music has definitely been something of a watchdog for what its musicians perceive as ills of the world, identifying problems and making music that addresses them accordingly. It should not come as too much of a surprise then that a band could make an album that revolves around this topic, coming from the historically revolutionary nation of France no less. Nemo is a band I have never heard before 'Révolu$ion', but it is clear that they have met some great acclaim over their career. Beginning as a less distinct melodic prog metal band, Nemo have since gone on to become one of the brightest lights in modern heavy prog rock. 'Révolu$ion' has met some high acclaim since being released, and for good reason; 'Révolu$ion' reaffirms Nemo's place as one of the shakers of modern prog.

The sound here is quite a bit heavier than the typical 'symphonic' variety of prog rock that people may be used to. The title track here shows the band leaning towards progressive metal more than anything else, featuring gritty guitars and dark vibe, although the vocals keep things very melodic. A trend with this album though is that the quality of the tracks are indirectly proportionate to their length. Although the shorter tracks are excellent and get the blood flowing for the rest of the album, the real highlights here are when Nemo adopts a more epic approach to their writing, which is something that they do exceedingly well. 'Loins Des Yeux' is a piece of music that cycles through numerous different feelings and sounds, going from symphonic heavy metal to subtle prog to a incredibly well-built and powerful Celtic section, where the bagpipes drive the band's sound into a furious ecstasy. 'Aux Portes Du Paradis' is another part of 'Révolu$ion' where Nemo decides to take some folkish sounds into their music, using some celestial Far East instrumentation that lulls the listener into a sense of zen calm before hitting them with another dose of intelligently designed prog rock.

As the topic may indicate, the music here is very angry in nature, taking the rather volatile issues that Nemo are concerning themselves with and conveying them through heavy rock orchestrations. Louveton's voice is very melodic and warm, but the anger cna be heard here; it is clear that Nemo's music is being driven by some sincere frustrations with the modern world. At the same time, the band can be very intimate with their sound, closing off the typically crunchy music of the album with 'Note Pour Plus Tard', a song that could almost be considered uplifting, as if the revolution of which the band speaks of has a glorious outcome for all involved. Nemo's 'Révolu$ion' is certainly an album that speaks to the current state of affairs in the world, and while the shorter songs don't compare to the majestic nature of the longer pieces, Nemo has made an album that will be remembered for quite some time.

It's been so long since my last review. After 2 full days of listening to this album, I decide to give this record a review.

CAVEAT. Firstly, I don't speak french. So basically I understand nothing about the meaning and plan not to comment about them. Secondly, this is only my second album from Nemo (first one is Barbares which I love it) hence again I know nothing about the band. I bought the record solely from my great experience with Barbares.

Now about R?volu$ion. One word: Spectacular. Nemo has been classified as Eclectic Prog band. That is wholly correct classification for Barbares but not this one. To me, R?volusion sounds much more like a fusion of neo-heavy Prog (ans a bit of Prog Metal.) The musicality is very refreshing and powerful. Great catchy melody while could retain all of the progginess...and pretty much hardhitting electric guitar riffs and solo. It's clear from this album that the guitar plays a major role here. However, it and all sound great. All songs/styles/instruments glue well together. Sublime sound engineering and production. Nothing short of perfection.

I like this album much more than Barbares and consider this album a strong contender of 2011 album fo the year. Full 5 stars

Not really imitative, not really very original or innovative. Most often I feel as if members of Rush, Journey, Boston, or perhaps The Mars Volta joined members of 1990's Pink FLOYD while using a French singer instead of Gilmour or Wright. I've been trying for several years to connect to the music of this group, starting with Barbares and backtracking into the "Si" discs. My general feeling seems to always be, "They're okay. Nothing special--nothing new or really innovative." It's like ... regular rock and roll. Not enough effects and interesting subtleties, I guess. (It's quite mystifying to me: so many people just love their work!) My favorite songs on this much acclaimed CD are the opener, "Libérté, égalité, insurrection" (8/10), the peppy, almost Latin- flavoured "Je suis un objet" (8/10), the multi-layered IONA-esque 'intro' to "Seul dans la foule" (6/10), "Aux portes du paradis" (9/10), and I do like the epic "Loin des yeux (Barbares parties VIII à XII)" (9/10)--perhaps the best thing I've heard from Nemo--though the drums drive me to distraction.

