Exposé Online banner

Carpe Diem — Cueille le Jour
(Musea FGBG 4127.AR, 1977/1994, CD)

by Peter Thelen, 1995-07-01:

Cueille le Jour Cover art Unjustifiably overlooked, Cueille de Jour is the follow-up to this quintet's monster debut — and an outstanding representation of the best that France had to offer in the seventies. Their highly melodic sound is powered primarily by keyboards and sax/flute, with solid support from the bottom end. Guitars (and to some extent keys) handle the overall rhythmic structure. Their sound is well balanced with no one instrument dominating the mix, often existing somewhere between a melodic Canterbury sound (However, Happy the Man, Camel) and the ethereal spaciness of Pulsar, with elements of jazz and chamber-rock blended in, even approaching a Soft Machine flavor on "Tramontane." Keyboardist Christian Truchi doubles on lead vocals, which are used sparingly and don't overwhelm the music when they appear — in fact three of the album's original six tracks are entirely instrumental. The album opens with a monster twenty-two minute five-part epic "Couleurs," which would be worth the ticket price alone; five shorter tracks on the back side offer further explorations in this band's unique vision. Interestingly enough, a version of the album with English lyrics was recorded, but never released; one track from the English version is included here as a bonus track. Overall, an outstanding album if not a classic.

by Henry Schneider, 2016-06-23:

A year after their first release Carpe Diem issued their second LP Cueille le Jour. Now we find the band stretching and exploring the jazz territory of Zao and Soft Machine. The CD opens with the epic "Couleurs." Over these 21 minutes Carpe Diem plays music ranging from beautiful acoustic guitar to quiet chamber music. Over the course of the year Carpe Diem honed their skills and produced a more polished release than their debut. This second album demonstrated their extraordinary creative ability with orchestration and melody. They developed a modern chamber music that has since been extended by bands like Universe Zero. Unfortunately for Carpe Diem just as they were hitting their stride, the musical winds of change ushered in punk and the record companies lost interest in this innovative band. Luckily for us Musea took the effort to bring this excellent music to the notice of a wider audience.

Filed under: Reissues , 1994 releases, 1977 releases

Related artist(s): Carpe Diem

More info

Latest news

2017-05-19
First ProgStock Festival Set for October – October 2017 will see the inaugural edition of a festival called ProgStock in Rahway, New Jersey at the Union County Performing Arts Center. With a definite slant towards neo-progressive music, the event is sure to please many fans with the inclusion of such artists as Echolyn, Glass Hammer, and Aisles. The festival will take place October 13-15. » Read more

2017-05-05
Clive Brooks RIP – Word reaches us today of another sad passing in the music world. Drummer Clive Brooks, best known as a member of such Canterbury bands as Egg, Uriel / Arzachel, and Groundhogs, has died at the age of 67. Details are sketchy at this point. The news was reported on Nick Mason's Facebook page — Brooks was Mason's drum tech. » Read more

2017-05-02
Col. Bruce Hampton RIP – The phrase "He died doing what he loved" is almost a cliche, but in the case of Col. Bruce Hampton, it couldn't be more true. Hampton, who was born Gustav Berglund III, collapsed on stage at his own 70th birthday celebration and later passed away. The event took place at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. » Read more

2017-04-16
ProgDay 2017 Announces First Bands – Flor de Loto, Sonar, and Infinien are the first three performers to be announced for the 2017 edition of the long-running ProgDay Festival. The 23rd ProgDay takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 2nd and 3rd, at Storybook Farm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. » Read more

2017-04-16
Allan Holdsworth RIP – Surely in the list of artists who have contributed to the sound of modern music, there is a special spot for guitarist Allan Holdsworth. His name is known to virtually every student of the instrument in jazz and rock, and his style has been so widely emulated that it's hardly worth mentioning anymore — we can just assume that every guitarist has Holdsworth as an influence. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Horace X - Strategy – When last I heard from Horace X, back in 2003 with Sackbutt, I found their eclectic mishmash of influences both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they didn’t really sound like anyone else; on...  (2006) » Read more

Horace X - Sackbutt – In the mega-genre that is World Music there is a subgenre often called World Beat. Rather than being specifically from any part of the world, either in fact or in sound, World Beat combines elements...  (2003) » Read more

Robert Berry - Pilgrimage to a Point – Robert Berry has been making music around the San Francisco Bay Area for about 20 years now – maybe longer. Probably his only national attention came during the late 80s when he teamed up with...  (1995) » Read more

Rocket Scientists - Earthbound & Brutal Architecture – I wouldn't call the first CD by the Rocket Scientists progressive. It is a collection of songs, predominantly vocal. There is a lot of talent here. RS is Eric Nordlander on keyboards and vocals,...  (1996) » Read more

Premiata Forneria Marconi - 10 Anni Live 1971-1981 – The saga of PFM is one of the most interesting and revealing of all of the "progressive" symphonic rock greats. With PFM you see the birth of the Italian classical rock scene, you see a band...  (1997) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Jesca Hoop Was Born to Do This

More recommendations
ProgStock 2017

Print issues