Bernard Falaise

Falaise has put together a great band, only it’s not a band; it’s a series of overdubs creating a mille-feuille of carefully controlled sounds and influences. Falaise name checks Anthony Braxton, Captain Beefheart, Igor Stravinsky and Robert Wyatt as influences, so you know there’s never a straight path between two points. Sometimes the writing is a little tight assed, with strangled, carnival-esque riffing from the horns and trombone redeemed only by drummer Jean Martin’s powerful groove in "Tricheur.” There’s a Zappa influence at work as well, with a knack for snaky, highly orchestrated melodies and sudden shifts into loopy solos evident especially in Falaise’s guitar work. Clic makes more sense as a suite than as individual tracks. As one song folds into another, commonalities in the arrangements begin to emerge and the listener begins to appreciate the scope of the work. Certain songs coalesce on their own, such as "Lime” and "Moka,” which would appeal to fans of Torngat, while others just keep up the momentum. Shout outs go to the overdubbed; he’s assembled a diversely proficient band with Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Gordon Allen and Tom Walsh as a hard charging brass "front line.”