Nice work, Nemo. Just not anything that I'll ever feel drawn to listen to. (Does anybody want my disc?)

I'm really confused here! Have I really been listening to the same Nemo album as everyone else here, because I'm just not hearing the magic?

I've been really looking forward to experiencing this album and added it to my Spotify playlist as soon as it was available but my first experience of this record was far from a pleasant one. Was this the direction that Eclectic Prog was going for in the new decade or do I smell a rat here? All I hear are recycled Prog clichés mixed into a slick production with lite metal/indie approach to it. Even though the vocalist clearly articulates the passionate lyrics in French, it really has no bearing on me while I experience "Révolu$ion". I assure you that the language barrier has never hindered me from being touched by great music and so I turn my attention to the songwriting.

Granted that I've never heard a single Nemo record up until now, it's impossible for me to judge whether the band has really improved upon their previous work or not. All I hear on this recording is complete blandness. Blandness in songwriting, progressions, themes and a complete lack of any ideas. Maybe it's just me growing grumpy and old, but please ponder upon this question - will any of you be listening to "Révolu$ion" in a few years time? Is it really the it album of 2011 that marks the pinnacle of modern Prog music? I surely don't think so and the fact that almost half of this album consists of a 24+ minute epic that leaves me bored to tears isn't really helping things out. Yes, Loins Des Yeux is truly an epic in length but all I hear are all those tiresome passages that we've heard so many times before. The real problem comes with transitions between different sections which are just laughable. Just take the first two minutes of fast-paced symphonic metal which then suddenly mute in favor of the slow moving keyboard/vocal section. This is almost as bad as the transitions on the two lengthy Rush tracks off Caress Of Steel, which in that case completely ruined the entire experience for me.

Sorry if I offended anyone with my rant, but I just don't share the enthusiasm that so many have for this particular album. I can't even stretch it to a good, but non essential rating in this case. The music that is included on this album is some of the least impressive Prog related material (I don't take this term lightly) that I've heard this year and it surprises me how much attention it has received so far. Please feel free to send me comments and explain why you happen to enjoy Nemo's new offering, I'm all ears. We really need to get to the bottom of this enigma!

**** star songs: Je Suis Un Objet (5:43) Révolu$ion (5:08) Chiens En Laisse (5:35) Notes Pour Plus Tard (6:43)

*** star songs: Liberté, Egalité, Insurrection ! (2:23) Aux Portes Du Paradis (2:21) Seul Dans La Foule (9:36) Loins Des Yeux (24:30)

Pleasant Modern Heavy Prog with Plenty of Emotion but No Surprises

Nemo is a contemporary Prog band from France whose newest album REVOLU$ION mixes neo-prog with heavy guitars (a pretty common formula these days.) Despite the fact that these "new prog" bands are categorized all over the map here, they share more with each other than the classic bands in their respective genres. Spock's Beard, Nemo, Magenta, and Porcupine Tree have more in common with each other than Marillion, Genesis, King Crimson, or Pink Floyd. The point being that REVOLU$ION fits comfortably alongside a large group of modern bands (Transatlantic and Frost* also come to mind), and fans of those groups are going to enjoy the album. But while Nemo explores this territory with reasonable skill and very strong emotional expression, they bring absolutely nothing new to the table.

Singer Jean Pierre Louveton has a pleasant voice and avoids contrived stylistic articulation. I feel like he genuinely feels his lyrics and the heart behind his vocals is strong. At the same time, his range and breadth aren't that wide, and his performances really don't rise above merely competent for me. Similarly, his skills as a guitarist don't pass what I'd consider the basic skill set of a professional player. He has some chops, but no more than every guitarist had in 1991. He does a reasonable David Gilmour and the guitars sound best when he's in this mode. His basic tone is pretty fuzzy and old-school and is one of the least polished aspects of the album. Like Riverside, the heaviness derives more from 80's and 90's sounds, more hard rock than heavy metal. Again, while the playing is extremely competent, there's absolutely nothing truly individual about it.

