Conventum - Le Bureau Central Des Utopie

Year of Release: 2006
Label: ProgresSon Music
Catalog Number: MPM13
Format: CD
Total Time: 62:55:00

Quebec carved its own niche into the progressive rock world in the 70s, although few of us have heard the wealth of music the region produced. ProgresSon Music has brought these bands back to light, exposing a pocket of progressive music that embraced folk influences as much as classical. Conventum plays what you might call chamber folk; complex and meticulously arranged, yet presented with the barest instrumentation. Acoustic based, featuring guitar and violin as the main instrumentation, complemented with bass, mandolin and 12 string guitar (and a few extras). There is very little percussion used, so it is pretty easy to sit back and pick out each instrument and what they are playing. The violin is most often the lead instrument, but acoustic guitars play a prominent roll. Electric guitar appears briefly, displaying a Fripp influenced sound ("Choregraphie Lunaire") using that long sustain, adding a nice atmosphere. There are no vocals on the CD until you get to the bonus track (and a little on the title cut), and I am not sure exactly what is going on, but it is quite a strange 8 minutes in "Le Pays Du Bruit," and all I can say is I did give it one listen, but that is it. It took awhile for this CD to sink in, but the more I listened, the more amazed I was at the virtuosity, and melodic nature of the music. Conventum is a unique listen, and fans of acoustic instrumental music will get an earful from Le Bureau Central Des Utopies.

Tracklisting:
Le Reel Des Elections (2:47) / Ateliers I & V (4:09) / Fondation (6:14) / Choregraphie Lunaire (8:15) / La Belle Apparence (2:17) / Fanfare (4:26) / Trois Petits Pas (4:18) / Le Reel A Mains (3:26) / Le Bureau Central Des Utopies (10:10) / Bonus Tracks : Le Pays Du Bruit - Live (8:18) / Le Commerce Nostalgique (7:53)

Musicians:
Bernard Cormier - violin, percussion
Andre Duchesne - acoustic guitar, dulcimer, vocals
Jacques Laurin - bass
Rene Lussier - electric guitar, 12 string guitar, mandolin, percussion

Guests:

Jean Derome - flute
Pierre Cartier - acoustic bass
Edouardo Pipman - drums

Discography:
À L'Affut D'un Complot (1977/2006)
Le Bureau Central Des Utopies (1980/2006)
Conventum 77-79 + Rééedition (1986)

Genre: Progressive Folk

Origin CA

Added: December 7th 2006
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Hits: 2929
Language: english