MANGEUR DE RÊVES

A little flashback to the already distant year of 2010 when I told Jean Philippe MAJOR that HAMADRYAD's album "Intrusion" was bad......unfortunately history later proved me right, it is by far the group's worst album of the time. A little historical reminder to say that nothing is definitive in a man's life since here I am reviewing the second album of MANGEUR DE REVES Quebec rock group formed in MONTREAL in 2016 and of which JPM is a member.

Please note: I don't know the Montrealers' first record, I come with new ears. The theme of "Live and Die" dixit Alex CEGE explores mythology, depth psychology and human relationships?multiple choices to say the least. The group is categorized as "Prog Folk", we are far from it today except on a few passages we will see it below. Alex CEGE & Jici LG, the two founding members, left a wide field of expression for the three other musicians compared to their first record which was more of a duo with accompanists.

"Vivre et Mourir" begins with an energetic and very beautiful instrumental piece "Dieu Soleil", certainly a good choice (8/10). "Animal" a bit bluesy and very radio-friendly follows, the progressive rock will wait for the moment, Alex's singing is very pleasant (8/10), Gérald you will be able to play this one on repeat! "Nouveau Soleil" is on the contrary a real progressive mid-tempo fresco with a really marked HARMONIUM side, too short for my taste (9/10). The sequence with "Les Fantômes" comes naturally, this one is "beautiful" as hell in its first half, with a brilliant Alex CEGE, almost feminine vocals in a very extended register (9/10).

The acoustic "Vivre" and the magnificent instrumental "Mara" come, both a little too reduced before attacking "15,000 Nights" and its male/female duet, Alex is helped here by Sabrina R.B, it's clear and beautiful, bucolic, a high level melodic candy (9/10). The only epic of the album arrives, more than twelve minutes with the piece that bears the name of the group, here no folk or Quebec song (except for the first minute and then again), no more BEAU DOMAGE than HARMONIUM or EXCUBUS, the direction taken is a muted contained violence worthy of the ANATHEMA of the beginnings, a mixture of post rock, softened doom and....symphonism, bluffing and unexpected (10/10), Raphaël LIBERGE SIMARD is remarkable on the drums and various percussions and the six string players are not left out (the meeting between JOY DIVISION and SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES for those who knew the British new wave of the eighties...)

The concluding track "When the silence catches up with you" (9/10) poses as an outlet which takes up all the sensibilities previously heard with high-pitched vocals (two voices again) and which gives it a particular character with the return towards an enchanting progressive of high quality, a silence that I would have appreciated longer, six minutes is too short gentlemen!

Oh! Boy! Talk about a quantum leap?

Sophomore album for Montrealers french singing « Dream Eaters » and here, at PA, the team in charge will have to wonder about the « prog folk » qualifying!

Allow me first to quote myself, talking about Mangeur de Rêves first album, 2019's Histoires à l'envers , ending my recension by « ...the conclusion leads to wonder what's waiting for us on a second offer, hopefully some day soon. One simply hopes for a slightly better and clear production... » As production matters, here is at once a big improvement. Clearer, longer, and most of all « louder ». This leading to that, anyone tempted to reduce « MdR » (pun intended?) to a bunch of Harmonium wannabees, be ready to swallow your tongue. And be advised PA Prog Folk Team, « eclectic » would be a more than well advised definition by now. Simply put, we now have a full band firing on all his cylinders, where the first album was showing two founding members flexing their muscles in front of three adequate support actors. The cover picture is more than an efficient metaphor for that purpose, showing the five musicians as wrestlers engaging in the middle of a church!

Alex Cégé, lead vocals and guitar, Jici LG, main guitars and backing vocals allow much more space to their three associates, all back to front. Florent Schmitt, once essentially performing on electric piano, can now be heard on a wider array of keys, thus thickening the sound. But the biggest change may be provided by the rythmn section, Jean-Philippe Major on bass, and especially Raphaël Liberge-Simard, drums and percussions, « in that order », as opposed to the first album where one could say he was « hand snapping ». Now, he truly rocks! And leads the way to the greatest change in sound.

From folk rockers, Mangeur de Rêves has become true Art Rockers with a dash of folk as a spice. And if one is led to think that the two founders are somewhat put to the backseat, nothing's can be so wrong. Jici LG is heavier, more versatile, yet hasn't lost his light touch for these atmospherics renditions « ala Beaumonium ». In fact, tracks 3,4 and 6, Courage, Nouveau Soleil and Vivre still respect all the specifics of a good quebecois folk song entranched in the great tradition of the seventies. But, in 2023, meet the new and improved Mangeur in chief! Alex Cégé now soars! His vocals even reach for the divine! One of the distinctive assets from the very beginning, with that clearer, cristalline recording, Cégé's singing is simply a thing of beauty. And from the moment they plug it all, adding by now to their progressive roots, elements of pop, rock , post rock and, why not, some heavy metal for good measures, the singer can't be overpowered and even express is inner Matthew Bellamy!

