EPONYMUS II

The second CD from SPACED OUT is even better then their first album. Their brilliant instrumental progressive jazz-fusion is mix between strictly structured compositions and freely improvised passages. I think that I was expecting something else with the debut CD (Unicorn Records hadn't released anything like this before) and that it limited my way of thinking when I listened to it. It wasn't until the release of "Eponymus II" that I really recognized what a great band this is. This album is however a big improvement compared to SPACED OUT's debut album. - The musicians are absolutely outstanding. Especially the bass player Antoine Fafard is a real maestro picker a la Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorious. I can also hear reminiscences to some of my favourite bands The BRECKER BROTHERS, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, RETURN TO FANTASY AND WEATHER REPORT. SPACED OUT is a band that really deserves a wider recognition. - Don't be scared away by the extremely ugly cover artwork. This album can be appreciated both by fans of jazz-fusion and progressive rock, but perhaps most of all by other musicians who can understand the technical brilliance performed here.

Spaced Out turned here more progressive than their debut, although they still have a strong jazzy style. All the musicians are VIRTUOSOS! They changed the guitarist, and now the omnipresent solos have a permanent wah-wah effect; however, it less sounds like Allan Holdsworth here; I would say the guitar solos sound more like Terje Rypdal. The darkness and bizarreness already present on the first record reach their peak here! Unbelievable! I've rarely seen such an uncanny record: scary! I think they sometimes exaggerate. Antoine Fafard constantly uses a popping bass technique, producing some really "out of this world" bass patterns! This guy is among the best bassists in the WORLD!! The wah-wah guitar solos could become irritating with time. Here again, the main strength of this record is the extreme structure kept despite apparent improvisation: the cohesion of the ensemble and the perfect synchronization of all the instruments might be noticed by the average listener after certainly more than one listen. This music is extremely hard to digest, believe me! Just take the time to absorb it! Of course their weird extravaganzas will discourage more than one, and if this occurs, then try their first album, which is a bit more..."conventional". An excellent album considering the perfectly mastered technique!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Sapaced Out is a canadian jazz fusion band having a relativly known albums in prog rock circles and very high rated aswell. Eponymus is , of course their second album from 2001 released at Unicorn. First time when I puted my CD to listen I was knocked out by the bass lines made by the main man of the band Antoine Fafard, who is also the producer and main composer of the music. The music is quite complex, combining jazz fusion with some progressive lines here nad there. Anyway the musicianship is top notch, each musician know the instrument very well and created a good fusion album in the end with a very high intensity and up tempo arrangements. A very solid album, and a worthy band to be discovered more and more by the genre lovers, but I don't think this album at least desearve the status of masterpiece. Sometimes, the music is pushed to far to complex arrangements just for the sake of showing how good I am as musician , instead for the sake of the piece and composition, and for that matter easely may find this album uninstristing in some places. Anyway a good album, even great in places who desearves from me 3-3.5 stars, but no more then an great adittion to anyone's collection. I know albums better and way intristing from this field then this Eponymus

The second album by Spaced Out is much like the first in the sense that it is mostly an instrumental jazz-rock influenced progressive album that is mostly bass-led. That is because bandleader and composer Antoine Fafard is a superb bassist, and has put the band together to play his songs. This quartet are no mean slouches in the instrumental stakes, with guitarist Louis Côté in particularly fine form. Although the songs themselves are structured, the musicians improvised the solo passages yet managed just to keep the right side of total self- indulgence.

I enjoyed playing the album, both when listening intently, or just relaxing with a good glass of red wine, and that is all I ever ask from jazz. Why not visit the label's web site at www.unicornrecords.com.

Originally appeared in Feedback #64, Oct 01

The career of Mathieu Bouchard with Spaced Out lasted only a couple of years and he was replaced by newcomer Louis Cote.However he participated on a pair of track recordings of the group's second album, which also featured several guest musicians on acoustic guitars, sax and vocals.The new album ''Eponymus II'' was recorded at Illusion III, L'Astroner and Cyberlogy Studio and came out in 2001, as expected on Unicorn Digital.

Spaced Out is not your typical Fusion band.They have a fairly progressive sound with very complex instrumental structures, full of complicated changes and unexpected breaks, inspired by MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and BRAND X, and their style is delivered in a very personal way through a modern production and the tendency towards heavier, powerful material.The level of compositions is trully high with very dense instrumental themes, split between virtuosic solos, bombastic interplays and dissonant passages.Technically the band is even better with many ALAN HOLDSWORTH-like guitar runs and quirky keyboards in the vein of DEREK SHERINIAN.All tracks are written by the band's leader Antoine Fafard, the thing that makes Spaced Out so unique.Thus, the bass lines are really upfront in the mix, Farfard's performance is really phenomental and the reason ''Eponymus II'' flirts often with Avant-Fusion.No weak moments in here, just rich, energetic and passionate Progressive/Fusion with tons of shifting climates and pleasant breaks.

Really cool and strongly recommended stuff.Not the best album for Prog beginners, but definitely a nice purchase for fans of complex instrumental Progressive Rock and rising bass stars...3.5 stars.