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Lambert — Bon Courage
(Spheric Music SMCD 1007, 2023, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2023-12-02

Bon Courage Cover art

Electronic art in its purest sense, full of catchy rhythms, bright colors and beautiful unforgettable melodies. Lambert has crafted a masterpiece with Bon Courage — oh sure, there are some edgy moments as well as some non-synth instrumentation like the acoustic guitar interlude “Towards Truth,” but most of what is here is informed by Tangerine Dream circa late 70s to early 80s, after their songs shrunk from full album sides down a more concise four or five minutes; even TD alumnus Johannes Schmoelling makes an appearance here, joining Lambert on the track “Fading Memories.” And there are even vocals on the bouncy electronic trip “Runguar,” though I’m not sure what language I’m hearing. The twelve finely crafted pieces cover a variety of sonic palettes and emotions, some dreamy or spacy, others squarely in a joyous mode, some touching on seemingly classical themes (for example “Chain of Images”), others go very deep and moody, but all are thoroughly engaging. The set kicks off with the bouncy “New Horizon,” a piece that is vaguely reminiscent of some of Norwegian synthesist Egil Fylling’s late 80s / early 90s material. “Dream Glide” offers a strong multi-layered keyboard theme that approaches a pop sound not unlike Vangelis. Deep pulses open “Secret Call,” while the layered synth elaborations that follow and build over the course of five minutes are at once scintillating and beautiful. “Fantasy Plays” with its lightly sequenced structure and powerful cascading melodies sometimes recalls the mid-80s work of Gandalf (Heinz Strobl). “Candle” is an engaging two-minute melody that leads into the closing title track, a piece that begins in a deep crepuscular mood but recovers like the morning sun rising with a driving melody. It’s been a few years since Lambert’s last solo album (2015’s Drachenreise) but with Bon Courage he makes a very welcome return to form.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Lambert Ringlage

More info
http://lambert3.bandcamp.com/album/bon-courage

 

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