All is multicoloured now. Where Histoires à l'Envers opened on a thirty seconds of instrumental atmospherics, Vivre et Mourir goes for the jugular with a nearly three minutes prog instrumental, Dieu Soleil. And without transition, Animal, is a direct smile to the airwaves. If the definition of a true single potential still means something, this is it. As mentioned, Courage and the ambitious Nouveau Soleil, show the trademark balladic Dreamers side, only improved to a new level. Further exemplified by the following Les Fantômes, a power ballad of sort, tender a moment, truly rockin' the next. And Cégé's falsetto to die for.

The other pastoral one, Vivre, is simply my preferred one. I hear a Hackett ballad, the Foxes folk, that celestial whistling, all coated by LG's acoustic masteries. One complaint, i'd take twice the duration. The instrumental Mara shows in short the album dichotomy with is post rocking crescendo. And now, i'm a sucker for these mellow male and female quebecois duets and, on 15 000 nuits, Sabrina R.B., an ace out of Mangeur's sleeve, does not disappoint. A real winner.

The most unexpected and stunning addition to the band sound comes next. Titled Le Mangeur de rêves, to further dissociate any preconceived idea, it's a nearly thirteen minutes doom, yes « doom metal » heavyness; this is the only adequate word my second langage knowing of english allow me to use for this intrumental extravaganza, until we reach an antiklimax, and then Cégé's howling, nothing delicate for once, but oh! So powerful! If this is the direct reference to the album title « Live and die », here is the moment of passing.

But we're not over yet. So, Quand le Silence te Rattrapera, would fit as a resurrecting song? A nice prog anthem, a sort of Afterglow to end in fashion. Kudos boys! As sophomore jinx is implied, what a nice way to clear the obstacle!

In North America, the Province of Quebec, for lack of a better description, can conveniently be considered, at least culturally, as a "distinct society" of sort. Americans see "quebecois" as europeans living in America while europeans feel they are french speaking americans. This specificity is equally valid as of matters of interest on this site, and the same formula could be applied when taking Quebec progressive music in consideration. One of the first market to open up to the the new sound of the british scene, the Genesis, Gentle Giant and other Strawbs of this world established their base in Montreal and Quebec City before (relatively) conquering North America. The local scene became one of the most buoyant and original progressive flavor out ot the anglo-american domination. Informed by the political and cultural situation and characterised by an openess to everything new , Quebec musicians experimented in all areas progressive music could reach. They suffered the same disaffection for our beloved sound at the end of the seventies but yet, there, prog never became a dirty word. As a result, you may still discover pretty good bands all along the years, from The Box to Perséides, passing by Ere G, only considering those singing in french. Which lead us to the subject of the day.

Mangeur de Rêves is the last avatar in this great tradition of folk prog bands from Quebec, following the great Harmonium as an avowed deity. Yet their sound is informed by all the evolution of the US neo folk movement. In fact the mood is more indebted to Fleet Foxes than any celtic rooted traditional quebecois music, if one accept a Robin Pecknold singing in french. Under the initial guidance of Jici Lord-Gauthier and Alex Cégé, vocals and guitars (and pretty efficient P.R. work for the latter as far as i'm concerned) one can recognize the cultural roots as soon as the first minute as the atmospheric introduction lets place to "Dernier hiver". In line with the cover picture depicting a seasonal scene from the northern "chez nous", we're treated with the "mangeur's music", mix of acoustic and electric strings, hand percussion and a dash of electric piano in the background, but mostly , those vocal harmonies which came to define the Quebec sound, from Fiori/Normandeau tandem, Beau Dommage, les Séguin and so on. Here is also the link to the Foxes and the Quebec american side. Even more evident on "Ainsi parlait Pinel", the magnum opus of this short (32 minutes) first album, as Alex Cégé adds some "soul blues" feeling to his rendition. Toward the fourth minute, we're treated to a nice electric soloing lying on a bed of electric piano and nowhere else the choice of this homogenous sound anchored in the seventies is more evident.

