René Lussier/Martin Tétreault/Robbie Kuster/Érick d’Orion

A notable blend of noise and nuance this Québécois quartet soars through seven live improvisations without ever fraying the sonic thread that holds them together. Veterans in this context, René Lussier playing guitar and Daxophone and drummer Robbie Kuster add just enough squeezed string elaborations or percussion backbeat to project their identities. At the same time electronic impulses from Érick d’Orion’s computer and Martin Tétreault’s turntables rumbles produce a sustainable drone. Still this wave form continuum is perforated often enough so that surprise textures from vinyl-sampled vocal mumbles and gurgles, synthesized outer-space-like crackles or horse whinnies, or acoustic string flanges or relentless backbeats are clearly heard.

The adjoining “Celle Qui Suit L’autre” and “L’avant Derniere” give Lussier space to demonstrate guitar prowess, as he moves through folksy runs, bottleneck Blues, cranked up arena-Rock resonations and microtonal string plinks. With Kuster’s rugged backing and consistent buzzes, at one point an unexpected interlude of live sampled second guitar accompaniment is heard. The computer’s backwards running flanges reach a crescendo on “L’autre” joined by singular drum smacks, metallic turntable platter screeches, guitar string slaps and processed unhuman cries as the exposition is fragmented into a mid-point climax. Reconstituted on subsequent tracks, the performance concludes with “Pis La Derniere” as emphatic drones are succeeded by muffled vocal samples, isolated guitar plinks and a final descending electronic buzz. Engaging throughout as it is concluded logically this session personified the imagination and delicacy needed to maintain an hour-long electro-acoustic parity.

–Ken Waxman

-for MusicWorks Winter Issue