Pascal Languirand - Minos (1978 Canada).
Pascal Languirand - De Harmonia Universalia (1980 Canada).
Pascal Languirand - Vivre Ici Maintenant (1981 Canada). Pascal Languirand is sort of the Richard Pinhas of Quebec. A one man show of dark electronics (primarily Moog) and searing electric guitar. He’s a bit more cosmic than Heldon, which calls to mind Klaus Schulze. And he often uses wordless voice that reminds me of Franco Falsini. On “Minos” there’s also a trippy folk number with French vocals that I find highly appealing in this setting. “De Harmonia Universalia” is quite similar, a bit less foreboding and more cosmic than its predecessor, with no dropoff in overall quality. The trio is completed by “Vivre Ici Maintenant”, and again, perhaps surprisingly, there is no noticeable downshift in the quality. Here, Languirand takes us a bit further East while adding some acoustic percussive elements. Album could be presumed an anachronism considering the late date. There is a compilation disc that features some of the music above, but would be nice to see the albums come out on CD in full.
Champignons - Premiere Capsule (1972 Canada). Starts off in a trite go-go 1960s way, with an energetic keyboard driven instrumental number. This is followed by a very slow, depressing and excruciatingly boring 7 minute blues song with French vocals. From track three on Side 1 to the conclusion of the record, it’s all aces. The music becomes primarily instrumental while taking on a darker stance. The guitar has that ominous fuzz tone, and there’s an underlying jazzy structure lead by the fine flute and sax work. For these excellent tracks I’m reminded of the Eden Rose / Sandrose family out of France, and the relative progression from one to the other. If Champignons were lead by a female vocalist, that would solidify the Sandrose comparison. Never been reissued legit on CD.