PRESENT

This record sinks its roots into their previous album Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo) and then takes off from there in a true progressive spirit.

Music is their usual mixture of chamber rock, avant rock, RIO and zehul, incorporating sharp, urgent guitars, ever present bass which are well supported by myriad of other instruments ranging from woodwinds, violins and acoustic piano etc. From the perspective of rhythm changes, the compositions are very well balanced. We are not hit with a relentless wall of sound; instead, bombastic elements are interrupted with softer sounds of woodwinds and quieter sections.

The musicianship is absolutely top-notch. Although the compositions are complex, everyone plays with accuracy and complete coherence. I especially like the Pierre Chevalier's acoustic piano. His touch on the keyboard reminds me of Glen Gould; such crystal clear, distinct notes from every single key. Incredible!

The two longest tracks in the album "This is Not the End, Parts 1 & 2" are where we notice the advancements in the composition technique they utilized to date. These two tracks use circular structure with instruments exchanging not only the melody lines but also interrupting each other with jagged uncomfortable bursts. To some, the music might seem repetitive, but this is because of the circular structure of the compositions; circularity and repetitiveness should never be confused. Philip Glass's symphonies are circular, not repetitive. This style of composition is expertly implemented by the group where tension, sustainment and release phases are perfectly positioned. Absolute delight!

The progressive element in their music become apparent when this album's compositions are compared to their first two albums which I also love ("Triskaïdékaphobie" and "Le poison qui rend fou"). In comparison this record has clearly laid out musical ideas that are implemented perfectly without the wandering melodies and rhythms as if one is lost in a city but enjoying the experience, which seems to be the case in the first two Present records.

I highly recommend this record.

A seven piece although they include Udi Koomran as the eighth member and for good reason. AHVAK did the same many years earlier and yes drummer Dave Kerman was on that record and on here of course. What a professional this guy is, blows me away. It's actually interesting all the musical connections on here with all of these guys playing together it seems at some point.

In fact ARANIS, 5UU'S and UNIVERS ZERO are well represented here. The chemistry is something. I don't remember ever having this feeling of standing in the middle of a band performing and getting dizzy from the counterpoint, the tempo changes and the interplay all done as one.

So of course Roger is on here playing keyboards and adding spoken words which are gruff and kind of creepy especially the laughing parts. I haven't mentioned Keith Macksoud on bass or Kurt Bude on sax, clarinet and bass clarinet, and finally Liesbeth Lambrecht on violin and she is from ARANIS. Songs are built on rhythm and repetition and are a combo of heavy rock and classical. Read that on the press release I think on the Wayside site.

The opener "Contre" at 8 minutes has some of those spoken words from Roger and laugher. The piano is stark and full of suspense from Chevalier and that will come and go. There is so much going on before that calm after 5 minutes. Kerman is impressive here and we will get hit hard again. "This Is Not The End Part 2" is over 12 minutes and features some killer violin and I love the bass clarinet. Some good contrasts on this one and man it gets almost stifling, suffocating with all that is going on when it gets intense.

The final track is "Part 1" of the title track and is a monster at 26 1/2 minutes. The atmosphere to start makes me nervous. And yes Roger does return speaking and laughing around 3 minutes in. The voice continues for a while the bass clarinet leads then some nasty outbursts before it get dense 9 minutes in, maybe crazy is a better word. Kerman is on fire but then just a quick a calm that lasts a while broken by the violin 12 minutes in. It starts to move after 16 1/2 minutes then a couple of minutes later the tempo speeds up. How long can they keep this up? Violin and drums are nuts late. What a composition!

A top three PRESENT album but I need to have a PRESENT marathon and come up with some kind of an order. They never disappoint. Without question a contender for album of the year for 2024. Beat this!

Appearing as if the title is letting the fans know that the band will go on, PRESENT returns in 2024 with its newest full-length album THIS IS NOT THE END, the first since 2009's "Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo)" and although PRESENT has never been the most prolific musical act in the world of prog, Trigaux has always exercised restraint and favored quality over quantity. However 15 years is by far the longest time between albums and it doesn't appear that Trigaux was engaged in any other musical activity ever since so the emergence of this grand finale of his R.I.O. run is not only quite welcome but miraculous.

