LOUIS DE MIEULLE

Not everything is different on Magnetic Feel. Though de Mieulle bills this album as "cyberprog" and "retrofuture," there is a grounding in jazz-rock, math rock, and the contemporary prog scene. Like the two Sideshow albums, this is entirely instrumental, and there's a strong sense of sonic continuity across the ten songs here.

The album kicks off with the energetic "Triangular Prologue". Electronic percussion and glimmering synths certainly nod toward the sounds of the 1980s, but the particular tones and the production avoid the soulless sterility of a lot of the music of that era and of subsequent '80s-worship acts. There is a sense of ebbing and swelling tension throughout this piece, and the deployment of a variety of timbres with a limited selection of musical ideas makes for something engaging and exciting.

"The Big Galactic Rondo" is the longest song on Magnetic Feel, clocking in at a bit over ten minutes. The synth patterns contrast jittery staccato strikes with lush pads for an effect I could best call cyber-jazz. This piece is darker and more brooding than the opener, and its relative spareness makes its eventual build that much more effective. Following this is the short, spooky interlude, "Human Epilogue".

The opening of "Conservation of Energy Pt. 1" is restrained. It feels like it's fighting against a force that's holding it back, and themes from earlier in the album briefly crop up. Its second half is rather warm and hopeful. In contrast, "The Big Freeze" lives up to its icy name. The synth tones are cold and austere, and there is an echoing expansiveness that only adds to the sense of musical isolation.

"Electron-Positron Annihilation" harkens back to moments on Sid?show 2 with its stripped-down and wintry feel. There is a sense of foreboding that only increases throughout this song's runtime. Calming things down after that intense cut, "Stargazing" has a subtle warmth, and its somewhat meandering mood is a nice change of pace over the grim determination of some of the preceding cuts.

The second half of "Conservation of Energy" has the most organic-sounding percussion on the album, and this album's main motif is given prominent placement. Though I enjoy this cut overall, it does feel a tad overlong.

Another interlude, "Galaxian Explosion", follows; and much like "Human Epilogue", it should have either been significantly trimmed or cut entirely.

Magnetic Feel ends with "The Big Rip". This cut has some interesting, dark ideas in it, but it ultimately feels somewhat jumbled. I understand what de Mieulle was going for, but this song lacks cohesion.

Despite these gripes near the end, Magnetic Feel is a strong overall release. The electronic elements are fun, and the songwriting is nice and tight for the most part. I like the way de Mieulle revisited the same motif in a handful of tracks, and this feels like a natural refinement of his earlier improv-heavy releases.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2022/08/08/album-review-louison-magnetic-feel/

On Sid?show 2, de Mieulle follows the same general template. Himself, a drummer, and two keyboardists improvise over a preconceived structure, employing the musical vocabulary of both jazz and progressive rock. Despite the similarities in how these two albums were composed and recorded, they have vastly different characters. Side$how had a bright, sunny atmosphere, but Sid?show 2 has a colder feel to it.

The opening "Dwarf Elephant" demonstrates this atmospheric shift. It's a slow-moving piece full of diminished chords, and the lead synth line has a haunting quality to it. The spare composition of "The Two-Headed Kid Variations, Pt. 1" continues this trend. The individual instruments seem to be working around one another, rather than together. This observation isn't a complaint, though, as that approach is effective at enhancing the mood.

"Giant Fly (aka Mes Choux Gras aka Metastasis)" blends the jitteriness of Side$how with the icy tones established on this record. Especially of note here is de Mieulle's bass tone. It's a crunchy, biting tone that reminds me a lot of Geddy Lee, and this tonal aggression fits the darker mood of Sid?show 2.

Returning to earlier themes, "The Two-Headed Kid Variations, Pt. 2" establishes a spacier atmosphere with watery synthesizers and massive amounts of reverb. However, this is one of the rare points on the album where the slow pace and sparse instrumentation are a detriment. This song winds up dragging on for several minutes too long.

The 12-minute "Dwarf Elephant/Bed of Snails" is my favorite song on the album. Its first half utilizes rich instrumentation, and I would once again make sonic comparisons to Rush, not only in the bass tone but also in the synthesizer selection. The composition itself is incredibly un-Rush-like in its jazz backbone and improvisation, but a similar sound palette is used. The song's second half revisits some themes from Side$how and adapts them to fit this album's overall feel.

