Ever had one of those dreams where you have no idea where you are or how you got there but everything there is upside down, tilted to the left and backwards? And then you wind up falling down a big hole and landing in the velvet lined cocktail lounge of a hotel bar? If so, Compil zouave is perfect for you. It’s an album that defies catagorization; oh, you could try to pigeonhole it in any one of 20 musical categories, only to have it change directions 5 seconds later, leaving you right back where you started. Côté, joined by a cast of over 20 other musicians (including your favorite Ambiances Magnétiques stars! — Ed. ), has created a supernatural sound collage that’s not sure if its coming or going. Some songs sound like free jazz, others resemble drum-n-bass, percolating coffee makers, circus music or random sample-fests played on a malfunctioning turntable. The result is a wonderfully cohesive space odyssey, rather than the garbled mess you might expect of an album this musically diverse. Let’s Get Lost is reminiscent of a 60’s blaxploitation soundtrack, Bavaroise sounds like middle-eastern funk, replete with gratuitous saxophone stabs and opera-like vocals and I Can’t Give You Anything But Love is a Bachrach-style ballad that I’m sure you’ll be hearing in the bar of a Holiday Inn some time soon. What makes Compil zouave so impressive is its ability to “nail” musical genres without compromising its varied and adventurous nature. So grab six or seven different bottles of liquor and a glass, throw on Compil zouave and prepare yourself to be amazed — or perhaps, if you can’t hold your liquor, sick.
