FRANÇOIS THOLLOT

François Thollot

Dear friends: this French musician sets out to celebrate, yes to celebrate- when so many are glum, morose, if not actively hostile, resistant and insistent- that most universal of human experiences.

And what is that?

Limitations.

We wish we were tall, but alas! We are quite short. We wish to be wise, yet somehow wind up foolish and/or cliched. Leaders- yet end up behind some charismatic charlatan. Open and transparent- hiding behind a mask.

Happy Lockdown

Possibly it's a coincidence that François chose this title for his third full-length release, this time of limitations, masks, forced home-bound reveries- yes, all the boundaries and vagaries of a global menace, a pandemic of riotous virulent illness.

But I doubt it.

Using a variety of keyboard textures, layering these, utilizing meandering melodies, compositions in which a theme is proposed- perhaps by electric piano, or clavinet, or acoustic piano, then layering in marimba sounds or xylophone sounds, beginning to elaborate with point and counterpoint, some layers staccato, others dissonant chords held, then transmuted- with bass guitar throbbing on a single note or wandering in jazzy search of bottom end chord structures, and busy (programmed) drumming- François Thollot mesmerizes and captivates and hypnotizes the listener.

Then subsides...

...only to shift, transmute, and mutate into more layered whimsy.

The sensibility is much more about impressionism than realism, much more about escaping the...err...limitations of verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus structure- meanwhile happily working within equally disciplined, yet much less conventional frameworks.

Zeuhl, RIO, Avant-Progressive, Canterbury

These are not my common oeuvre, and I listen for mood, texture, meanings; I listen for what the musician and the music mean to convey.

I find myself forced to attend, to ponder, to push the boundaries of my listening styles, my preferred paths and roadways. To acknowledge my limitations.

Celebrate the limitations, I think François Thollot tells us, with all the subtlety, whimsy, and layers at our disposal.

So Let Me Say This

It seems good, not great, to me. This music is never harsh, rude, extreme, or simple. Yet within the tracks one can sense humor, restlessness, whimsy, and overflowing musicality. Therefore, I rate this three dead sparrows- with two alive.

Handling all guitars, bass, piano and drums on the album,Thollot suggests a good mix of Zeuhl, Jazz-Fusion and dark KING CRIMSON-esque Progressive Rock in his first work.With the help of Lebon's very good work on production,the album offers seven pieces of haunting and dreamy Fusion filled with complex passages, disharmonies and light breaks, swirling around Thollot's complicated bass lines and his GOBLIN-styled work on piano.His guitar work, being quite jazzy in nature, has a strong FRIPP-ian influence and his drumming remains strong and confident along the way.All compositions do not escape from this general rule and are very tight and well-performed, especially considering that there is just one man performing them.However Thollot's ideas have not something new to offer, his influence from the Zeuhl masters aforementioned is more than evident, but his talent allows him to deliver eventually some fine musicianship in the style.

Good mid-tempo Zeuhl-Fusion and an album strongly recommended to lovers of the style but also a good proposal to anyone willing to taste or being intoduced the lighter side of Zeuhl.

Bassist Philippe Bussonnet (Magma and One Shot) is a hero of the day on this recording. Thollot guitar are tasteful, elegant and heavy in moments, but almost on all compositions he sounds just as another soloing musician, after Bussonnet !

Such rhythm section (especially on the front of the sound mix) gives strong zeuhl vibes to all music, but One Shot's jazzy side besides of Thollot's quite jazzy musicianship just make musical direction of this release really fusion influenced.

Recorded by power trio without orchestration and overproduction, this album represent lighter form of zeuhl, almost jazz fusion with chamber elements and some dark atmosphere. Musicians all are high class, and music, if not very original, sounds really great.

Good release for zeuhl newcomers or fans of lighter and jazzier zeuhl.

Not a masterpiece in my opinion, nor do I think it's an essential album for most listeners. If you're a big fan of Zeuhl and sort of Frippian guitar playing, then you'd probably like it well enough, but for me it's not all that amazing.

But then again, perhaps not. All of the above are extremely (some would say excessively) flamboyant and even Rhadamantine - uncompromising, tyrannical music that bosses your imagination around until it's quivering in a corner, compliant to the overarching might of a set of drums and a bass guitar being used in anger! François Thollot's flavour of Zeuhl is, by contrast, much subtler, much airier, much smaller and more intimate in scale; diluted, maybe, so that it is suitable for consumption by those with too weak a constitution to handle the strong stuff.