Also amazing is that so many of the band members from the previous album are back for more. THIS IS NOT THE END features the return of Pierre Chevalier (keyboards), Dave Kerman (percussion), Keith Macksoud (bass) and of course the godfather of chamber prog guitar, Roger Trigaux himself. The album features a beefier lineup than previous releases with guitarist François Mignot, sax and clarinet player Kurt Budé and violinist Liesbeth Lambrecht joining the team for another slab of knotty angularity and despite all the time that has elapsed since "Barbaro," PRESENT has lost none of its music mojo. Sounding like the logical next step after "Barbaro, THIS IS NOT THE END similarly features three sprawling tracks but in this case not all are created equal in terms of running time.

The opening "Contre" is the shortest track and runs about 8 minutes long. Seemingly a continuation of the previous "Barbaro," this album opens with a more bombastic guitar stomp approach and immediately generates a zeuhl inspired rhythmic drive while utilizing complex counterpoints with the violin and wind instruments. Soon following, Trigaux offers something rarely heard in a PRESENT album and that is a vocal tirade where he does his best French speaking version of Captain Beefheart reciting a spoken dialogue with some sort of madman manifesto that finds him laughing hysterically afterwards! The rhythmic drive keeps it pulsating along as it does throughout the entire album but like most knotty angular difficult music section avant-prog albums, it does drift into strange musical motifs that deviate from the incessant zeuhl driven consistency. The violin and guitar parts are much more energetic than on past endeavors with Lambrecht sounding like the avant-prog version of Jean Luc-Ponty while Trigaux unleashes a psychedelic fervor more akin to the antic freak show that Acid Mothers Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata dishes out at his most frenetic.

Inverting the order of the two title tracks, next up is "This Is Not The End, Part 2" which at just over 12 minutes is the next longest track. The bass heavy intro finds a thumping bass guitar joined by the bass clarinet and piano tinkling that soon offers all the complexities of what makes avant-prog so deliciously dark and doomy. It occurs to me about this point how much Trigaux looked back to his earliest years when he contributed to the first two Univers Zero albums which delivered a similar melancholy dished out by an array of contrapuntal complexity. The track is noticeably less beholden to the stabilizing effects that the zeuhl rhythms offer and offers a more freeform approach with crazy time signatures changing with every cadence. Overall this is the most "restrained" track on the album with the two tracks that bookend it unleashing a wilder ride of frenetic crazy syncopation!

The creme de la creme (well hell, it's all creme this time around!) is saved for last with the sprawling 26 1/2 minute "This Is Not the End, Part 1" which delivers the darkest ride of the entire journey. Somewhat of a more extreme combo effect of the first two tracks and beyond, the track delivers sporadic zeuhl rhythms but also pure chaotic outbursts and made all the creepier by a buzzing droning sound in the backdrop. Madman Trigaux makes a reprise with more dialogue in French only adding heightened exaggerated enunciations and madcap guffaws. As expected the track wends and winds its way through a series of rhythmically syncopated runs with eruptions of heavier increased tempo segments as well as the more pacified chamber prog approach. The skilled musicians offer an impeccable instrumental interplay throughout with a seemingly endless array of variations on a theme that allow the track to ratchet up the tension much like a well-performed post-rock album. Once again Trigaux offers some of the finest guitar work of his career with knotty guitar licks and angry chord stomps. Intricately designed and the sounds that avant-prog dreams are made of, this massive masterwork delivers all the creeped out intensity you could possibly hope for. It all ends with a big bang and a perceived musical farewell to the great Trigaux as he offers his last cachinnation and then seemingly drifts off in an ambient haze to the great avant-prog paradise on the other side.

Simply WOW!!! This is an outstanding final display of musical mojo from Trigaux and team. He really was one of the most gifted and talented alternative visionaries out there right to the very end. What could possibly be the FUTURE of PRESENT or it this band a thing of the PAST? If the title of the album and the two tracks offer any breadcrumbs then it seems that the band will continue since the musicians on this amazing album are clearly capable of keeping a top notch act like this afloat and go the way of Gong and Yes after losing their founding member. Whether or not PRESENT will continue on is anyone's guess but it's a certainty that the only original member who started the band 44 years ago won't be along for the ride. This album exceeded all expectations but then again PRESENT has been one of the most consistent acts in the truest sense in the most demanding corners of the avant-prog and world of Rock In Opposition. And while many newer acts aim for crossover appeal, Trigaux kept his avant-prog knotty and angular as ever. To my ears this album ranks right up there with the debut "Triskaidékaphobie" and the previous album "Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo)." A great t comeback album and excellent final offering from Trigaux. What a spectacular way to end his legacy. R.I.P., R.I.O royalty. You will be missed.

