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Reviews

Miriodor — Live 97
(Cuneiform Rune, 1997/2025, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-11-28

Live 97 Cover art

Here at Exposé, we have a long history of covering Miriodor, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that our reviewers have said positive things about every one of their releases. (We missed their self-titled 1988 album, which saw reissue just before our first issue in 1993, but take my word for it — if we’d reviewed it, the conclusion would be that it’s also very good.) Live 97 takes us back to Soirées de Musique Fraiche, a festival held in Montreal in 1997, after the release of Jongleries Élastiques, and it largely draws its setlist from that album. But it’s no mere rehash of studio tracks. These interpretations bring new life to compositions that were already outstanding. “Le Lanceur de Couteaux,” “Poupées Russes,” “Le Terrible Naufrage du Petit Navire,” and the rest are full of startling originality and musical imagination, combining intricate arrangements with wild improvisation in that distinctive Miriodor way, and also quite different from the studio renditions. It’s also just plain fun. The crazy circus vibe shines through, as if the Cirque du Soleil orchestra has run amuck after binge-listening to Frank Zappa, Samla Mammas Manna, and Sun Ra. The group featured on this date consists of Bernard Falaise (guitar), Pascal Globensky (keyboards), Rémi Leclerc (drums, percussion), Nicolas Masino (bass, keyboards), and Stéphanie Simard (violin), and they play with such fire that you don’t miss the woodwinds and brass that also participated on Jongleries. In short, this live album is a must-have for fans of RIO and Canterbury, or any flavor of avant-progressive rock.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases, 1997 recordings

Related artist(s): Miriodor, Bernard Falaise, Pascal Globensky

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-97

 

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