À La Ô Terre

Chronique

The first album by Montreal psychedelic explorers Population II sounds like transmissions from various locales in outer space, the trio recording and transmitting the drifting nothingness of endless expanses punctuated by the impact of comets, the blinding flash of exploding stars, and the beauty of distant galaxies. Singing drummer Pierre-Luc Gratton, guitarist/organist Tristan Lacombe, and bassist Sébastien Provençal are well versed in all forms of psychedelia, and it wouldn't be surprising to find out they had impressive collections of jazz and prog records at home too. They play with finesse, power, and fire on À la Ô Terre, each track a miniature journey that can be soothing or give one the feeling they're trying to tame some kind of mythical beast as it gives them the ride of their life -- sometimes on the same song, even. These dynamic shifts are unpredictable and often thrilling. The best songs are those like "L'Offrande" or "Ce n'est Rêve" that begin somewhere in the great beyond, set up a pulsing groove, and then blow up dramatically. It's also thrilling when they start off at a full gallop and maintain that energy throughout, like on "Il eut un Silence dans le Ciel," or delve into a laid-back mood and linger there as if floating weightlessly. Regardless of which avenue the band pursues, Lacombe's guitar playing is a thing of wonder. He coaxes all manner of sounds out of his instrument, ranging from gentle fills to raging shards of noise; whatever the song requires, he delivers. His bandmates go beyond sympathetic. Gratton is masterful at colorful fills and steady timekeeping, sometimes swinging and sometimes stinging, while Provençal does a fine job holding things down like a gravitational force with a side business of subtle melodies. The songs work best as instrumental dispatches from the stratosphere and only fly dangerously close to the ground when Gratton steps up to the mic. His vocals are fine, but they distract from the majesty of the music. He's like a narrator butting into a majestic shot when all one wants to do is stare at the screen and be transported to another world. A little less of him and the album would have been a perfect psych-prog record. As it is, À la Ô Terre is merely superb and vaults the band onto level footing with fellow travelers like Dungen and Osees, which is pretty good company to be in on your initial voyage.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo