Fromage — Ondine
(Belle Antique 9458, 1984/1993, CD)
by Dan Casey, 1994-10-01:
by Peter Thelen, 1996-03-01:
Cheese jokes aside, this band was active throughout the eighties, and released two regular albums. Their approach was symphonic, featuring guitar, bass, keys, drums and flute, and female vocals, and on their first album, Ondine, they deliver a relatively poppy (and sometimes obnoxiously so) progressive sound, typically Japanese, comparable to bands like Novela in their commercial phase, or perhaps Tai-Phong. Yet on one track at least – the instrumental "Ultimate" – they clearly show that they can deliver the progressive goods without the pop baggage. There are some very nice moments on many of the other tracks as well, especially the lengthy "Tsuki-Ni-Hoeru," but a flash of brilliance here and there a great album doesn't make.
Filed under: Reissues , Issue 9 , 1993 releases, 1984 releases
Related artist(s): Fromage
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