Detailed Reviews [Bertrand Loureau - 2002 - "Passe Compose"]

Bertrand Loreau (France) - 2002 - "Passe Compose"
(52 min, "Dreaming" - a division of Musea Records)

Prologue. "Passe Compose" is the fifth album by Bertrand Loureau. There are only four new recordings on this album (1, 3, 4, & 10), while all the others are the tracks that were not included in any of Bernard's previous albums (see discography below). In other words, this 16-track album almost entirely consists of outtakes.

The Album. Surprisingly, it turned out to be that precisely half of these outtakes are excellent pieces, to say the list. Here is this splendid Eight: Tchau Teo, Son is Born, Daughter is Born, La Lecon de Musique, Le Clos des Papillons, Belra-Mar de Fortaleza, Cancao para Tidinha, and The Lost Lake of Crystal (1; 5 to 11). Stylistically, each of them represents a piece of light, yet, very tasteful Classical Music. I classify them not only because none of these compositions features any repetitions. Thanks to the presence of the passages of a virtual (PC talk) string ensemble and synthetic, yet, quite listenable solos of chamber instruments, such as an oboe, flute, harp, clavier, etc, these pieces sound really much in the vein of Classical Music. Of course, those of them that are more or less long: Son is Born, Daughter is Born, Belra-Mar de Fortaleza, and The Lost Lake of Crystal, are more intricate than the others. None of these pieces contains solos of electric guitar, the presence of which in the works of a real Classical Music is, to my taste, unnecessary. As for the programmed rhythm-section, it is present only on the latter of these eight pieces (track 11) and sounds OK here. Three more compositions on the album are very good: Alone Together, Music For Nothing, and especially Communion (13, 12, & 2 respectively). Apart from the lush passages of synthesizer and flute-like solos, all of them feature also the fluid solos of electric guitar and are about Symphonic New-Age (not Ambient, which, in my view, is, on the whole, simpler and more monotonous than the said style). All three of the last tracks on the album, Heavy Dream, Just Follow the Sequence, and Bad Movie (14 to 16), contain guitar solos as well. However, since there are not only real solos of synthesizer, but also sequenced ones, their style can't be defined differently than a traditional Electronic New-Age. Nevertheless, these instrumentals are acceptable, unlike both of the remaining tracks here. The Origin of Life and The First Night On the Earth (3 & 4) are probably about a new style called somewhat like Spacey Emptiness, as there is nothing but random spacey effects of synthesizer on both of them.

Summary. On the whole, "Passe Common" is one of the most interesting albums released by Musea's 'electronic' sub-label, Dreaming, this year. Furthermore, I am inclined to think that any of Bernard Loureau's previous efforts, three of which, moreover, were released by one of the two 'jazzy' divisions of Musea Records, M-Parallele, is better than this album. Recommended to the curious.

VM. October 11, 2002