L'Araignée-mal (Atoll, 1975)

One of the most surprising, unpredictable fruits of the lushing French Prog garden from the Seventies, this song is the title-track of the sophomore work by Atoll, the well known Metz-based crossover band. The gloomy and obsessive bass line of this song, along with the dramatic and theatrical vocals, create an original mood, mid-way between Ange and Magma, or between symphonic rock and RIO.

Atoll's line-up as seen on "L'Araignée-mal" back cover.

The lyrics and the music deal with madness and seclusion, but also with a distant, persistent hope, underlined by a dreaming guitar solo and some Mellotron chords in the final section of the track. The inner anguish and the struggle for a brighter perspective turn music into emotion and sounds into a lifelike experience. That's why, even if Atoll wrote more effective and more pleasant melodies during their career, I couldn't leave "L'araigné-mal" out of this humble blog.

Le cerf volant (Atoll, 1977)

Among the many good tracks released by this French band, I decided tointroduce in my blog this instrumental and relaxing one, taken from the album "Tertio", a rather accessible LP, compared with its precedessors. The first and most important reason of my choice is the spacey, atmosferic and hypnotic mood of the song, bravely exploring all the arcane features of a genre that, back in1977, seemed to belong to history.

The title says it all: "Tertio" was Atoll's third album.

But Atoll still had so much to say and to play, as this magic essay proves very well. Electronic keyboards and an elegant electric guitar are the main features of "Le cerf volant", but I also like André Balzer's delicate and variated drumming. The whole song perfectly depicts the flight of a kite (that's the meaning of the song title in English) high in a blue sky, and the sense of freedom it always suggests. More than a song, this is a vivid, persistent kind of dream.

Je suis d'ailleurs (Atoll, 1974)

Taken from their first album "Musiciens-Magiciens", this "je suis d'ailleurs" ("I'm from Elsewhere" in English), is probably one of Atoll's most original songs, with its mysterious opening, followed by a  syncopated rythm and a series of amazing musical inventions. If the first half of the song (more than 4 minutes) is drum-driven, then a gentle ballad opens the space and the keys come in, painting an aerial picture. The final part is once again ruled by highly creative, somehow experimental percussions. There's nothing trivial here, and the whole song is deep and evocative, like an arcane ritual, but never unpleasant or puzzling... just intriguing and anticipating.

This was the debut album of Atoll.

The contrast between the central melodic part and the challenging rest of the song suggests the image of a beautiful island surrounded by a dense and frightening ocean of fog. The best way to end up this introduction is to put here the complete (and very short) lyrics of the song (I apologize for my rough translation):

An adrift ship, / bridges of light / with an opalescent reflection / light the Oceans.

 

Crossing the seas of time / I found the land / there, straight ahead / in the heart of the Universe. / I'm from Elsewhere, / I'm from Elsewhere.

Le voleur d'extase (Atoll, 1975)

Here's a very, very good specimen of '70s French progressive rock. Taken from "L'araignée mal", released in 1975, this 7'33" track has got everything you need. First, there's a beautiful and sweet sung theme. Second, this theme is interspersed with excellent instrumental passages, Third, there's a clever fusion of electric and acoustic instruments, among which I bring Richard Aubert's violin to your attention.

This cover art was drawn by Yves Uro, also from Metz,

a talented poster artist untimely dead in 1995.

And last but not least, even if the tracks reminds now and there some British bands (Yes, Mahavishu Orchestra and Genesis, but also Gentle Giant), this is a highly original piece of music with a strong French touch. Complex and elaborated, "Le voleur d'extase" can also be gentle and plain, melting jazzy and melodic sections, loud and caressing moments. Yes, those Metz-based musicians knew very well how to be rock and romantic. Listen to this, then let me know...