Description
This new album (the tenth in their discography) was born from two ambitions: to pay tribute to
Soft Machine's Third on form (4 sides / 4 titles) and to philosopher Gilles Deleuze (Difference and
Repetition is the title of his thesis) on the contents. The 4 long pieces of this double concept album were developed over 2 years and each has a different style and climate. Bold and kaleidoscopic, Difference and Repetition perfectly synthesizes the musical and literary obsessions of Palo Alto.
Palo Alto:
Formed in Paris in 1989, Palo Alto released his first album (a cassette) on the Italian label Old Europa Cafe in 1990. The year 2020 is therefore an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this first
stone, the founder of a discography rich with 10 albums. The band is now composed of Jacques Barbéri (also a science fiction author), Laurent Pernice (ex-member of the French industrial band Nox) and Philippe Perreaudin (also coordinator of several compilations and reissues: Legendary Pink Dots, Un Département, Nino Ferrer
Revisited, Ptôse, Hardy FoxŠ). Literature, and particularly science fiction, is a leitmotiv in the band's
work. Antoine Volodine, Thomas Pynchon, Philip K. Dick, Lewis Carroll or J. G. Ballard have been invoked many times. In recent years, Palo Alto has multiplied musical collaborations with, among others, The Residents, Ptôse, Klimperei, Tuxedomoon... From industrial music to inextricable electronic ramifications, by making a detour through improvisation, the musical universe of Palo Alto is multifaceted. Their new album is no exception to this rule
Titles
01. The Tears Of Nietzsche feat. Richard Pinhas
02. Rhizome feat. Thierry Zaboitzeff
03. Triptych feat. Alain Damasio
04. Différence et Répétition feat. Rhys Chatham
Press
Vital Weekly (EN · DM · 16/02/2021)
French band Palo Alto started around 1989. Although I know of their existence for a long time our paths never crossed so far. Over the years they released several albums and this new album subtitles ‘A Musical Evocation of Gilles Deleuze’ is their tenth. Original band members were Jacques Barbéri, Denis Frajerman, Philippe Masson and Philippe Perreaudin. Nowadays it is a trio of Barbéri, Perreaudin and Laurent Pernice (Collectif Nox). For their new project, they invited veterans Richard Pinhas (Heldon), Thierry Zaboitzeff (Art Zoyd), Rhys Chatham and Alain Damassio, a French writer of sci-fi and fantasy literature just like Jacques
Barbéri. They took two years to record this album that contains four lengthy compositions, each one in collaboration with a special guest. Their album is a tribute to postmodern French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. The title refers to an important book by this philosopher carrying the same title. Also, they had Soft Machine’s double album ‘Third’ in mind while producing this album. The opening track ‘Tears of Nietzsche’ features Richard Pinhas (Heldon) on electric guitar, and the beginning of the track strongly reminds of the 70s music of Heldon. Pinhas who has a background in philosophy himself also made references to Nietzsche and Deleuze in his Heldon-days. ‘Rhizome’ is a heavy hypnotic electronic beat-driven piece, with sparse but effective solo playing by Zaboitzeff on electric cello, sounding like a lonesome voice in a dark and sinister world. It is the most satisfying track on the album if you ask me. ‘Triptych’ is a work in three parts. It has Alain Damassio
reciting self-written texts – on the death of Gilles Deleuze – in the centre embedded in spacy soundscapes of electronics and modified saxophone. The closing piece ‘Difference et Repetition’ is a pulsating drone-like ‘rock’ piece, and confirms my impression that their music is in continuity with electronic prog rock from the old days. Although their music may impress due to the heavy electric and electronic wall of sounds they create it is not all, neither complicated nor demanding. Their synthetic and heavily treated soundscapes sound very produced. Appealing on the one side, but not radical or offering new perspectives.
