Vital Duo - Ex Tempore. 2001 France

Minimum Vital were (and remain so to this day) one of the key elements of the French progressive rock renaissance that first occurred in the mid 1980s. They blended instrumental fusion, hard rocking guitars, and Medieval themes to create something wholly unique. After 5 successful albums and countless niche festivals, the engine of the group - the Paysson brothers - decided to cut some trimming and go right to the core unit. Vital Duo was born. A short lived project, Vital Duo managed this one album before going back to their main brand of Minimum Vital.

It doesn't take long to figure out that Vital Duo is the work of the Paysson's. Their distinctive patented sound is all over this, and it makes one wonder what the other band members were contributing in the first place. At the beginning it seems a bit superfluous, but by the time of 'Chanson de Trouvère' you'll find yourself emerged deep within their vision and sound. Jean-Luc provides most of the stringed instruments including some fiery electric guitar, whereas Thierry brings the keyboards. Both sing as they did on their early albums and Jean-Luc covers the drums and percussion. Of those keyboards, the most fascinating and distinctive is the Digital Church Organ, which is the most prominent keyboard here. It plays right into their Medieval concept.

If you're a fan of albums such as Sarabandes and Les Saisons Marines, then Ex Tempore is an easy recommendation.

CD: 2001 Musea

The CD includes a nice booklet filled with detail. Like many such albums, I purchased the CD close to release date, heard it a couple of times, and filed. Some 15 years later comes the revisit. I didn't recall much about it from the first round of listens.