Unlike most of the newer retro-prog bands, the keys take a decided back seat to guitar on this album. Occasionally, the two instruments work together, but there are no "wow" keyboard moments that are usually one of the features of this style. Similarly, the rhythm section holds down the foundation well, but is never really featured. The compositions have the required amount of complexity, and aside from the new age, flute driven passage, the sound is pretty coherent throughout. There is a section of duet between lead guitar and bagpipes!!!?! that perks my ears a bit during the enormous epic track 7. Again, like many modern "epics" this is more of a collection of cool-sounding instrumental and vocal sections that could have easily been re-arranged into separate tracks.

This feels like a 3.5/5 album. A good album, with a little extra added for passionate delivery. Rounded down for lack of originality.

After all the high ratings this album was getting, I was naturally inclined to check it out. Wasn't expecting to share the enthusiasm and it turns out I don't. It's still a good album though, not extremely original or groundbreaking but generally enjoyable nonetheless. Nemo are a French band who sing in French. This is the first album I have heard from them so I don't know how to compare it to their earlier work. On Revolu$ion anyway, the sound is some sort of Neo- Prog/Prog Metal hybrid. Judging by the song titles the album seems to be some concept about politics and revolution in general.

Generally the instrumental sections feature the most interesting music. "Je Suis en Objet" starts with some funk-rock guitar and digital synths as the other instruments come in. The music gets more symphonic sounding later on. What the drummer is doing sounds interesting but I can't really make it out due to the mixing/mastering. After awhile things go into prog metal territory. The title track is very 1980s and Neo sounding. The chorus is almost punk sounding. "Seul Dans la Foule" begins segued from the previous song. Fairly laid-back for the first few minutes. Then some really cool bass synth. The song ends up becoming more of a symph/prog metal hybrid. "Chiens en Laisse" is more Neo sounding, gets more metallic during the second half.

"Loins des Yeux (Barbares parties VIII a XII)" is the 24 minute epic of the album. Excuse the following rant, but I don't understand the need for 20-minute epics in the post-vinyl world. (Yes I know vinyl is still around but you get my point). Why not 15 minutes or 30 minutes? Making a 20-minute song to me just seems like you are pandering to the prog crowd. Anyway, let's talk about that song now. Overall a pretty bombastic and symphonic track. Lots of metal guitar too. Some electronic beats are used to good effect. Acoustic guitars and more interesting drumming with a snare drum sound I don't like too much. Nice vocal harmonies. The guitar solos are generally good but not very original. I like the mix of metal riffing and piano around 10 1/2 minutes.

This is followed by a great symphonic part with powerful, emotive singing. After a piano and vocal dominated section it goes back to prog metal territory, where this album likes to stay a lot. I like how the guitar solo from around 16 minutes gets panned back and forth in the stereo spectrum; you don't hear that much anymore. Nice section with piano and electric guitar for awhile. You hear some bagpipe toward the end, followed by some fuzz-wah guitar. The whole band comes in prog metal style as the bagpipe solos away. Ends symphonic metal.

"Notes pour plus Tard..." is the last track and starts off with some great synth bass and then a lovely piano melody which I swear I have heard before somewhere. Before you know it those metal guitars are just around the corner. I really like the melodic guitar playing in unison with the piano. Overall not a bad album but nothing to text home about either. I hate the mastering of this album; too loud and very little dynamics. The drumming in particular suffers from it. My final verdict will be 3 stars.

Started to be a huge fan of Nemo as of the album "Si partie I" and collected all of their music over the years. I even had the opportunity to see them live on stage on one of their few shows out of their home country. This makes it clear that I'm very curious at every new album whether Nemo will succeed in sustaining their very high standards. Both in writing as in performing the songs. And with R'volu$ion they did. Again. And perfectly. From the first to the last second this is again an amazing product, mixing progressive, eclectic, fusion and metal in their very own style.

Highly recommended.

