Bryologie
Rouge ciel / Guido Del Fabbro, Simon Lapointe, Antonin Provost, Némo Venba
The combination of stadium theatricality and subtle deconstruction gives Rouge ciel a fascinating weirdness, a sense that the players are willing to try anything. — Musicworks, Canada
I enjoyed the interplay of the musicians […] through this emotional work. — Vital, Netherlands
With Bryologie, the quartet pushes further transmutation of genres already started with their previous albums. Games forms combining improvisation and tight composition. Acoustic, electric and electronic textures served amid rock, jazz or avant-garde. A band with an unusual line-up Guido Del Fabbro (violin and electronics), Simon Lapointe (keyboards), Antonin Provost (guitars) and Nemo Venba (trumpet and drums), Rouge Ciel offers a music turned towards the pleasure of creation without constraints.
- Composer(s): Guido Del Fabbro, Simon Lapointe, Antonin Provost, Némo Venba
- Performer(s): Rouge ciel
- Cover image: Martin Tétreault
- Graphic design: Fabrizio Gilardino
CD (MFMV 19)
- 1Bond précisionnel 5 (2010), 2:24
- 2Imbroglio (2010), 5:02
- 3Agitato (2010), 4:34
- 4Tess (2010), 3:16
- 5Antimémoire (2010), 7:19
- 6Bryologie (2010), 8:05
- 7Sous le vent (2010), 3:18
- 8Jubilation protozoaire (2010), 9:38
- Label: Monsieur Fauteux, m’entendez-vous?
- MFMV 19
- 2010
- UCC 771028251926
- Total duration: 43:18
- 126 mm × 126 mm × 4 mm
- 35 g
On the web
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In the press
Review

Review
Four new releases from Ambiances Magnetiques. One of them is by veteran Joane Hétu, who worked on a career that more then 25 years now. You may know her from all-women groups Wondeur Brass, Justine and Les Poules. Avant rock was their thing. Gradually Hetu moved however to more abstract territories and profiled herself as a composer. Récits de neige is the third part of a trilogy about winter, this time a very snowy winter. Effectively Hetu evokes and visualizes this climate. Helped out by the Ensemble Supermusique. Prominent is a french spoken text no doubt about winter and snow. The music often plays a servile role for the performance of the texts, and that works tiring from time to time. Many of the pure instrumental parts however, sometimes jazzy and always very inspired, learned me more about the winter. I enjoyed the interplay of the musicians and easily forgot all discomfortable aspects of the winter through this emotional work. Speaking of Danielle Roger Palardy I can repeat the above introduction as she walked a similar route as Hetu. Again we are in the company of a core member of the Montréal “musique actuelle” scene since 1980. She Works as a self-taught percussionist, composer and improviser. Her newest release Pinta, Niña & Maria, has much to offer. It brings together three pieces written for three very different ensembles: GGRIL, Ensemble SuperMusique and ECM+. This way Roger provides us an excellent overview of her new music activities. In the first composition by Roger many dissonants are included, in a context of thick and noisy sounds in part 3, whereas in part 4 and 5 the music is more subtile but again staying close to noisy textures and tensions. The second work blends electronics with acoustical instruments, composed in an more traditional style with rock elements. The third piece starts like a piece of string-based chambermusic, but is mixed with percussive and other sounds of electronic and acoustical origin. With Rouge Ciel we are in the company of younger generation of musicians but not necessarily presented to more up to date music. Bryologie is the third effort by this avant rock group. A band led by Guido Del Fabbro (violin and electronics), and completed by Simon Lapointe (keyboards), Antonin Provost (guitars) and Nemo Venba (trumpet and drums). More then on their earlier records they profile themselves as a rockband. Continuing a line that had more representatives in the past of Ambiances Magnetiques. Now they are most close to Miriodor considering this aspect. One could think from this Rouge Ciel lives in the past, but that does no justice to them. Using forms that we know from the past they are not into a simple retro journey without any phantasy. Far from it. Their instrumental music is rock-based but intelligently combined with improvisation. Although they play with energy and drive, their compositions miss that little extra to make it really worthwhile. The true surprise this time comes from Isaiah Ceccarelli, a drummer, improviser, composer and singer from Montréal. His newest work, Bréviaire d’épuisements, is composed for two singers, two bass clarinets, viola da gamba and solo percussion. It is a collection of short pieces composed in a stripped down manner for texts by poet Marie Deschênes. In contrast with the other three CDs is one chooses for a much more sober approach. From a drummer one expects playing dominated by rhythm. But that is not the case here. In contrast Ceccarelli is more involved in drones and textures, that is illustrated impressively by the opening track. The first of four instrumental interludes that are mixed with seven vocal parts. Like the composition also the singing and playing is very disciplined, giving all the subtleties maximum strength. I don’t know what the poems are about, but the work almost has the effect on me of some kind of prayer. It is not for this association that I liked this one most.
