In
December 1976, Carpe Diem entered
whacked-out recording wizard Jean-Pierre
Massiera’s Azurville studio and
recorded — on 16-tracks — and in just
ten days — working sometimes from ten in
the morning until three the following
morning — all the material they’d
written since their first album. The
trademark Carpe Diem sound is here in
full force: cosmic synthesizers,
psychedelic-flavored guitar-led flights
of fancy, fluid woodwinds, along with an
astounding degree of harmonic
sophistication. The highlight is the
21-plus minute suite, ‘Couleurs,’ which
develops through a series of sublime
melodic motifs. As should be expected,
the musicianship is monstrous, the
playing is tight and energetic, and the
melodies veer from gorgeous to haunting.
The remainder of the album is taken up
by short tracks which present more
concise takes on Carpe Diem’s ideas.
This vinyl reissue includes a
fascinating bonus track: an excerpt from
the never-released English language
version of the album.
•Comes with an insert w/notes by Francis
Grosse detailing from Carpe Diem’s first
album to their split + lyrics with
translations
•Lion exclusive edition — 150x
hand-numbered copies on Transparent
Orange with Black Swirl vinyl
Track List: Side A:
01. Naissance (3:23)
02. Le Miracle De La Saint-Gaston (3:38)
03. Laure (2:44)
04. Tramontane (3:37)
05. Divertimento (3:56)
06. Rencontre (Excerpt From Couleurs –
English Version*) (3:22)
Side B:
Couleurs (21:41)
1a. Premiers Pas
1b La Traversée Des Sables
1c Dernier Village… Premières Neiges
1d Rencontre
1e Les Portes Du Silence
_______________________________________
In
December 1976, Carpe Diem entered
whacked-out recording wizard Jean-Pierre
Massiera’s Azurville studio and
recorded — on 16-tracks — and in just
ten days — working sometimes from ten in
the morning until three the following
morning — all the material they’d
written since their first album. The
trademark Carpe Diem sound is here in
full force: cosmic synthesizers,
psychedelic-flavored guitar-led flights
of fancy, fluid woodwinds, along with an
astounding degree of harmonic
sophistication. The highlight is the
21-plus minute suite, ‘Couleurs,’ which
develops through a series of sublime
melodic motifs. As should be expected,
the musicianship is monstrous, the
playing is tight and energetic, and the
melodies veer from gorgeous to haunting.
The remainder of the album is taken up
by short tracks which present more
concise takes on Carpe Diem’s ideas.
This vinyl reissue includes a
fascinating bonus track: an excerpt from
the never-released English language
version of the album.