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Reviews

Patrick Broguière — Ic​ô​nes
(Musea FGBG 4163.AR, 1996, CD)

Ic​ô​nes Cover art

Icônes is Patrick Broguière’s second release and is a concept album inspired by Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. You the listener / visitor are given an itinerary of seven works of art by contemporary French artists ranging from cubism to collage. Broguière then takes you on a guided tour of the gallery via his twelve compositions. This disk abounds with beautiful melodies, subtle harmonies, and well crafted arrangements not unlike Jean Pascal Boffo. Oddly enough the repeated spoken female phrases on "Ceci n’est pas un braque" reminds me of Bill Nelson’s work. Icônes is excellent relaxing music yet intricate enough to maintain your interest. Recommended new melodic music.

by Henry Schneider, Published 1996-01-01

Broguière's debut album Brocéliande was one of Musea's brightest promises last year, the multi-instrumentalist (guitars, keyboards, violin, and flute) serving up a magical dish that hinted of the best moments of Mike Oldfield, Camel, and other purveyors of colorful melodies and harmonic complexities. It was an album that held much promise, and hopes were that a second album would deliver the goods. Not to be, sadly; this latest offering is more of the same: an album of brilliant compositions filled with vivid melodics and rich counterpoint that, due to the thin production and pit-pat of the drum machines, often ends up sounding like nothing more than a very good demo. The possibilities locked within these splendid keyboard driven compositions certainly have the potential for greatness, yet are too often stifled by these limiting factors. The concept of the album is like a tour through a modern art museum, with the paintings that correspond to several of the musical pieces contained in the booklet. One odd track "Ceci n'est pas un Braque," contains spoken female voice a-la Richard Bone's Vox Orbita, but beyond that the album is all instrumental, Broguière using his trademark sampled voice-flute on several of the pieces. In fact this album is quite good, but falls short of what it could be with a little more attention given to the arrangement angle. File under Promising – Part II.

by Peter Thelen, Published 1996-08-01

Filed under: New releases, 1996 releases

Related artist(s): Patrick Broguière

More info
http://broguiere.bandcamp.com/album/ic-nes

 

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