Mangeur de Rêves install an overall dreamy feeling as the "choice of the heart". "Fille de Lune" does this with certitude, all's well in place by now, nice falsetto's and vocal counterpoint included, the first eponymous Harmonium is called upon. "Ballade en haute mer", with his high tides images and vocabulary is the most rockn'folk in his musical idiom. A rythmn electric guitar riff is dominant, letting place to a nice solo in this decidely most american inspired song of the record. Nice vocal harmonies leed to the last reprise of the refrain. And then, as if to fight back any sense of repetition, follows seamlessly the only instrumental piece of the album, but for the very short opening. Logically attributed to Lord-Gauthier, the flowing lead guitar of the otherwise pastoral "Refuge" is a thing of beauty. At past six minutes " Enfants de coeur", the second longest song of "Histoires à l'envers", plays the role of a nice resume of the whole album with his mix of acoustic/ electric strings, lead and harmony vocals, the rythmn section now firmly and steadily in place, till we reach the last two minutes. Intensifying all the ingredients, the conclusion leads to wonder what's waiting for us on a second offer, hopefully some day soon. One simply hopes for a slightly better and clear production as to allow one who may enjoy french lyrics to better enjoy the nice sound of these "dream eaters" (the litteral translation of the band's name for those not having yet catch it).

Three stars easily translated to four, for followers of the great qubecois folk prog tradition.

The Baku is a spirit in Chinese mythology that can be summoned to devour one's nightmares, but has the rather uninvited occasional side effect of gobbling one's hopes and dreams once its appetite is whetted by the frightful stuff. Why am I even talking about the Baku? It turns out that this subdued, almost passive Quebecois outfit might be named after said being in a charitable mood, because all that is left here are the sweet fleeting images of gentility that would probably not have made much of a meal in any case.

All tracks on this EP length debut offer a soothing blend of acoustic guitar, electric guitar strummed like acoustic guitar, electric piano, percussion and vocal harmonies. MANGEUR DE REVES seems intent on immersing the listener in sweet reverie occasionally punctuated by a seductive hook probably meant to keep one from escaping completely into the deep sleep phase, because the REM is about the only exercise that might register on your fitbit during these 32 minutes.

Lest I come across as not getting the point, I think the point is well taken, and a worthy selection in this fraught interval where one needs a little more than just a "you are floating on a cloud" type induction to pass from one part of the day to the next while remaining both productive and civil. As such, the duration is just about right, but don't be surprised if, upon awakening, you find the Baku in well deserved slumber by your side. Shhh.

Back when I started working with bands, labels and PR companies everything was physical. I used to write letters (or make phone calls) and was sent CDs and tapes with photos and press releases. I used to keep everything in filing cabinets and when it was time to write a review, I could put my hands onto whatever I needed. Then along came email and I started organising (and still do) all my email into folders so again it is easy to find what I needed (search has improved over the years, but I like it this way). But these days I can be contacted in multiple different ways, through multiple sites, and all I can say for sure about this is that I was sent it directly by the band, but I don't know who and I can't find where we had our original conversations. I find this incredibly frustrating and get really annoyed with myself for allowing it to happen, especially when I enjoy the music as much as this!

Formed in 2016, this Montreal-based band performs solely in French, and this is their debut release which came out earlier this year. Seven songs, at slightly more than 32 minutes long, the only major issue I have with the album is that it simply isn't long enough. This is progressive rock which has been heavily influenced by folk, where harmony vocals are incredibly important, and the musical backing is literally just that, designed to provide support for the singers to show what they can do. I have no idea what they are singing about, but really don't care. Each time I play this, and I have bee playing it a lot, I feel I am being taken into a different world. The use of an electric piano is in itself quite unusual, in that most bands use banks of keyboards, and there is a very strong use of acoustic guitars while the drummer is here listed as providing percussion. That normally means drums and cymbals, but in this case, he truly is using multiple instruments, sometimes playing with his hands as opposed to sticks, and there are also plenty of instances that he just sits back and listens to his bandmates before coming back in at just the right moment.

The guitar solos are simple, erudite, and to the point. This isn't a band who are ramming their musical ability into your face, but rather are performing well-thought out beautifully arranged material which is a delight from beginning to end. It is impossible to pick a favourite as each song contains elements of real delight, whether it is because of the vocals, the harmonies, the arrangements or the sheer delight this brings. Well worth investigation.

If you've liked Harmonium's "Si on avait besoin d'une cinqui'me saison", or other bands from Quebec's 70's musical scene, like Beau Dommage, you should like this too. Not a masterpiece, but certainly a great album. 32 minutes that go by really quickly.

Hier - a short electronic ambient that sets the mood for the album. Quite mellow.

Dernier Hiver - An interesting mix of trad-folk and prog with some great percussion work.

Ainsi parlait Pinel - The longest and probably of the proggiest song on the album. Good vocal harmonies.

Fille de Lune - Dreamy song that leans more on the pop and ambient side of prog.

Ballade en haute mer- Ambient guitar harmonies with long instrumental parts.

Refuge - Short, soft and introspective instrumental with a great guitar solo.

Enfants de coeur - Great ending to the album, groovy riffs and epic finale.

Overall, 4/5. Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.