LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

1 - Itsumo Hajimari (1'30) 2 - Canary Creeper (5'11) 3 - Golem (6'45) 4 - Bluetail Of Passage (4'33) 5 - Air Flow (5'16) 6 - Secret Recipe (4'50) 7 - L'Esprit De L'Exil (7'03) 8 - Mariana's Garden (5'30) 9 - Danse Rituelle Du Feu - Ballet Musique El Amour Brujo (5'52) 10 - Ripple - Mizu No Wa (6'20)
LU7 is the name of a current Japanese Progressive rock band, centered around the charming Luna UMEGAKI's keyboards, and around virtuoso Tsutomu KURIHARA's guitar. Let's also note the guest appearances of several musicians: a drummer, a percussionnist, a bass player, female and male vocalists, a violinist, a bagpipe player... The duet defines its ambition: "We try to create the imaginative sound, which can make you feel various views and colours.". Published as a joint-venture by the Poseidon and Musea labels, the second album "L'Exprit De L'Exil" (2004) is a real revelation in the instrumental Progressive jazz-rock field, as it's full of qualities no so common in this genre. No question of cliches, coldness or sterile virtuosity here: the density of the seven pieces (Mostly instrumental) is impressive, as are the splendid melodies and the diversity of the atmospheres, from happiness to melancholia. Musically speaking, the listener is free to imagine what an desinhibited Allan HOLDSWORTH could have composed, when discovering celtic or arabic music. A tasteful menu, isn't it ?