Christian Boulé – Photo Musik

Like many of you I was first made aware of Christian Boulé through his works with Clearlight as well as Steve Hillage. It took me many years to realize he released two solo albums with Photo Musik and Non-Fiction. Photo Musik being the first, and it really didn't surprise me in the least that the music is space rock in the Hillage vein. I also get reminded of Clearlight, which is also no surprise given Cyrille Verdeaux plays on the album, and Here & Now, due to similar peculiar female vocals. Although Géraldine André is credited to some of the vocal tracks, It appears that Andy Flaten was responsible for the majority of female vocals (including "Crystal Palace"), but because of her name, I got confused since I associate the name Andy for male. Her peculiar voice reminds me of Miquette Giraudy. There is more than a passing resemblance to HIllage's Green, especially with that same delayed guitar effect you hear on "Ether Ships" (same effect heard on Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1" and "Run Like Hell" and on many Ozric Tentacles releases). I really dig those female vocals, particularly on "Cristal Palace", although I feel the album's only mistake was "22 Broad Street" where it's pretty much generic new wave without the great space rock/prog vibe I love of the rest of the album. That song was simply trying too hard to be trendy for 1978 (sounds more like it belongs in 1979 or '80). "Orange Climax" is closest to Clearlight territory, which makes sense as it's a more jazzy piece with Cyrille Verdeaux providing piano. I'm glad to say, with the exception of one cut, "22 Broad Street", this is just as great as the best stuff from Hillage, Gong, Clearlight or Here & Now, which fans of said acts I would very much recommend this album to.

I was nervous about pulling the trigger on this record because the only jams I could find on youtube were awesome instrumentals, but the images/notes warned of vocals across much of the record. I couldn't resist as the instrumentals were hot as HELL... like Magnum P.I. sacrificing a cat in a black mass on acid. The vocals are some cool young woman, they're icey and freaky, along the lines of something you might hear on a J. P. Massiera project (altho we're not talking about Jessy Joyce level pipes). I gotta say this record is really exciting, it's hard to find an LP featuring so many things that shouldn't work together in such perfect harmony.

5 out of 5 - like a helicopter with genitals