Justine's second album (unless one counts
La Légende de la Pluie)
Langages Fantastiques was recorded immediately after the band came back from a European tour. The nine pieces included on this CD were developed on stage and recorded live in the studio. It all shows how much more into improv territory the band has forayed since the very rock and thoroughly composed
(Suite). If the first album may be easier to listen to,
Langages Fantastiques is more rewarding and involving. The new wave-inspired coldness of previous albums by
Justine,
Les Poules, and
Wondeur Brass is finally gone, allowing emotion to flow more easily.
Danielle P. Roger is now concentrating on acoustic percussion, resorting to electronic ones only for specific effects -- it frees the music from its previous "outdated" sound. Pop/rock stylings now appear only occasionally, resurfacing in order to hold things together. The best comparison would be the oscillation between avant-rock stylings and improvisation that was at the heart of Cassiber. Highlights abound, every track bringing its load of surprises, but "Manigances" (Schemes), "Encre de Chine" (Indian Ink), and "Vidanges Domestiques" (Domestic Trash) are one head above (although some will find
Joane Hétu's vocals on the latter irritating, to say the least). "Bon Apétit," which seems to take its idea from
André Duchesne's song "La Dictature Dure" (from his 1984 album
Le Temps des Bombes), is the number rocking the hardest.
Justine's swan song,
Langages Fantastiques resists the passage of time and remains a very enjoyable album. ~ François Couture