Duo Déconstructiviste / Duo Deconstructiviste

This project began in Banff (Alberta, Canada) in November 1993, while percussionist Michel F. Côté and samplist/keyboardist Diane Labrosse were there with time on their hands and support to record. They lured a few local musicians into a studio to sample their playing. Later they devised a handful of pieces, completed by another batch recorded in March 1994 back home in Montréal. The 11 tracks on Duo Déconstructiviste (Deconstructionist Duo) are built on avant pop foundations, thanks to both musicians' previous pop/rock-related projects, and are elevated toward abstract sound collage and/or free improvisation. Most of the samples used are tonal, but their recombination follows no rule. Of course, the resulting music has very little to do with the song format, but there are repetitions and ghosts of melodies and tonalities. But it fails to convince — the whole album sounds artificial and lacks soul or engagement. A year later Labrosse would release a very personal and poetic solo album, Face Cachée des Choses, while Côté would complete his best Bruire album, L'Âme de l'Objet, both a lot stronger than this CD. That said, Duo Déconstructiviste is not without its moments. "Y Tu Mirar" has a lot of grace and "Quelques Hippocampes" ("Some Sea Horses") blends percussion with tape loops very nicely. Fans of either musician will find food for thought, but this CD remains a half-failed experiment. ~ François Couture, Rovi