Louis Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière is one of the most versatile guitarists on the eclectic Montreal/Quebec scene at the moment. You can hear him in contemporary avant-garde projects led by No Hay Banda as well as in the fiercely free jazz of Brûlez les meubles or in discerning rock. At the helm of an electro-magnetic sextet (three guitars and a bass, with drums and synths), he revisits, in a very personal tribute, iconic bands of psychedelic Space Rock, from Pink Floyd to the Electric Prunes, passing thru the Flaming Lips, Silver Apples, King Gizzard, and several others.
Saturation interrupted or carried, depending on the case, by the drums and the bass pump, elsewhere still, soaring melodies against a backdrop of engaging riffs, or hallucinatory, iridescent atmospheres, the codes are skillfully revisited, enhanced, and reworked by the six artists present, all well-calibrated and synchronized with Louis B’s approach.
Some pieces (all named in honor of a legendary band) have a particular strength: Pink Floyd launches the album into a bath of intertwined colors, while The Doors brings back to life a certain energy tinged with blues from Jim Morrison’s band. Gong is very successful in its insistent, almost hypnotic character, while Silver Apples invokes the sound of the duo’s early period, that of the albums Silver Apples and Contact. Synth frenzy on a catchy beat, a recipe that had hit the mark back then.
We could go on for a long time, from the low-fi surf sound of The Pretty Things to the cosmic and trippy flights of The Electric Prunes, but it suffices to say that this generous program is brilliantly carried out by Louis B de la Sablonnière and his accomplices.
An inspiring and respectful vision of a musical genre that has fueled so many woozy-boozy yet creative evenings.
Alex Dodier: Synths
Maude Bastien: Drums
David Meunier-Roy: Bass
Louis Thibault: Guitar
Phil Girard: Guitar
Louis B de la S: Guitar