At a 'quick and easy' three tracks, I knew I could get this one reviewed by the end of the beginning of the morning. I jest, of course. I suppose the biggest joke is that this was going to be, in all likelihood, some very dense Avant-prog... I guess it's hard to believe, generally speaking, to have an R.I.O. release with only guitar, vocals and percussion (this amounting to no more than light clicks and kickdrum), but here we are. Super minimalistic. But they certainly make it work.

"Love Scorn" starts off low and slow, comparable to the darkest that '60s Psychedelia had had to offer then. And dark indeed. And such a unique use of guitar itself! I assume (possibly only then) they tuned one of them down extremely low to accomplish this weird, alien 'cello'. It's in the latter half that guitar soloing jumps out of the minimal expanse of guitar and simple clicks (at times what sounds like just the simple hit of a closed hi-hat). It may remind of FRIPP. And following this first sketch of electric guitar is an intense battle, fierce and eerie.

The tracks get exponentially longer, from 9 and a half minutes to just under 15 all the way to 25 minutes. And with that, "Alone - Part One" heads off in beautiful, again not unlike KC (though latter days Crimson via the aid of BELEW), overlapping guitar melody. Around the midway point, this falls away to something heavier. The heaviest percussion they had introduced to us up to this point (as with said 'battle' on "Love Scorn") is merely intense, reverb'd out kickdrum. "Part One" was well performed, but so minimal, I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

"Alone - Part Two" kicks off with something a little more intriguing. The rhythm is slightly off-kilter and the guitar just goes. They once again, I assume, because it seems clearer here using octave pedal, have the dark, muddy 'bass guitar'. Like I suggest, much more satisfactory than the first part. Unsurprisingly still moody and gloomy. Minimal or not, actually quite a lot happens within the first 3 minutes! Vocals are finally introduced around minute 11. Sort of classical and creepy, reminiscent to me of Sophisti-Pop lounge lizards? Again falling away, minute 18 introduces a queer, creeping section. Worth a listen if you have the time.

Overall, well performed, at times genuinely very interesting, but not to appeal to even your average RIO fan half the time. I nearly gave it a 2.

With the exit stage left of Trigaux, Univers Zero was shown to have lost the darkest member of the crew as the third UZ album sans Trigaux shifted gears completely in terms of darkness by offering a "lighter" approach to what had been established on the first two albums. On the other hand PRESENT took the dark side of avant-prog / chamber rock / modern classic music to even more extremes. For PRESENT's debut TRISKAÏDÉKAPHOBIE which is the French word for triskaidekaphobia and means fear of the number 13, the darkness was a more concentrated form which unleashed a more frenetic version of what UZ had done only with a stronger guitar presence and a knack for crafting a larger than life sound with as a mere quartet. TRISKAÏDÉKAPHOBIE could possibly qualify as the scariest and most forbidding album of the year 1980 unleashing sonic demons and forever making you wonder if the number 13 is really Satan in disguise!

TRISKAÏDÉKAPHOBIE originally featured a mere three tracks with two monstrously long nail-biters followed by a shorter come down piece. Considered one of the unabashed masterpieces of avant-prog, PRESENT admirably picked up the torch where the first two Univers Zero albums had suddenly left off. The opening "Promenade Au Fond D'un Canal" featured a claustrophobic 19 minute plus run beginning as eerily dark chamber rock before breaking into martial guitar and bass groove much like the world of zeuhl with Christian Genet's stellar bass gymnastics reminding of Jannick Top in Magma's classic Kobaian output. While the music retains the UZ darkened chamber rock vibe, the combo effect of the zeuhl rhythmic drive, frenetic keyboard runs and perpetual cyclical loops bringing Philip Glass's minimalistic approach to the table, all conspire to create a bizarre surreal soundscape that took the world of avant-prog to more energetic realms beyond anything Henry Cow or Univers Zero had explored thus far. The track slowly transmogrifies into a more rock induced hypnosis culminated in some wickedly wild guitar workouts before finally ceding to the next equally frenetic offering.

