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Sotos is a
French progressive-rock quintet (guitar, violin, cello, bass, drums),
formed in 1996 by students of the Ecole Nacional de Musique, that debuted
with the all-instrumental Sotos (Gazul, 1999). Its sophisticated
scores displayed the influences of
5uu's,
Miriodor,
Philharmonie.
Platypus (Cuneiform, 2002) contains two lengthy compositions.
The seven-movement 41-minute Malstrom (composed by bassist Bruno Camiade)
is a summation of everything progressive-rock has offered over three decades.
The first movement opens with convoluted Art Bear-ish jamming. The second
delves into the austere, brooding atmospheres of avantgarde music. The third one
swirls around a Frank Zappa-esque fanfare. The fourth one indulges in
minimalist repetition. The fifth one is a complex piece in itself, bridging
dissonant chamber music and post-psychedelic "slo-core". The sixth one sounds
like a gypsy band covering an Henry Cow song.
The 28-minute suite Wu, a composition by guitarist Yan Hazera, is
far more difficult. The first half is 13 minutes of subtle interplay,
with little or no concern for melodic flow and dynamics, and not even texture:
the delicate counterpoint among the instruments constitutes either a cryptic
narrative or a solemn meditation.
The second half is a wild crescendo that initially sounds like the orchestral
Frank Zappa at its most fluid and sprightly (and hard-rocking).
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