Transversales Disques France Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Earnest, atmospheric, romantic-gothic guitar pieces from Alain Goraguer, whose Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes hears a collection never heard before on vinyl. Goraguer is best known as a collaborator and ghostwriter of Serge Gainsbourg, as well as the scoring composer for the surrealist sci-fi animation film Fantastic Planet. At around the same time of the making of these two indelible compositions, Goraguer also wrote two similar, but less publicly-oriented scores, both of which appear on this record in a back-to-back fashion. An array of breathy flutes, eerie backing synth counterpoints, and shaky percussions all combine to cloud the glasses on this beautifully bittersweet album-length hypnosis.

Review: The original soundtrack composed and performed by Jean Michel Jarre for the 1973 French movie 'Les Granges Brulees' (The Burned Barns), directed by Jean Chapot, hears a reissue. The soundtrack was originally released in 1973 by Eden Roc and features experimental electronic music influenced by Jarre's work at the G.R.M (Groupe de Recherches Musicales). Now re-released by Transversales Disques, its various concrete meanderings and mysterious polyrhythmic resonances continue to beguile.

Review: Gifted multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk at the height of his powers, backed by his Vibration Society, including long-term cohorts pianist Ron Burton, powerhouse percussionist Joe Habao Texidor, Dick Griffin on trombone, drummer Jerome Cooper and Vernon Martin on double bass. Five impeccable pieces are laid out and played out by the circular-breathing prodigy here, from the opening serenades of 'Sweet Fire' to the funking upstart seduction, 'My Cherie Amour'. A closing slave song satire, 'Volunteer Slavery', hears the stritch player go ham on a rapidly tempo-upping soul build, his singular sax seeming to dance and resound in every corner and cranny of the stereo field.