RAISON DE PLUS

1. Opening with SAGA, yes I tell you, cool, good and softer, but the intention is there; a little flute from Philippe and the orchestral tune begins; small digression and we have some notes from the start of the Laze ball, but hey that disperses 2. Iron and Flames starts with neo prog, that's for sure; the texts in French, important, can be disturbing, but we already understand, secondly we are in Molière's work so let's get this fact out of the way; reminiscences of ANGE emerge; melodic prog space before vocal feedback; but given the release of the album, not bad at all 3. In the search... arpeggio and vocal limit a cappella which leads to a nursery rhyme where the jerky piano now reminds me of the works of the great SHELLER, surprising; the break with a neo keyboard in a MARILLION vein 4. The prisoner with the flute leads for an aerial opening; it goes up on a piece that would have been magnified in English, taking the vocal as an instrument; so make the effort to avoid finding a used vintage side; beautiful terminal flute on a very fat keyboard 5. Who is the murderer? Who Is the Assassin?... choose with this symphonic start; I'm looking for AFTERGLOW yes ARRAKEEN for the instrumental yes; the voice and the rhythm will look on the fundamentals ANGE of course; a still orchestral finale with a little GENESIS, all the markers are there

6. C'est dans l'air takes on a country ballad between prog folk and Charisma nursery rhyme; it's kitsch, the well- done keyboard reminds me of the neo groups of the 80s, a good 15 years ago; here's a festive tune with a pleasant medieval flute, making you want to have a pint while listening 7. Autumn occurs guitar arpeggio interlude on a 'Horizons' 8. Huitième Ciel begins with SAGA and 'Ego et deus' by ANGE; yes it's definitely a RAISON DE PLUS album but I'm talking about reminiscences to try to explain where you're going if you come across it; orchestral with melodic synth solo which will find a beautiful sound space very far away; the guitar is not left out and offers a languorous solo taken up by the keyboard, interesting and innovative 9. At the end of the corridor comes piano and a consensual piece, vocals in front; the symphonic keyboard offers a very convoluted neo break, superb during the 80s or 90s; second break with an electric piano before the guitar solo and the truly unique SAGA variation 10. Animal Hunting or Animal Hunting as you want; a beautiful melody with guitar, harpsichord and finally this crystalline sound, ideal for following the hunt on the water; an enjoyable guitar solo on Rothery, ah yes on CAMEL but no I find this comparison behind the said group 11. After the battle begins barrel organ, ANGEL, GENESIS and KING CRIMSON used it; the very French rhythm like 'They have the round hats' at the start, right at the start since the suite leaves for a new neo-symphonic space where the hints of GENESIS come to light.