Jazz-qui-rock-ma-vie
Faque j’suis dans un party chez un ami quand j’lui dit: «Yo, c’est trop fly ton shuffle mix», pis là y’m’shoot «Yoooooo, c’pas à shuffle, c’est le nouvel album de Rouge Ciel». Pis la ma tête fait genre BBBRRRKK-SSSHHHHAAARR-RRRRRHHHH-SSSSHHKKKK, pis lui yé comme «yyyeeeaaaahhhh» parce qu’y m’a eu avec sa fake compil qui sonne comme si les best orchestres de film de série B et westerns italiens (pense Morricone qui front Goblin) composaient pour m’accompagner lors de mon vol de banque… sur la planète VAMPIRE!
Review
This is the third disc from the great but under-recognized Quebec-based progressive band Rouge Ciel. After hearing their first two discs and seeing them live at Guelph, I was excited to receive their new one earlier this week. What I dig about this disc is that it is filled with passion and creativity, not any of that complexity for-its-own-sake stuff. This sounds as if it was recorded in the mid-seventies since they use those vintage keyboards like (Hammond?) organ, electric piano & synth. Mr. Del Fabbro plays some great wah-wah violin on Imbroglio, now there’s a sound we haven’t heard in a long while. Agitato has a most majestic sound with lovely cascading violin & piano swells. A few of the melodies used here have a warm, folky sort of resonance which is most charming. Just when you think you have this band figured out, they head for darker, more turbulent waters. Antimemoire has a great, churning quality that builds to a grand conclusion. Classic progressive music has a mythic quality like a soundtrack for an animated journey that we are swept away by. That’s what we find here. You got to love that central pounding drum on Bryologie, a strong blend of eastern and other progressive elements. There is no singing on this disc for those who need to know and it is delightful gem throughout, like a long lost treasure from the olden days (of the seventies). I would hope that Michel Levasseur from the Victo Fest would be wise enough to book this great quartet for a future fest. Both Rouge Ciel and Victo are from the very same province — Québec.
Listening Diary
A third opus for Montréal band Rouge Ciel, who could be called Miriodor’s little brother (no insult to either band). Bryologie carries on where Veuillez procéder had left, i.e. a more avant-rock attitude with bits of free improvisation, though retaining the complex instrumental avant-prog songwriting mixed in with Québécois musique actuelle. On first listen, I think I prefer this one over Veuillez procéder. Noteworthy: the dynamic Tess, which would make a great 3-minute radio single (not!), and the epic Jubilation protozoaire. Guido Del Fabbro’s electric/treated violin remains the focal point of the band’s sound.
Blog
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010 / General
Tuesday November 23, 2010 is the official launch date for the new Bryologie CD on the independant label Monsieur Fauteux m’entendez-vous?. Rouge ciel is a new formation made of Simon Lapointe (keys),Antonin Provost (guitars), Guid… More