CONTRE-COURANT

Opus 5's Contre Courant is yet another unique contribution to prog from the Quebec scene of the mid-to-late 1970s. Opus 5 are one of those groups who are quite hard to pin down - right now they're in jazz fusion, when I first started browsing progarchives I could have sworn I saw them in heavy prog, and there's some folk influences (Harmonium flavoured, naturally) working their way in there as well.

For my part, I hear an exceptional symphonic prog band incorporating a whole swathe of influences into their unique sound - often tending towards the heavy, and with bits of Canterbury-ish fusion there, but with gentle flute and delicate guitar never too far away. I can hear the Gentle Giant influence some report, but at points I also hear a bit of Renaissance in the interplay of guitar, piano, and occasionally operatic vocals. But however you peg it, there's some mighty good prog here.