Wednesday 10 June 2020

Univers Zero - Univers Zero (1977)


The debut album from this band from Belgium.

The band was an eight piece big band on this album with a lineup of spinet, harmonium, guitar, bass, violin, viola, pocket cello, oboe, bassoon, percussion and voice.

 Univers Zero was a hugely influential band and co-founders of the RIO scene. It is one of the greatest bands in the avant-garde scene.

My plan is to review all their albums this summer and autumn. I had a listen to this album and was wondering if I was really strong enough, Covid 19 and the insecure situation we all find ourselves in, to do this.

But I had a sneak listen to some others of their albums and decided to carry on.

The music on this album is acoustic, wild and strings based. There is also a lot of oboe, bassoon and percussion here. The music has nothing whatsoever to do with rock at all.

Chamber music, it is. And totally avant-garde.

It is not droning avant-garde. The music is indeed very dynamic and full of details. It is a type of music that takes time to penetrate. I have taken this time and I am mentally preparing myself for a wild ride before every listening session.

The music is indeed a wild ride. It is also pretty good and rewarding too.

It is a more than an acceptable debut album and one to check out...... with a wide open mind.

2.5 points

 


No comments:

Post a Comment