The second track "Quatre-Vingt Douze" misses the 16-minute mark but is every bit as effective at keeping the album's mood dialed to creepsville. Fortified with more melodic classical piano rolls, the alternation of sensual slow moving parts and fidgety angularities of the electric piano finger breakers offearas another startling taste of PRESENT's bleak musical palette. This track integrates more variations of styles, tones, timbres and motifs thus making it less hypnotic than track #1 but even more frightening. The original album closed with the 3 1/2 minute "Repulsion" which provided a creepy ambient come down period with a repetitive tone, gongs and a blackened atmospheric drone sounding more like the post-rock of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or other similar minded posties than what came before. The 2014 CD release on the Cuneiform label features an additional 20 minutes of live bonus tracks featuring the Univers Zero tracks "Dense" and "Vous Le Saurez En Temps Voulu" which was allowed since Denis was playing in both bands simultaneously.

PRESENT released a total of six studio albums before Trigaux's untimely passing in 2021 but of all the albums he crafted under the band name PRESENT, it's this debut TRISKAÏDÉKAPHOBIE that provides the most haunting musical experience you could ever hope for in the days before scary music started creeping into various musical genres. While a direct descendent of the first two UZ albums, PRESENT crafted a masterful mix of the most frenetic and hypnotic styles of music that existed at the time and in the process evoking the otherworldliness of Magma, the minimalism of modern 20th century classical artists as well as the angular jagged workouts afforded by the whacked out world of avant-prog. With tightly delivered instrumental workouts that featured four excellent musicians making stunning hairpin turns in unison, TRISKAÏDÉKAPHOBIE is an absolutely essential avant-prog album that remains timeless in its bizarro mondo freakery and a worthy continuation of what UZ had crafted with Trigaux. M-m-m-masterpiece of progressive rock!

1. "Vertiges" (16:38) filled with a lot of nuanced and fast changing motifs, this is truly a masterpiece of composition and performance without being memorable or very likable; I appreciate it's brilliance without ever wanting to return to it. (26/30)

2. "A Last Drop" (11:26) the most engaging composition on the album due to its "groove" and melodic "hooks." And yet, it is long... (18/20)

3. "Jack The Ripper" (16:41) One of the more captivating musical renderings of the legend of and mood created by the White Hall murderer (especially the "slasher" work of the viola and electric guitar). But, is musical representationalism enough to merit high marks? Is this "perfection" of songwriting? (27/30)

Can an album be a masterpiece of modern Avant garde/RIO music without being a masterpiece of progressive rock? If it's possible, this is one of the albums one would use to make your case.

Vocals are really scary most of the time but even floating and harmonic. Bruno Bernas bass sounds like a magnificient thunder during several minutes before turns into a melodic and slight ambient element on "Contre" and "Alone". All of this surronded by 5 UU'S Dave Kerman's complex drums filling the structures of Roger Trigaux mind blowing compositions.

Not less than 4* for this great piece of live album. It's a very partial opinion but I had to honor the insane effects that Roger Trigaux and Present music had on me...

At last, I have aquired this PRESENT "C.O.D. Performance", 1993 record, or simply Roger Trigaux plus his son playing on what could almost be called an all electric guitar album, Trigaux's style of course . A guitar album, that is intimate, experimental, daring, and at times, also self-indulgent. A surprising visit to Mr, Trigaux's concept of the "Psychedelic 60's", in his own compositional and performance language, transformed to be played by electric guitar duets, triplets and solos (including bass guitar, of course). Some additional, but scarce percussions, and some very "Doorsy" vocals and lyrics, here and there.

This is the kind of record guitar players should enjoy listening to. More than anything else, due to the fact, that the electric guitar was kind of demeaned by the RiO crowd. It seems it was too "symbolic", and too close to the Rock they "opposed". Mr Triguax kind of even things up, more or less.

Of course there are some astounding highlights, as far as music writing goes. The performance, although impeccable, kind of weakens itself by repetition of ideas. To round things up, "C.OD. Performance" is uneven. The great music sections, are trapped, more than once, between quiet unimpressive or less inspired compositional sections.

***3 "Fun, but not essential" PA stars.