Saturday 30 November 2019

Etron Fou Leloublan - Batelages (1976)


The debut album from this French band.

The band was a trio with a lineup of bass, woodwinds, strings, percussion, guitars, drums and vocals.

This band was one of the founders of the RIO movement. Rock In Opposition in other words. Other bands was Henry Cow, Stormy Six, Samla Mammas Manna and Univers Zero.

We are in other words in for some seriously weird avant-garde here.

Being a French band too also add some weirdness too.

I was for a time really wondering if I would be able to put together a review of this album..... and their other albums as reviews of their albums also follows on this winter.

Avant-garde/RIO has this ability to creep upon me and make sense after some hours. This album is a bit of a slow grower.

Take folk-rock, add some mad woodwinds and vaudeville music. Add some mad theatre with vocals and spoken words in French. Add some cowbells and that kind of madness and you get this album.

This is rock in opposition and not for the masses. It still has a lot of quality though.

And this album is a good album. It is quite an experience too which is hard to forget. Of the RIO albums I have heard, this is one of the most avant-garde.... but it works.

3 points

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