Libra (Un Film du Groupe Pattern)＜Blue Vinyl＞

The first solo album by Besombes, Libra, goes all over the place as Besombes and company go wild on many different musical styles, from space rock and free jazz to pop, though always with an underlying avant-garde veneer. Whereas "Poursuite" and "La Ville," with passages of space rock punctuated by abrupt changes and spikes of feedback, might point to early Faust, and the sitar and ethnic percussion on "Raggacountry" echo some of the more experimental stuff from Dzyan or Between, another track, "Ballade en Velo," takes a totally different direction by starting off like Sonny & Cher's "I've Got You Babe." Fortunately, that piece veers off into something else, but the same can't be said for the clunky pop song that closes the disc, "'Tis a Song." Otherwise, the rest of the album is a wild, eccentric roller-coaster ride through many musical territories, with Besombes' tweaked-out synth going from drones to shards of disruptive noise, lots of guest musicians, even women screaming or moaning on a few tracks, and a lot of unpredictability. The whole mess is held together by a psychedelic strangeness and unconventional juxtapositions, even when the music is more conventional, like the synth swoops that punctuate the blues riffing of "Boogimmick." ~ Rolf Semprebon