L'HEPTADE

Bombastic. Theatric. Conceptually ambitious, grandiose and interesting but, perhaps, Serge bit off a little more than he (or his band mates) could handle. There is a lot of attention to detail and subtlety--certainly a lot of love and energy went into the creation and production of this album but, I have to ask myself, was it rally worth it? Does Serge look back at this product and project with more pride than embarrassment, more satisfaction or regret? This is, IMO, not unlike the creation, production, realization, and performance of an opera or a five-act Broadway musical: a gargantuan undertaking. While I like the project overall, and find many, many wonderful and wonderous moments, I also find myself at times getting bored and getting confused: How does he want me to feel here? Up or down--cuz I feel both. The music changes so often and so dramatically that I'm often confused. For example, during "Comme un fou" the speed-up and slow-down, minor and major rollercoaster is so regular that I almost find myself nauseous. The point is that each and every 'feature' song has so many shifts and changes that it's virtually impossible to come away with a singularly comprehensive impression from any one song much less a one number rating for each. There are parts of every song that are outstanding. There are also parts of every song that become tedious, overworked, or seem superfluous--which then makes it very difficult to give any one song a 10/10 rating (or five stars). I love the prologues, interludes, and epilogues--kind of like the Eric Woolfson effect on the first Alan Parsons Project album--though much more Broadway-esque here (the seeds for future bands/projects like UNEXPECT and CIRQUE DU SOLIEL?)--yet they are kind of innocuous and can't be said to really add to or augment much of the album's effect. There are many magical moments in this 85 minute journey, but not enough to earn it masterpiece status much less my highest recomendations. My guess is that the collaboration with Neil Chotem and the preferential employ of female singer Monique Fauteux may have contributed to the exodus of other Harmonium founding members. Too bad. "Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison" was--is--really something extraordinary. "L'exil" (a truly emotionally enrapturing song--musically, lyrically, and, especially, vocally) is really the only song that truly fulfills--and may even surpass--the promise of their previous work. "Lumières de vie" is far too self-indulgent and melodramatic and "Comme un sage" is too long and totally reliant on the hook of one vocal melody--albiet a gorgeous one--though not as one-dimensional as "Le corridor."

5 star songs: "L'exil," "Le premier ciel,"

4 star songs: "Comme un fou," "Chanson noire," "Comme un sage"

This is a tough album to rate because it is so ambitious, so full, so emotional, yet it ultimately disappoints, seems to have fallen short of expectations, and presents not enough brilliance to keep one coming back again and again. A 3.5 album I'm going to rate up for the sheer effort and dreams of an extraordinary soul. Wherever you are now, Serge, I thank you profoundly for your contributions to my life.