Debile Menthol ~ Switzerland

Battre Campagne (1984)

Quickly back to Debile Menthol. I already traded the below copy to a local collector (who loved it immediately), and he was also interested in this one. So I moved it to the front of the stack for a listen. Battre Campagne is the title I owned long ago (before 2004 at the very least). Well, no surprises here, the music is mostly lost on me. Combine what I said below, add some Devo, and perhaps some Looney Tunes while at it. One cannot accuse Debile Menthol of selling out here. If anything, they really upped the ante on just about everything. Surprised to see this as the lower rated of the two, given its dedication and focus of the style.

Source: 1984 RecRec (LP). Includes insert with lyrics and recording details.

1/22/26 (review)
 

Emile Au Jardin Patrologique (1983)

The newly acquired LP collection included many imports of (what we now call) avant prog. A beautiful selection honestly. Though much of it will find their way into other collections when it's all said and done. As you might know, if you've read this blog long enough, the genre isn't a favorite of mine. I do, however, understand the allure of it. Highly composed, often zany, usually happy, and somewhat random in its approach. Which if I read my own description, sounds pretty darn good. I tend to champion melody, grooves, atmosphere, intensity, solos, and riffs. And on that front, avant prog is something of the polar opposite. 

Most of these albums - I suspect - will find themselves in my prog journals. But I wanted to at least put one group out there, as who knows when the journals will be published. So I wanted to provide context as I plow through this collection. Because most of what I held back to listen to will likely be in this vein. I already own the Italian and English prog stuff, and much of his fusion albums as well (though there are a lot of those I'm also looking forward to diving into).

I thought I'd owned both Debile Menthol albums in the past, but it turns out it was only the second one. Which is also here, and I will update this post when I get to it. While hearing Debile Menthol's debut, I found myself distracted and irritated often. Whether I was focused on each note of the recording, or busy reading something else, the music could be described as a "great interrupter". All the same, there is an intellectual side of me that really wants to love this stuff. In my 20s, I was that person. I had many albums such as this as late as the mid 1990s (when I turned 30). I let academia sometimes override emotion. Which is smart in finance and business, and I still maintain that philosophy for those. But for appreciating music? No, that has to come from the heart and soul. So while my brain was having fun distilling the crazy notes and meters, my heart was looking for something else to do that I enjoy. 

So we'll leave it there. I know (or hope) there will be a few that I will sing the praises of. Others will find their way into the Debile Menthol category. But I'm sure it will find its way into the hands of a serious collector eventually.

Source: 1983 RecRec (LP). Includes insert with recording details.

1/20/26 (review)

1/20/26 (new entry)