CULINAIRE LINGUS

Almost four star if you are a non fan and four 4.5 star if you are - that makes an average of 4. Ange has the merit to be one of the most enduring prog band (along with Camel) that managed to stay true to themselves having highs and lows but reaching the Everest Peaks or Mariana Trenches that such masters as Genesis , ELP and Yes.

On with the album now. While you cannot talk of freshness at this stage of the discography of Ange , this album renews with the spirit and inspiration of the ancient days. One can feel the enthusiasm of the writing and the musicians playing this sort-of-spoof concept linking two kind of lingual arts(three if you count the french text regaining a certain lost brilliance. Of course the very subject of linking/licking food and pussy can only have brought up by perverted frenchmen (my girlfriend had a genuine interest in listening to this album and liked it too), and I am also inspired by it . actually , forgive me to leave you so quickly but I have an urge to find this Cd and my girlfriend (not necessarily in that order, though) , so Bye bye by b y e

This one I have to say is the best ANGE-album since their glorious time in the 70's. In fact the only one left from the old line-up is Christian Decamps who gathered a bunch of talented young musicians around him, amongst others his son Tristan. And listening to this album one can really feel this new and progressive input. It sounds much more modern and diverse like most of their rather weak albums from the 90's or 80's.

The first song is already an amazing good modern and progressive rock song. You can find everything on this record, whether it's symphonic rock, hardrock, chanson, folkrock or humorous pop-rock. But despite all modernity it's still quite reminiscent of the "old" ANGE. There is only one song which is a bit weaker than the rest, that is Gargantua. Christian Decamps managed as well to find a lot of great and well-known guest musicians for this album, i.e. Jan Akkerman or Australian Tommy Emmanuel (who played together with Eric Clapton, Chet Atkins, John Farnham, Joe Walsh and Leo Kottke). BTW just as an extra interesting fact: Steven Wilson, mastermind of the band PORCUPINE TREE was producing two songs on this album.

I can highly recommend this album to anyone who likes music with many different styles involved and doesn't mind to listen to french lyrics. A clear case for a 4 stars rating!!!

"Jusqu'Où Iront-Ils" is a very weird song. A very strange atmosphere, fully Crimsonesque I must say. There has been ages since Ange has not been as close from KC. Actually, on their debut album "Caricatures". Very powerful, scary and effective. It must probably be one of the very best and faithful KC influenced song ever. Really impressive during these eight minutes. Next song renew with the great symphonic tradition. Very scarcely did Ange provide a greatest guitar solo in all of their repertoire. It is really grandiose and bombastic. These first two songs really bring us back in the early seventies. What a nice journey it is !

The mood unfortunately changes with "Adrenaline". Lyrics are rather adventurous (sexually I mean). This song is folk-rock oriented. Some violin brings a gigue sound which I do not really appreciate. The quality of the next track is very poor. Like its title might suggest, "Farces et attrapes " is a very burlesque song which should be better featured in a circus rather than on an Ange album.

The title track is again very much remininscent of KC. But this is the only similarity witht the extraordinary opening number. This one cannot compete with. Far much simple in its structure musically, the lyrics are far from being insignificant. With such a play- on-words in the title, it was almost normal that Ange would deliver a rather controversial song. But they have used us to this since the very begining of their career. I would even say that the lyrics from "Caricatures" are more explosive than the ones we can find on "Culinaire Lingus". Remember that almost thirty years have passed between both albums. "Les Odeurs De Cousine" might sound appealing by its title but I would have hoped that Ange would have written more trivial lyrics with such a title...A very pleasant and spacey instrumental part will close this song on a higher note. The next song "Intérieur Nuit" is a soft ballad, featuring some piano and mellotron to back up Christian on the lead. A bit mellowish to my taste.

With "Univers Et Nirvana", we'll get back to the noisy and complex Crimson world. Dynamic and very powerful : this song should please any KC fan. "Gargantua" is of course a theme that fits perfectly in the Ange repertoire. Irreverent, funny and theatrical are the ingredient of this good song. A solid rhythm, a good guitar break and some nice background keys are bringing this song to the level of the best ones so far.

It is of course almost normal that "On Sexe" contains some interesting words about ... sex of course. But nothing to vulgar (I would have expected more, actually). Music is again extremely mighty. But this is a global tendancy for this album.

The epic song of this album "Cadavres Exquis" has a bit of difficulties to start, but after four minutes we'll really get an beautiful and symphonic song. Great guitar break again (I think it is the most guitar-oriented of all the Ange albums). Very good song indeed. The bonus and instrumental track "Autour D'Un Cadavre Exquis" also confirms the important role of the guitar on this work.

Along with very good music and some sulfurous lyrics, Ange will also create several interesting characters who will appear throughout this album. The Ange fantasy is definitively back and even though I do not know for how long it will remain, let's enjoy this present good album. For the very first time as well, a female vocalist will take part in the rocrding, maybe to add more dimension to the lyrics...Caroline Crozat is doind a good job in this exercise.

Three stars.

Completely in sync with the general appraisal, I can confirm that for me as well this is indeed Ange's strongest offering since Guet-Apens, released no less then 23 years earlier. The album runs for no less then 74 minutes and offers a lot for everybody's appetite, maybe a bit too much even for one sitting. Ange tries their hand at almost anything and even though most songs don't resemble anything from the 70s, it's still undoubtedly Ange, sounding very much at ease in 2001.

The opening track is an ominous track with a big industrial feel, almost like The Young Gods in an ambient rocking mood, rather then anything else Ange has done. Also Cueillir les Fruits applies a similar modern sound to that strong songwriting that was absent for such a long time on Ange albums. Almost every track adds something new, such as folk-chanson on Adrénaline, vaudeville on Farces et Attrapes, heavy Prog on Culinaire Lingus, bombastic pop on Les Odeurs de Cousine, fine balladry on Interieur Nuit, neo-prog on Univers er Nirvana and 2 closing epics that won't disappoint.

Depending on your taste, some songs will appeal more to you then others, but with 12 strong titles to chose from every one can select his own 50 minute selection out of it. Strong 3.5 for Ange.