Les Bons Contes Font Les Bons Amis

This is another album by Un Drame Musical Instantane where they use a large orchestra to create a sound that is somewhere between free jazz and neo-classical music, with some tape work thrown in. The three pieces are only slightly tamer than those on the earlier LP with the Grande Orchestra du Drame, A Travail Egal Salaire Egal. They also seem a bit more composed and less freeform, though improvisation still plays its part. "Ne Pas Etre Admire, Etre Cru" throws in some gunshots, screams, and sections of the music which sound something like Cage-ian chance operations at work with sporadic bits of noise, pulled off with Un Drame Musical Instantane's usual dark sense of humor. "L'Invitation au Voyage" begins as a folk song, with acoustic guitar, cornet, and singing, until strange electronic blips begin to invade and then a bagpipe becomes prominent. Side two of the record is taken up by the three-part "Revolutions," performed by three different orchestras, led by a different one of Un Drame Musical Instantane's three founders: Birge, Gorge, and Vitet. The first section, "Matin," is bright and lighthearted, whereas the second and third parts are darker and denser. At times it sounds like Penguin Cafe Orchestra, though less whimsical and predictable. Like other records, there are spoken voices in French, electronic effects, and a lot of creativity. Though this record is not quite as wild and outside as A Travail Egal, it still works well, with plenty of musical drama. ~ Rolf Semprebon