That is not to say that this is not very excellent music. Just that it is perhaps tasteful and approachable enough for your non-Zeuhl-loving friends to stomach! It is also served up in bite-size, tasting-menu portions, instead of the whole-LP-side binges common to the genre. This might be an advantage to those daunted by the prospect of gamier fare, but there are disadvantages to this format - which will become clear on our piece-by-piece tour of the album.

Performing on this album are such luminaries as bassist Philippe Bussonnet of Magma, and Daniel Jeand'heur, his colleague from One Shot, on drums. These two are extremely fine musicians, and they lend a polished sophistication to Thollot's compositions. Bussonnet's vigorous, confident playing adds a comfortingly familiar Magma aroma; and not only that, Jeand'heur's percussion style seems markedly influenced by Christian Vander - one moment a stiflingly tense, fast passage; next, it's all laid-back (and yet precisely controlled) poise.

Thollot himself contributes beautifully poignant, eloquent guitar which adds a rather romantic, melancholic air to the overall sound; he also plays keyboards (as does Jeand'heur on a few tracks).

Right: without further ado, on to the music itself.

'Ascension' starts us off in brisk, purposeful, slightly ominous fashion. There's an agreeably machiney feel, with a section featuring Present-like repetitions in 9/8 time. Towards the end, there is a brief break in the clouds, before the piece ends, a little abruptly.

The second track is, I think, my favourite: 'Histoire Triste', with its lovely wistful guitar opening. Agitated drums lead into a faster, more urgent passage with driving bass. I love the catchy guitar part, all sonorous parallel fourths. And here comes another abrupt ending! (Can you spot a theme developing here.?)

'Promenade Urgente' rings the changes - with an abrupt beginning! This piece has a murky feel and a marvellous, rudely bubbling bassline. You can sort of feel Bussonnet reigning himself in a little. This would be a great place for an utterly mad bass solo. Unfortunately, we don't get one! We find ourselves in the major key for the ending. you guessed it, an abrupt one - with an odd little bass doodle at the end.

'13e Parallèle' begins with an angular bassline and, flowing against the current of the bass, some carping guitar. (Oddly, momentarily, it reminds me of Snakefinger!!) The bass rasps away like it's shouted its way to a sore throat. And Jeand'heur is really into it by now: there's some very Vanderish drumming here at times. This piece has plenty of intensity, but I think it could withstand considerably more. At last, though, we get a somewhat more definite ending.

'Etude Plombée' sports a really lovely, fuzzy, insect-like, Zeuhl bass tone. Bussonnet really goes for it - with an impatient, peevish feel. The ending is nicely forthright, too.

'Blues du Crabe' pitches us straight into an energetic tangle in 5/4 time. There's an even growlier, more obstinate bass here. Jazzy drums engage in an elegant freak out. Liquid guitar rises above the brawling rhythm section before the piece fades out.

'Cyclopède' is leisurely, but with a hint of tension. Jeand'heur's drumming on this piece is excellent, and also really Vanderesque! It all has a feeling of immense power, restrained beneath a sort of haughty, diplomatic coolness. An eerie fade out ends the piece.

On we go to 'Léon le Hérisson': well, 'Léon the Hedgehog' to you! And the music is appropriately prickly, with jagged repetitions. After a meltingly dark interlude, it's back to jumpiness again. Jeand'heur contributes more of those precise, juddery, Vanderish drum fills. And oh no, here is yet another abrupt ending!

'Cabanon Oriental' features a fine bass opening, with a really dirty, treacly, snarly tone. The keyboard part sulks quietly via aggrieved muttering. This piece is nicely energetic. Jeand'heur certainly gives it some welly! Annoyingly, the ending is (again!) less than satisfactory - it just seems to stop all of a sudden.

Finally, 'Indéfiniment': the bass part in the opening reminds me of something - I can't put my finger on what exactly, but something. The drumming is impressive yet again - Jeand'heur has really hit his stride. Soaring guitar meets boiling tension, but the mood becomes rather breezier as the piece ends by fading out. This is something of an anti-climax, to be honest - really good Zeuhl customarily delivers a bold and blistering dénouement, rather than slipping away apologetically without saying goodbye.

And that is the problem with this album - it is full of fantastic potential, but these are all short pieces that do not allow Thollot's ideas room to unfurl and flourish. Sometimes they seem like sketches for sections of a longer work. It's almost as though he is a little too modest to impose himself on us for longer than about six minutes at a time! Whilst in life, humility can be an attractive trait, in this kind of music it's a bit frustrating! Come on, François, you feel like saying - don't be coy! I really do enjoy listening to this album - it impresses me every time I hear it - but my hope is that François Thollot will eventually do justice to his talent (which is obviously considerable). Let's hope he will return to the limelight very soon to present us with a main course of some longer, better-developed compositions. I certainly think that would be worth hearing!

