Review: Gong's second and perhaps most beloved effort 'Camembert Electrique' resurfaces on Charly Records. Recorded at the grandiose Strawberry Studios in the scenic northern French countryside, the album's 11 tracks pulse, contract and twist in a lairy bacchanal of folk, psychedelic sludge, progressive rock tropes and deadpan pop hooks. From the opening tape jingle 'Radio Gnome' to the jangly, propulsive closing prog quest 'Tropical Fish: Selene', Gong balance moments of extreme campness with quiet, emotional introspection, as on the portmanteau 'Mister Long Shanks/O Mother/I Am Your Fantasy', where driving proto-punk riffage segues into operatic proto-Black Midi ditty segues into breathtakingly suspended lap steel ambience.
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