"Revenge of the Giant Fly" is a disorienting piece, featuring a fractured bassline and reversed percussion amid the usual odd synth chords. This piece is followed by part three of "The Two-Headed Kid Variations". By this point on the record, I'd gotten somewhat exhausted by his revisitations of this idea. Any one of these three variations would have been fine as a standalone piece, and this third part is my favorite of the three, in isolation. However, this theme isn't interesting enough to warrant nearly twenty minutes of music.

"Son of Giant Fly" is another dark piece that features an especially aggressive, jumpy bassline, and many of the start-stop instrumental flourishes remind of acts like Yes or Dream Theater. The closing "Two-Headed Kid Theme" features some of the lushest textures on the album, though it does feel somewhat out of place as the album's closer.

Sid?show 2 continues in the same vein as its predecessor, with some notable changes. This record feels starker and colder than last year's Side$how. I like the continuity between these two albums. However, the sparseness of Sid?show 2 works against it at points, leading to moments which feel unnecessarily drawn out. Despite these shortcomings, I enjoy this record and would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy jazzy, instrumental rock.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/06/01/album-review-louis-de-mieulle-sideshow-2/

French-born bassist and composer Louis de Mieulle's newest album, Side$how, is a constantly-engaging blend of ambitious instrumental progressive rock with many trappings of jazz. Touches of electronic genres and krautrock crop up throughout this release's 41-minute runtime. Consisting of eight songs, titled "Bed of Nails, Part 1-8", the music was mostly improvised and recorded live by de Mieulle, a pair of keyboardists, and a drummer.

Just based off this description, I would normally be wary and worried that this would wind up being an aimless morass of electric piano tinkling, but these compositions each have a unique character and feel purposeful. Part 1 opens with a jumpy bassline topped with stuttering organ licks. This evolves into a gliding synth solo before funky clavinet comes in. What is striking is how smooth and organic the transitions feel.

Part 3 feels as if it draws inspiration from video game music while avoiding the bland sterility of chiptune. The bass part is fun, melodic, and propulsive, and the fluttery staccato synth backing only adds to this energy. Part 5, meanwhile, clocking in at over 17 minutes, is the most adventuresome piece on Side$how. Not only does it draw from jazz, but also from krautrock, electronic music, and even zeuhl. The song pulses and throbs over sequenced synthesizers, using repetition with subtle, accruing changes to great effect.

The even-numbered songs on Side$how are all relatively short interludes, ranging from 90 seconds to a bit over two minutes. Despite their short length, they display an impressive amount of diversity, with textures and atmospheres ranging from melodic to dissonant and from gentle to harsh.

Side$how is a fun, upbeat collection of music. Each song on this album has its own distinct character while at the same time feeling like it belongs with the rest. The bass and key tones are consistent across the album, but they don't become stale, thanks in large part to the musicians' skillful interplay and de Mieulle's inventive compositions.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/09/09/album-review-louis-de-mieulle-sidehow/

The band line-up that Louis has recruited along for the ride are himself, playing under the name Sideshow Louis (bass, regurgitator), Casimir Liberski (keyboards and chapeaugraphy), Ditan Kenner (keyboards and human blockhead), Doron Lev (drums for tracks 1-4 and 6 and fire breather), and Raphael Pannier (drums fro tracks 5,7,and 8 and glass walking). The album is recorded live in the studio.

Part 1 of the suite is called "1st Meditation" (5:14). The music starts with a catchy rhythm and an airy feel created by smooth bass, organ, drums and guitar. The organ takes the main spotlight at first shared with a funky guitars and other keys step in to share main melody which is improvised on. There is a nice, carefree atmosphere about the whole thing that, while it is a funky sound, it is also quite relaxed and free flowing. Part 2, "Bedhunters" (1:59) begins with a somewhat complex riff created by bass and synth. A short, yet progressive interplay of instruments create a playful cacophony of sound that dances around with this riff. Part 3 "Discoteak" (6:28) uses a straitforward beat with bass and some interesting keyboard effects to make a track that sounds catchy and complex at the same time. The drums settle in to a fast groove along with the bass, and the organ plays counter to the beat with a staccato style, until synths come in to smooth out the sound a bit. The rhythm breaks down after 3 minutes and the music wanders along with bass and low frequency synths, and then another warbly synth takes over the main line against a slightly slower, but heavier beat. Instruments drop off one by one and then suddenly all come back together again to close out this part.

