Novo (2002) [french] + Eng Subs

A blend of Jade Warrior and King Crimson with hints of Änglagård, this French group treads everywhere from soothing melodiousness to sudden attacks of metal. Their music goes from free to hypnotic, wild, energetic and electric rock, but also pieces which sound like jazz-rock with a touch of Zeuhl or even melodious pop songs.
Their third effort, "Quarante Jours Sur Le Sinaï" ("Forty Days On The Sinai", 2002), is a conceptual work dealing with Ancient Egypt and old gods. The music is a mesmerizing melange of Mellotron and organ laden dark prog enmeshed with flute, searing guitar runs, Chapman Stick, dreamy female vocals as well as dramatic commanding male vocals (all vocals are in French). There are lots of guest artists contributing a wide palette of musical colors - harp, soprano sax, cello and etherial vocals…

Mike Sanchez and Eric Mouquet of Deep Forest have always been musical anthropologists, sampling the sounds of other cultures (Pygmy tribes of Cameroon, Gypsies of Eastern Europe, Cuban street musicians, to name just a few) and swirling them into their own ambient dance pop. On this 2002 release the French duo revisits some old samples and also brings in Turkish chant, Japanese pop, and Indian vocals. They introduce startling new elements as well: heavy electric guitars, many lyrics written in English, and a live drummer replacing the programmed rhythm tracks of their previous recordings.
Many of the lyrics here concern environmental issues and warn of the impending dangers of soullessness…

The 14-track collection is a solid overview and features the last studio recording, You Know You’re Right, all the well known singles and two tracks from the MTV Unplugged performance, including David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World…