Sunday, March 25, 2007

VIDEO-AVENTURES-MUSIQUE POUR GARCONS ET FILLES, 10", 1979 + CAMERA (IN FOCUS), LP, 1984, FRANCE






Writing a capsule review that does justice to music that has changed your life...there's a trick. The salient fact that the debut 10" by Dominique Grimaud and Monique Alba's Video-Aventures project (band seems to formal a designation for an ensemble with such a varied and variable lineup over the years) contains contributions from some of the heaviest heavyweights from the deadliest underground scene of the 70's (Lard Free's Gilbert Artman, Jean-Pierre Grasset of Verto, Guigou Chenevier from Etron Fou among others) should clue you in that something quite exceptional is going on here. The fact that they cover Telstar on their 10" (to devastating effect) is quite telling, as the atmospheric conditions within which the suave and slightly cartoonish themes free float here seem steeped in some faux nostalgia for a never materialized vision of a better future promised by...say...The Jetsons. Guest guitarist Cyrille Lefebvre's lilting and vaguely Hawaiian slide guitar work carves a woozily languid path through much of the proceedings here and it's one of the key reasons why this record lands with such a gut punch. Within such a deliriously whimsical yet heady atmosphere now factor in a distinct edge of acid unease as only the French underground musicians of that era knew how to fabricate and you have the recipe for one of the most mind warpingly deranged (yet charming!) musical visions ever realized on this planet. I will freely admit that Camera (In Focus) is of a slightly lesser order for me, being "merely" fantastic and not life changing. Vocal based song structure owing something to to both Gilbert Arman's postpunk band Catalogue and to Ilitch's 10 Suicides is now an emergent factor inside Grimaud and Alba's destabilized electronic constructs and they're often strangely offset by a much more subdued and reflective vision of electronic composition, albeit one in which lunatic passages of zany abandon suddenly rip through the song structures' synthetic hymen. Note: both discs are extracted from CD reissues of these albums as both featured extensive bonus cuts.

Get Musique Pour Garcons Et Filles Here

Get Camera (In Focus) Here

11 comments:

Over The Moon said...

It's always great to see a Sunday update! Thanks a lot! I hope you had a nice weekend!

-OTM

Over The Moon said...

I meant to say:

It's always great to see a Sunday NIGHT update.

Sorry about that...

:)

-OTM

Atlantis Audio Archive said...

Eric - I was thinking of posting the Video Aventures 10", but it is pretty far down on the list. Glad you got to both of these.

Do you have access to their Moonbeam Movies 2xCASS on ADN?? That is higher on my list to archive. Lemme' know....

Electric Voodoo said...

Thanks Eric!! Lost my copy in Katrina.

Y.E. Vulva said...

thanx

haven't said that for a while

this blog continues to be a source of much inspiration

merci beaucoup!
gracias!
domo arigato!

ps:

don't suppose you've got a copy of Snakefinger's "Chewing Hides the Sound"? - I had to pass my copy up when I moved a few years ago and haven't yet replaced it...

Aleksandar Kojić said...

Request:FAMILY OF GOD - Family of God (1998.Ochre Records ) Great Totally Weird Mutant Music,But Nobody Knows Nothing About This Double Album Masterpiece. Help Me To Find It... Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Kudos! This is as good as Cataloge -- one of my favorite posts here so far, and that's saying a lot.

You guys never cease to amaze.

Dave

Anonymous said...

just a comment: the "garcons..." shared here are actually from the spalax re-issue (SPA 14970) of the record, which included 10 bonus tracks. just in case someone should wonder how 18 tracks could possibly have been on a 10" :-)

Anonymous said...

oops - don't publish my recent comment :-) i didn't read your description properly - it stands all there :-) sorry

Anonymous said...

I downloaded this cuz I have developed nothing but trust in Mutant Sounds and once again I am totally blown away. Y'all rule. Seriously.

brandumb

Exeter said...

WoW!
I don't know how I'll ever keep up with all the great stuff you post!
Thanks so much!