Part 4 "Fakir Song" (2:11) is less structured, with keyboards creating some interesting counter themes and tones, as the bass and drums try to hammer out some kind of structure, but not really able to iron things out. The feel is a bit more experimental and contemporary jazz style. Part 5 "2nd Meditation" (17:21) is quite a bit longer than the preceding tracks. It starts out taking it's time to establish and a symmetrical groove, and everything works together to eventually come to some sort of agreement. The drums are a bit wilder in this one, and the keys take advantage of this by teasing everything into coming together, while the bass holds its own playing persistently until it does all come together. Louis has been known to incorporate a post rock attitude in his music, and that seems to stand out a little more here, but the track never falls victim to post rock formulas, making sure the jazz fusion sound is the real thing directing the sound. When the instruments finally fall into the groove, the bass becomes the anchor as keyboards swirl and dance around the groove. The bass continues to add notes to its free riffing pattern, and that is the closest thing to a melody here as the synths work to create musical texturing and improvising around that pattern. Subtle layers come in building intensity at different times, but at 8 minutes, you can really hear it all start to build and resolve to a new plateau. After that, it calms down a bit as the synths begin a drone and allow the bass and drums to pound things out together. This continues while the synths start to float around softly and freely. It all quiets down even more as bongos and percussion lighten things up. The track then goes atmospheric with only bass, effects and a single synth flutters around. The music goes into avant-jazz territory for a minute or two, then a repeated note takes over, slowly building the band back in layer by layer until the drums bring everything back. This long track seems to go by quickly because of the territory it covers, never stagnating or staying in one place for too long, experimenting with dynamic and occasional effects, it is an interesting, dynamic and masterful study of control and improvisation.

Part 6 is another section entitled "Fakir Song" (1:26). As in Part 4, this is also a more contemporary jazz feel with a heavier beat this time that follows the same thematic element as Part 4. Part 7 "3rd Meditation" (4:39) then fades back in, again following this same theme, but in a very chaotic way. The entire band is playing, but sounding more independent and free as they all hash out their own sounds, but after 1 minute, it all becomes more coherent, the bass pounds out a line against a more structured drum pattern, and then keys come back in freely playing around the bass line. This very fusion sounding track reminds me of early Porcupine Tree jams, it's more psychedelic and experimental and it also has some really cool grinding effects in the middle. Part 8 "Afrobead" (1:42) ends the entire suite, or at least this album,

This is a nice, playful departure from Louis more serious sound, and I love the nu-jazz elements that are quite eveident here. Each instrument is its own sideshow of sorts, but they all come together (well most of the time anyway) to work as a complete circus, or at least a band with one vision. The way things move from somewhat chaotic sections to smooth and groove filled improvisations is entertaining in and of itself. Some of the shorter tracks, seem to make things a bit choppy, but the long centerpiece of the album, Part 5, brings it all together. First time listeners will wonder how this suite all fits together, but halfway through, you will begin to realize that the suite is using a main theme and creating variations around it, all while other instruments create improvisations with the theme and then create textures and sections that live in a world of their own. When things are left to develop more, the sound is smooth as things transition from one sub-section to another. Even the short tracks are important here, but they do tend to break things up a little bit, but this problem doesn't really distract from the overall cohesiveness of the album. This album is highly recommended, especially to jazz fusion lovers who also like a bit of inventiveness added in for some unexpected surprises.

Instrumental jazz with the piano as the central instrument and with a distinct bassist given room to shine is what Louis de Mieulle provides us on his first solo production "Defense Mechanisms". Many of the songs explore moods of a darker and subtly unnerving kind, and do touch upon jazz rock-oriented territories on occasion, too. Ultimately, this is a production with much more jazz than rock to it however, and those with an interest for instrumental jazz trios with drums, bass and piano as the key instruments would appear to be the main audience for this disc.