VENDREDI 13

Even if One Shot's second album is a live release (recorded on Friday 13th, 2001 in Macon, France), but it contains all-original material, so it should be regarded as a full-fledged album. Graced with a polar artwork and featuring the same line-up, this album was again a long-OOP private pressing, but is now again available through the Soleil Zeuhl label. What's changed is the general sonic feel as this second effort is much more refined than their raw debut album, but you'll be nowhere near the neo-prog production values either. Indeed, this Friday 13th remains a typical Zeuhl album, without any kind of compromises or concessions.

The opening two-part 20-mins+ I Had A Dream piece is demented track that might be a little too repetitive and overstay its welcome, despite an extremely complex rhythm pattern. For the rest of the album, OS delivers another batch of their dark and sombre soundscapes, between King Crimson and Magma, and on the more modern or lesser-known influences, one could mention Potemkine, Vortex, NeBeLNeST and a few more. The 9-mins No track is the jazziest track of them all, and I mean this in the "standard jazz" manner, because of the second part of the track's solos are very much in that vein - and therefore less broody and menacing.. The following Wild Way is definitely the most-fusiony. Sooooo, you could say that One Shot sounds typically French prog, with some Zeuhl and fusion touches, induced by the pounding bass, but also the dark atmospheres of their music.

Personally, I do not find that Vendredi 13 is their better album and it should not serve as an intro (try the remastered debut or the latest Dark Shot), and might just be my least fave, but it is still an excellent Jazz-Zeuhl album, although there are albums much more urgent to discover before you get to this one.