Fulmines Integralis is a CD reissue of
Musique Noise's only LP, 1988's Fulmines Regularis, augmented by four demos recorded in late 1992 for a second album that never materialized. First introduced at the time as part of the zeuhl movement -- a bunch of French groups following in the footsteps of
Magma's
Christian Vander --
Musique Noise lightens up the recipe. The music has lost
Magma's martial drumming but has kept the intricate male/female nonsense vocals. The opener, "Pas Encore" (Not Again), surprises at first: Kicking off like a Caribbean version of jazz scat, it quickly flourishes into the sunniest, liveliest zeuhl tune this side of Kobaia. Isabelle Bruston, Cornélia Schmid, Jean-Philippe Gallet, and Philippe Zarka obviously have a fun time singing the catchy vocal répons. "Unique au Monde" and "Pour Qui Sont Ces Rangers Qui Marchent Sur Nos Têtes?" delve into more complex time signatures and moods, revisiting tricks pioneered by
Magma circa Udu Wudu and
Attahk. Inserted before the original LP's closing track, the four previously unreleased pieces indicate that the group was keeping the same heading. If "Ecco" is overlong, "RagnarØk" stands out thanks to excellent vocal parts. These cuts feature a slightly different lineup, saxophonist Simon Bot Ban Jok and keyboardist Xavier De Raymond augmenting the ranks. "Pzkr!" offers an awkward conclusion by laying a spoken text over the tape of "Pas Encore" running at double speed. This false note doesn't depreciate the freshness of the album. ~ François Couture