French TV – This is What We Do. 2006. Another new album from French TV. Another great album from French TV. Does the community at large take Mike Sary’s band for granted? I’m thinking yes. Sometimes I think that because they’re “always around”, folks may ignore them more than the “new kid on the block”. I’m in awe of a band who can release nine albums in a 23 year time span, and never sound stale, retro or trendy. They never mail it in. And they are what one would want from a band that carries the heady term of progressive around. French TV are a mix of avant progressive, Canterbury, big name UK symphonic, French and Scandinavian styles, even some of the more obscure over the top US progressives like Cathedral and Mirthrandir (and yes, they would have had access to these bands since their inception). But mostly they sound like French TV. In fact, as I hear “This is What We do”, I recall another elder statesman of creative rock music: Patrick Forgas and his Forgas Band Phenomena. Commercial success was never part of the blueprint for these gentleman. The material they compose is both complex and mature, yet still maintains the edge of youth. We have so few role models in rock music that carried the creative banner for decades, so we must look to jazz and icons like Miles Davis to see this kind of pushing forward as the years go by. Even Magma had to take a long break to regain the focus (and they were just starting to sink into irrelevance in the early 1980s when Vander put a stop to it). No one will know the day French TV stops, but after about 10 years, someone will ask “Whatever happened to French TV?”. Maybe the reunion tour will draw more fans? I hope it doesn’t get to that. Just keep doing what you’re doing. An A-List band for two plus decades.

Lady Lake – Supercleandreammachine. 2005. It wasn’t too long ago I spoke of the 1980 archival release by Lady Lake. What spurred that on, I’m sure, was the reformation and new album release of “Supercleandreammachine” (named after a radio program in The Netherlands). Lady Lake’s comeback album is how all such reunions should be. No nods to modern music such as techno or heavy metal. No attempts at trying to win over a radio friendly audience. No overt plagiaristic 1970s sound. Nope, Lady Lake pretty much picked up where they left off on “No Pictures” and recorded a new album in a similar style. Sure, it sounds like it was done in 2005 rather than the late 70s, just as it should be. Lady Lake play a type of music that is difficult to get right, since it’s almost entirely built on melodic structure. No sophisticated arrangements, fancy time signatures or long jams. So if the music quite simply isn’t appealing from a melodic perspective, it’s going to be a yawn fest. As most are in this genre truthfully. But Lady Lake is that special band that transcends the scene and the group hasn’t lost their touch one bit. Maybe not the classic “No Picture” is, but an excellent reunion, one of the best I’ve heard. A-List group all the way.

Eclat – Le Cri de la Terre. 2002. Eclat are one of my more neglected “A-list” groups. Not sure why it’s taken me 5 years to finally buy and hear this album, but it’s never too late I guess. “Volume 3” is the album, for me at least, that put them in the A-List category, since they had released somewhat mediocre material prior. So it’s a tenuous relationship, one that I’m happy to say will continue beyond “Le Cri de la Terre”. It seems the band has moved away from their Minimum Vital-ish roots, Which is to say there is less of the Medieval here. But in its place is a more aggressive kick-ass style guitar rock, with some nice keyboards (not recommended for digital phobes though). In fact, the short electronic pieces are definite minuses. Guitarist Alain Chiarazzo can play with the best of them, his style is very much in the French school, and the Paysson comparison continues. Eclat are still gigging, so I suspect we’ll see some new material soon (their website was down when I last checked and no news on their myspace page).