Review originally written for www.therocktologist.com

In this world of capitalism, we may need a revolution!

This is the seventh studio album by French band Nemo, a band whose music has entered in the progressive rock realm since the early 00s, and has maintained great expectations in every new release. The reason is simple, their music is great, so we are always waiting for some high-quality stuff. And this is not the exception, here we have an eight-song album with a total time of 62 minutes.

The first track is a short introduction, "Liberté, égalité, Insurrection!" shares soft piano which later is accompanied by the other instruments. The structure is repeated over and over for two minutes, then it leads to "Je suis un objet" which is an explosive, dynamic progressive rock track. The rhythm is fast, vertiginous and attractive, I like the kind of funky guitar and how the vocals in French perfectly complement the music. The song flows and when you less realize, the five minutes full of a vast amount of elements, have finished.

"Revolusion" continues with that vertigo, a sound that invites us to feel involved in the music. The keyboard is great at the beginning, creating a symphonic prog sound contrasted with some kind of heavy rock guitars, and even a catchy chorus. "Aux portes du paradise" is another short track, with two minutes of soft instrumental music that sounds a bit folkish and even new age, it is a beautiful track.

"Seul dans la foule" on the other hand, is the first of the long compositions of this album, sharing almost nine minutes of excellent prog rock. The first minutes are really slow, a laid- back atmosphere, but then it begins to add new elements and to progress, until that tranquility disappears and a heavier sound reigns. But guess what, it is only for a moment because later it slows down once again, implementing a nice guitar riff over that mid-tempo bass and drums rhythm. Later, it progresses once again, the intensity increases and the song finishes with that heavy prog sound. "Chiens en laisse" has a cool soft sound with guitars and vocals, later there is a moment where they remind me of Gentle Giant due to the harmony vocals, and the second part is a bit heavier, with nice guitar riffs and a cool keyboard background.

"Loin des yeux (Barbares VIII a XII)" is the most ambitious track here, a 24-minute song with an explosive start that lasts for more than two minutes, where the bombastic musician's technique is evidently shown. Later the music slows down, with electronic drums and voice, and little by little it creates different passages, different pieces that seem not to fit in the same puzzle, however they do and are essential for the song's success. I like a lot the faster moments, with heavy guitars and symph keyboards, but it is also worth mentioning that all the changes of mood, rhythm and style are well placed. That is why I say this is a complex, challenging and ambitious song, 24 minutes of a mixture of elements, of a prog eclecticism with a bagpipe highlight after 17 minutes.

The album finishes with "Notes pour plus tard", whose first three minutes are instrumental, with great use of both acoustic and electric guitars. The piano gives beauty, calm and tranquility, and then vocals enter with the same delicate style. A minute later the instrumental passages return, and the song flows and adds heavier moments in which one can feel Nemo's energy. So this is the end of the story, this is a very good, strong album by Nemo, though I must admit it is not my favorite of theirs. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!

I wasn't aware of the French band Nemo at all, but they already got 8 studio albums and been recording since 2002. I got to know them because of their latest album, the double Le Ver Dans Le Fruit (2013). So, last year I went to their Facebook page and they had a giveaway for their fans and for the 1.000 likes of their page. They were giving away 50 promo copies of their previous album R?volu$ion (2011) and I was one of the lucky winners!

I was listening to the album on the other night and I was impressed. Nemo's music has a bunch of different styles within their Prog (thus that's why they're considered Eclectic). They have metal guitars, symphonic keyboards, soft passages, intricate patterns and much more. Another good point on R?volu$ion (2011) is that Jean Pierre Louveton sings in French, not English. Sometimes is very good to hear bands that use their native languages instead of English. In general R?volu$ion (2011) is a great album with many different bits for you to go with. You got great tracks like 'Je Suis Un Objet', the double 'Aux Portes Du Paradis/Seul Dans La Foule' and of course, the 24 minutes epic 'Loins Des Yeux (Barbares Parties VIII A XII)'. The only exception bein 'Chiens En Laisse' that's a track I didn't like that much.

All in all R?volu$ion (2011) made me really interested in Nemo and from now on I'll really check them out!