In the meantime, I'll give this enjoyable selection of light and simple Zeuhl hors d'oeuvres three twinkly stars.

"Ceux D'en Face" has those dark, angular guitar melodies I love but it's the piano and drums that stand out initially. "Enilek" is kind of unusual as it seems to be made up of different building blocks, but there is nothing being built. The "block" I like the best is 2 1/2 minutes in where the guitar comes in as the piano plays the same melody over and over. "Invasion" features piano and drums that are both pounded. Hey it's an invasion. The guitar is angry 4 minutes in. "Experimentations Sentimentales" opens with a nice guitar melody as drums join in and then some angular guitar. "Marilyn-Antoinette" has some acoustic guitar to open as bass, piano and drums create a mellow soundscape.That is until the drums get heavier and the guitar becomes angular while the piano notes gets louder. The end of the song is like a reprise of the beginning of the song.

"Vingt Trois" has a good rhythm of drums and cymbals before the bass and guitar come in. They come and go throughout. This is good. The guitar makes some noise 3 1/2 minutes in and later to end it. "Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit" is the final and longest track at over 12 minutes. The first 5 minutes features a contrast of two different soundscapes. Then we get cymbals clashing,drums pounding and bass throbbing. No real melody actually but lots of atmosphere. 7 minutes in the drums and piano are both pounded as synths come in. Another change 10 minutes in as cymbals,guitar and piano arrive.

I like this release, but i'm spoiled from hearing the much better "Contact" album. 3 stars.

The drawbacks of his solo recording become apparent almost immediately. His guitar work is extremely fluid, and the tone is reminiscent of Robert Fripp and Richard Pinhas, while his piano work is solid and he mostly plays chunky chords to underpin the main melody. He manages the bubbling, high end bass that Bernard Paganotti and (to a lesser extent) Jannick Top contributed to Magma in their prime, but doesn't quite pull off the growling low end sound and rhythmic undertow that both players also excelled at. The real shortcoming, however, is in his drumming; while he's never less than competent the drumming never swings as it should, and although his concentration on the upper part of the kit is probably wise the cymbal work is often overdone. Having said all that, the compositions themselves are of a generally high standard and there are some inspired passages here and there, such as the brief vibes-driven coda to Enilek. The stand out is probably Marilyn-Antoinette, where the guitar dominates and there is a definite hint of King Crimson circa Fracture/FraKctured .

Ceux d'en Face promises rather more than it actually delivers, particularly when subjected to detailed listening, but it also hints at possible greatness to come. With the right band the music could sound brilliant, but this album sounds more like a series of high quality demos than a fully realised piece of work. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 for Marilyn Antoinette.

"Ascension" is such an amazing song. The angular guitar melodies with piano and one of the best rhythm sections I have heard in a while. It's cool when the guitar and piano play the same notes 3 1/2 minutes in, and listen carefully to the way this guy plays drums. Impressive. "Histoire Triste" is more laid back with some beautiful guitar melodies, light drums and piano. Just a great sound. The song does speed up before reverting back to the original melody with those mournful guitar melodies. "Promenade Urgente" features some great bass lines while the drums pound away and the guitar grinds out some melodies.There is a brief calm before the magic comes back. "13e Parallele" opens with intricate guitar melodies that are joined by the piano playing the same melody. Nice. The bass is fantastic and the sound is heavy. The guitar is angular and dark just the way I like it. Check out the bass later on as well. What a song !

"Etude Plombee" made me say to myself "This guy can really play bass".Then I thought "Francois can really play guitar". You know what ? They are all incredible musicians. The guitar is firing off some angular solos while the bass continues to boggle my mind. Hey the piano and drumming are fantastic as well. Great track ! "Blues Du Crabe" has a Jazz vibe to it and the bass is relentless. Lots of cymbals too. As the guitar comes in the Jazz flavour goes away. "Cyclopede" has more angular guitar with some great drum patterns to enjoy. "Leon Le Herisson" is an uptempo tune with Fripp like guitar and piano. The bass playing really shines late in the song. "Cabanon Oriental" features some heavy bass and drums as the guitar plays slowly over top. Nice. "Indefiniment" is the only song with synths and they arrive 2 1/2 minutes in. The drumming is impressive as usual, as the guitar joins in to create a terrific melody. The guitar to end the song is a highlight.

I had no idea what to expect with this record but I didn't consider that it would become one of my favourite records. It has.