ALBUM A COLORIER

Marcoeur's second album would have you believe it's got a lot to do with his debut, because the artwork is related to its predecessor. But life is not so easy! Yes indeed we're still in Marcoeur's improbable and whacky world of Looserland, but the personnel is completely different, even down to the technician, while retaining the same recording facility. The tracks are also much shorter on the average), pushing the interplay to smaller songs that emphasize the goofy atmosphere rather than privilege instrumental interplay, even if it doesn't alter Marcoeur's ability to write weird but complex stuff, although Zappa 's comparison might be a bit over-done. The traffic-jammed Monsieur Lépousse opens the album, a fine overall performance by everyone but topped directly by the out-of-breath Fugitif vocals is dictating the insane pace of the music, even if the Chaussure track is a little insignificant. Probably the album's highlight, the Wyatt-influenced Père Grimoine is a strange track that seems to be a natural bonus track for Rock Bottom. Indeed, opening on a piano the track is a slow suicidal soft- layered track. As one highlight is followed-up by the excellent instrumental Doctorine, where the soundscape veers a bit nightmarish, with a rare electric guitar dropping a few decisive growls, the tracks succeed each other effortlessly and the album zips by quickly.

Other tracks are without much interest, not only musically but lyric-wise, like the percussive Jus D'Abricot (goofy & brassy) or Cueillette Des Noix (overstaying its welcome once it gets in the recitative mode) or the only non-Marcoeur track, Fermez La Porte, a short almost- concrète intro to Là D'dans. Later in the album, Marcoeur veers 10 CC with the less- complex Elle Etait Belle, which happens to be another apex in the album with again that same guitar counter-pointing decisively the rhythm, before the album ends in a non-end almost a capella Ouvres-Toi

Definitely not as successful as its predecessor, AAC is still worth a spin for the curious, but is not quite essential and will probably please only hardcore Marcoeur fans. Clearly Marcoeur could e quite successful as a "normal" songwriter for he has many good ideas, but cares not to exploit them by expanding them into commercial music. He prefers hiding his ideas and bury them deeply enough so he becomes a musician's musician.