It obviously helps a tad with foreign prog when one can understand the language (I was lucky to have learnt Italian, Spanish, German, Hungarian and French while still a youngster), so I can really get into the lyrical content. With French bands, this can be often a poetic maelstrom that perplexes and the passionate drama is often misconstrued as hysterical by those who "ne parle pas français"). Those who do understand, already have been beguiled by Ange's Christian Decamps' pen and vocal delivery that were singularly pushing the boundaries of religion, philosophy, society and morality in the glory days of early 70s prog . Raison de Plus provides another chapter in the oft fairy tale-like style that the French Prog school has gifted on our ears with creative vocal bands such as Arachnoid , Mona Lisa, Atoll, Pentacle, Pulsar, Halloween as well as recent gems Nemo, Maldoror, Aside Beside, Saens and Ex-Vagus. The pressure to craft outstanding music around these linguistic hurdles is a strong motivator, in order to keep the Prog world content. The translated titles will give the reader a concise insight into the typical themes espoused within. Each track begins with a brief narrative. The opener "Renaissance" very smartly introduces the stellar musicianship that will characterize the entire album: the magical pied-piping flute leading the way through pastoral Banksian twin keyboard flourishes, featuring happily smiling synth solos, galloping guitar interference, rumbling bass and appropriate drum propellants, delivering a very positive upbeat message. Batting second, "I should never have grown up" (I agree wholeheartedly, adulthood is not as cool as advertised), a Pentacle/Ange style number with tons of delicate flute forays, lush string backgrounds, a semi-reggae shuffle from the trio of rhythm guitar, bass 'n drums, with some feisty lead synths solos to spice up the brew. The singing is emotive, regretful and reflective. The stories and legends theme continue with "The Grey Weather King", a spirited mini-opera that navigates through somber valleys, gloomy forests and wintry snowscapes, sprinkled with acoustic guitars, sprightly electric leads with added violins and various vocalist parts. "Soul swells" is not an interlude but a 5 minute modern instrumental that explores dreamy introspection, featuring a fat lead solo, some 12 string guitars, piccolo flute (Flageolet) and zippy keys that emit a slight Celtic tinge to the mix. The masterful 6.5 minute "Another Chance" introduces an incredibly bright new hope for the future, with a kick ass guitar led theme that patrols, soars, prowls and howls, again very close to Pentacle in terms of breezy vocals and choirs, with more of that magic flute turbulence. A gentle synth mid section swells almost into a pillow of dreamy chords, recalling some instrumental Moody Blues. "The Key" is another sharp vocal less piece that aims at more biting themes, less bucolic and more bombastic with gritty guitar scratches, brooding bass and whopping keyboards. "In the City of the Disbelieving" is the longest track, nearing 9 minutes and stays well within the Decamps confines of operatic exhortations and thus very close to the 70s Ange formula, rowdy crowd noises, sudden silences, long soft moments and always that impending melodrama that suddenly explodes with utter anguish, Beyond Delirium (wink, wink). The brief "The Rumour" is a spooky mass choral extravaganza with every musician throwing in their voices ("Crazy, is he crazy?" they exhort!), again reminiscent of Christian Decamps' poetry. The "take a look back" sheen of "Buried Alive" is a theatrical piece laden with various sound effects & noises, attempting to illustrate the will for escape, trapped within the coffin of daily routine, showcasing outright "Foxtrot"-era Banksian organ blasts that torch off to some Hackettish swelling, very heavy Genesis influence here, complete with Collins style drumming . "Between Real and Imaginary" closes off this entertaining version of an adult bedtime story, an engaging dreamy promenade that butterflies through various relaxed themes, swaying with unbridled melancholia. Is this an exceptional prog masterpiece, a must-have? No, "Here is Elsewhere" is just a fine compelling recording that evokes the child in all of us, not taking life way too seriously. 4 etoiles.

The first Raison De Plus album was pretty good and called for a follow up. Which has duly arrived.

Raison De Plus continued with their mix of Spock's Beard, Genesis and Ange on their second album. The opening track Jamais j'aurais dû grandir is in fact very Spock's Beard like. The music then moves into a more conceptual art with spoken words interlinking the songs. I do not speak French and I have no information about the concept either, besides of the booklet and art-work. But I very much suspect that this is a concept album. The music is very theatrical at times too. Early Genesis and Ange springs to mind.

Quality wise, some of the music here is great, but most of it is good. Dans la cité des incrédules is a great song and the best Raison De Plus has ever done. A great epic song with some great guitars. The rest of the material is not up to that standard. Which makes this album one of those frustrating nearly-great albums. I do recommend this album though if you can find it for a knock down price. Great art-work, btw.

3.5 stars

Starting off with a Genesis riff..........

Excellent art work and an almost forgotten French band who released two albums through Musea some full-moons ago. This is their debut album. An album rooted in both symphonic prog and in particular; neo-prog. The sound on this album is most certainly neo-prog. The vocals are in French though and Ange comes in as a natural reference. Raison De Plus has not gone as theatrical as Ange though. Raison De Plus also sounds a lot more British neo- prog and symphonic than their French counterparts. Raison De Plus also have a lot of references to Camel in their sound. But their music is far more complex than Camel's music. In short, this album has a pretty complex sound.

The quality is pretty good throughout. Raison De Plus has their own identity. Unfortunate, they have not included any great songs here. Songs that is full of both electric guitars and keyboards. All the instruments are competently handled by the band. The vocals are great though. I am not entirely convinced by this album, but will give their second album a chance. This is a good album and I suspect I need to give it a lot more time than I have given it so far. Maybe this is a grower.

3 stars