HARMONIUM
Back to the main page

Comment using:
[email protected]
(Specify what name or how much of it you want to see appear, specify what you are commenting about)


Albums reviewed:
1975 – Si On Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison (10)

Most of you probably have no idea who those guys are. They're Québec's best progressive rock band, and amazingly, one of the most known band of the province (although most people have no idea what progressive rock is). 'La Cinquième Saison' is an album of capital importance here, this one and Harmonium's first album could be the definitive Québec albums. It has high historical importance, and to me, hides all kinds of socio-political messages. Québec has always been a few years late in terms of musical development (even to this day sometimes, although we do produce post-rock bands), and although this album came in 1975, it felt more like 1971 to people here, if only it could've appeared earlier, it would be much more recognized world-wide. The translation of the title would be "If we needed a fifth season". Songs 1 to 4 represent all the seasons starting spring (Vert, which means "green"). The liner note describes the story of a character named "Montréal" (yes, like our city, in fact, it's both the story of a city and of a girl at the same time, odd), who goes in a vicious cycle. In the spring, she wakes up in dirty clothes, and sees spring dancing at her feet, she becomes a bit more joyful and gets up. Summer arrives and she eats and becomes happier, remembering her ancestors (Québec's national day is June 24th), and she invites everybody to have fun at her place. It's all described by rapid folk piano and guitar. But then, in the action of the party, all men desired her, and summer left in tears because of how Montréal was acting. Fall comes (Depuis L'Automne), enters using the back door, turns off all the lights, and rapes Montréal while she was too drunk . This could be the best moment in the band's career, with incredible lyrics and mood changes, showing how Montréal lost her identity, but slowly building up at the end with this hymn "Si c'tun rêve réveille-moi donc, ça va être notre tour ça s'ra pas long, reste par icitte parce que ça s'en vient" (If it's a dream wake me up, it will soon be our turn, stay here 'cause it's coming...). It's layered with lush mellotrons and acoustic guitars. Montréal wants something to happen, but soon falls into a cold coma (winter). She wakes up in dirty clothes, and sees spring dancing at her feet... However, there is the 17 minutes instrumental Histoires sans paroles (wordless tales), which is basically the fifth season that Montréal could access to escape this cycle. It starts with sea sounds and soft guitar and flute, and soon escapes into heavenly chords and scapes of mellotrons with wordless chants from a lady. This long track has to be heard to be believed. It's so amazingly poignant and beautiful, and is definitely in the leagues of the best bands known (and beats a lot of them). The specific moment where the lady chants has to be the most heart-shattering musical moment for me; the whole thing resonates for me more than, well, maybe more than anything I've ever heard. What is it? The girl escapes this awful world of hers, or was it a metaphor for the separation of Québec? They've never been clear about this, but naming the girl "Montréal" and describing her life as if it was a city and a girl at the same time, well, it's... strange, desolate, but hopeful.

The whole album has no drum, putting a huge emphasis on acoustic instruments. However, don't think it has no rhythm, it took me many listens and a look at the booklet to notice the absence of drums. It has exceptional mellotron layers, one of the instrument's best use ever. It's a Québec soundscape, with the tale of a stupid cycle that we have lived in forever, always falling into coma just as action could be taken to stop being "raped" (the word is quite strong, but I think we often "rape" ourselves with our comatic escapes). Always after seduction that was first honest, but soon became hypocrite.

Okay, so if you happen to be from outside Québec, like progressive rock, or folk music, and want to have a better feeling of what Québec is, you have no choice but to obtain this album. It also sometimes becomes very mellotron heavy, which is awesome, especially combined with all those acoustic instruments, I'm listening to Histoires Sans Paroles right now and I'm having goosebumps, just like when I first discovered the pleasures of music... Please, do me (and yourself) a favour, get it in any means (download it if you must!). An important thing to remember is how this album sounds fresh despite being a 1975 record, there are influences, but it's not like when you listen to a Greenslade album, or a Eloy album, or a so-called "second-rate" band where you feel something a bit artificial about the whole thing. This is pure unique stuff.

Simon Lac, November 26th 2004