HARMONIUM EN TOURNÉE

Harmonium takes to the stage, with excellent results. Although this is a true team effort, the Serges are featured most prominently: Serge Locat on synths and Serge Fiori on vocals. The general progression of the songs is to start slowly with some delicate vocals over guitar, then add some keys and wind fills, and finally building up to memorable crescendos of heavy synth leads. Even though it perhaps sounds a bit formulaic, there is more than enough variety given the instrumentation and dynamics to keep you interested throughout.

These guys just know how to write captivating songs, and they also pair that with great interplay and variety in their performance. Whether you are looking for tender, intimate tunes (Comme un Fou), playful, folksy numbers (Chanson Noire), prog epics with grand finales (Le Premier Ciel), eerie, haunting melotron and synths (L'exil), fantastic instrumentation (Lumiere de Vie), or the classic Harmonium vocal harmony choruses (Comme un Sage), you can find it on this album. It's all very tasteful and recorded in a quality fashion, especially for a live album of that era. It also helps greatly that the crowd is respectful of Harmonium's quiet sections.

This variety may be a bit of a downside though: most songs are extended pieces feature both up-tempo and louder parts as well as mellow sections. If you are in the mood for just one or the other, your mind may wander a bit throughout this show. However, if you simply want to listen to well-performed and tasteful music, I don't see how En Tournee can disappoint.