Harmonium "Si On Avait Besoin D'Une Cinquième Saison" 1975*****

Harmonium were a folk/prog band from Montreal, Canada. They wrote exclusively in French and supported Quebecois independence. 1975's "Si On Avait Besoin D'Une Cinquième Saison" ("If there was need for a 5th season") was their 2nd LP and it represented a huge leap forward from the acoustic folk of their debut. The sound is still acoustic and drumless, but incredibly rich, with flutes, accordion, pianos and mellotrons, vocal harmonies etc. The orchestration and the long and complex compositions push the album from folk to prog territory, despite the absense of the usual heaviness and grandiosity. Of course, the "4 seasons" concept has been done before (Vivaldi is more than a popular name for pizzerias, you know) but they give it a new twist: after presenting a song for each season, they top it off by adding "Histoires Sans Paroles", representing the hypothetical "fifth season" of the title. As for its musical worth, no reason to be coy: It's an album of sublime beauty, period. Some may find it a bit too pretty for its own sake, but that's their problem. "Vert" (spring) opens the album with a sweet flute melody and is, despite the instrumental flourishes, basically folk rock with airy vocal harmonies. "Dixie" is a playful ragtime jazz tune that will remind you of carefree summers and silent movies. It's followed by the 10-minute "Depuis L'Automne", a melancholic song with wonderful passages of classical guitar and Chopin-like piano. It's all given a lush symphonic feel by washes of floating mellotron. "En Pleine Face" (i.e. winter) is another broody piece which reminds me more of French chanson - maybe  it's the effect of accordion that closes the song creating a nostalgic effect. The last song in the 5-season cycle is a 17-minute suite called "Histoires Sans Paroles". As in classical music, this is comprised by five movements. The first "L'Isolement" is a charming flute-and-acoustic-guitar melody. It ends with majestic mellotron segueing into "L'Appel", dominated by electric piano and acoustic guitar. It made me think of Pink Floyd circa Atom Heart Mother, a feel that became even stronger with the shift to "La Rencontre" (the meeting) a psychedelic collage creating an uneasy feeling akin to walking through an enchanted fairytale forest. This is followed by new age symphony ("L'Union") with soaring mellotron, soothing beach sounds (wave and seagulls) and some of the most beautiful vocals you'll ever hear on an instrumental, courtesy of ms. Judi Richards. The last movement "Le Grand Bal" starts off like carousel music, and is slowly enriched with piano, reeds and mellotron playing a waltz-like tune to match that movement's title. Harmonium would go on to record a double studio album and a live one, before disbanding in '78. I have in my collection many albums I prefer to listen to (especially louder ones), but few can compare to this for sheer beauty. I can't understand why Harmonium are not mentioned in the same breath with Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes. Their music is as accessible as any in prog, though I guess they lacked radio hits. "Dixie" was released as a single (maybe because of its short duration) and was a local hit, but it's atypical of the band's sound and not indicative of their capabilities. Oh well...

***** for Vert, Depuis L'Automne, Histoires Sans Paroles (HSP)1: L'Isolement, HSP4: L'Union 

**** for Dixie, En Pleine Face, HSP2: L'Appel, HSP5: Le Grand Bal

*** for HSP3: La Rencontre