Artist: Present
Label: Self-released
Release: 2009
Rating: 4.6/5
Present are one of those bands that just get better with every record. Since coming back with Certitudes (if we don’t count C.O.D. Performance) they’ve put out nothing but unbelievable stuff, and every new release topped the last one. Their last studio album came out in 2001, so expectations for a new one were sky-high. Present haven’t let us down. They’ve made yet another masterpiece that nods to their past glory but keeps its eyes on the future, with music that’s even more intense, more complex and better sounding.
The band’s sound is hard to pin down. You could probably say their music is built around pretty dissonant motifs and melodies (if you can even call them that), composed and arranged in such a demanding way that the result is music that’s seriously hard to listen to. I’m usually not a big fan of technical music for technique’s sake, but Present know how to throw their worst fears and deepest feelings into their creations and come up with some otherworldly music that’s extremely complex, yet also very emotional and able to suck you right in.
Vertiges is a composition written by father and son Trigaux together. It might be the most demanding Present track so far. The tempo never lets up and some of the parts are insanely difficult. I think that’s exactly where Present are strongest – when they play incredibly complex passages that also carry a ton of anguish and other primal feelings. At moments (especially around the halfway mark) Vertiges reminds me of the Univers Zero track Presage (Uzed), which is interesting, since Trigaux was no longer a member of Univers Zero at that point, but he obviously followed their music, given that Daniel Denis was also a member of Present. Vertiges is a stunning achievement and shows off the typical Present sound, but also adds a modern twist. You feel incredible tension and rawness the whole way through, and it keeps you on edge from start to finish.
A Last Drop is a track written by Pierre Chevalier. It’s his second compositional contribution to Present – the first was Strychnine for Christmas from the album High Infidelity. Pierre’s style is quite different from Roger’s. It’s not as wild and mad, and there are quite a few calm moments where you can give your ears a rest. Some of the Mellotron parts remind me of early King Crimson, while certain guitar riffs have a whiff of Red (also King Crimson). A nice contrast to the sensory damage (in a good way, of course) that Vertiges inflicts.
The last piece is probably familiar to every fan of the rock in opposition movement. Jack the Ripper (written by Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux) was officially released on Univers Zero’s album Heresie and is one of Univers Zero’s most recognizable pieces. Present still play it often at their gigs. This version is the one we hear at their shows. It feels like there’s more adrenaline in it and Jack seems even more manic and brutal. Apart from the extra aggression, the composition is pretty close to the original. There are some added parts on Mellotron and synth that crank up the tension, some of the instruments are different, and the intro is played on piano instead of harmonium, but as far as the composition goes, there are no major changes. I’d have preferred to hear a new track, especially since Jack is also on the DVD, but it is what it is, and I’m sure I’ll be spinning this version a lot too.
The other half of the album is the DVD. Here you get almost three hours of Present performances, which is a lot by any standard. You hear practically all the best Present songs and their most talked-about shows of recent years.
First up, you can watch almost the whole set from the first Rock in Opposition festival in 2007. These clips bring back great memories and show the band at the peak of their powers. The two-piano set is especially interesting, since the arrangements are a bit different from the studio versions.
Then you can see the band playing at the Gouveia festival in 2006. Even back then they were already presenting the two new pieces you can hear on the studio disc. A Last Drop is practically the same as on the CD, while Vertiges is played only from roughly the halfway point on (from the part that sounds similar to the Univers Zero track Presage).
The archival footage is a great bonus too. I loved the performance of both Trigauxs during C.O.D. Performance, where they played Alone, Le Poison (part one) and Ersatz on just two guitars, with young Reginald Trigaux taking the lead guitar role.
The clip of Present playing the Carmaux festival in 1994 is really interesting too. Again we see a line-up with no keyboards, just two guitars, bass and drums (Roger and Reginald Trigaux, Christian Genet and Daniel Denis). The band delivered a pretty rockin’ version of Le Poison (part two).
Next up is Delusions, played at the club Orion. Dave Kerman and Pierre Chevalier had already joined the band by then, and the playing feels much more focused. Reginald shows he’s also a great improviser when he launches into a solo that recalls Jimmy Hendrix.
The Wurzburg show also brings something good – a piece I hadn’t heard yet. It’s called Contre and was already released on the Live album. It should have been recorded in the studio or even expanded, since it sounds fantastic already, and if Trigaux added a few of his typical touches, it could sound even better (if that’s even possible). At moments the composition even reminds me of Art Zoyd.
The sound of the performances seems slightly changed. The compositions are closer to the studio versions and not so much like the live show I witnessed myself at the first Rock in Opposition festival. I can’t say anything about the other shows, but I assume it’s similar. On the DVD they sound way better than they did live (except for the archival footage, which sounds average), but that was to be expected.
Like I said, the sound on both discs is superb (except for the archives), thanks in part to Udi Koomran’s good work, but the picture quality isn’t on that level. The last CD/DVD combo I bought before this one was the new IQ album, where the picture was way better. Here the image looks slightly blurry the whole time. That’s only a minor annoyance, though, since the performances are still clear enough to enjoy in every respect.
The performances on both discs show that these are some of the best musicians in the world. Roger Trigaux’s vision is clear, and for it he needs the best players, and ever since No. 6 he’s had them. The sound is so full that it feels like every millimeter of space is packed. Not a note is superfluous, everything is exactly where it needs to be. That kind of brilliance takes a lot of work and trust, and Roger Trigaux undoubtedly gets that from his musicians.
Barbaro (ma non troppo) is a fantastic album. The only real criticism is that there isn’t enough new music on it – just 28 minutes. Sure, we get a new version of Jack the Ripper, but I’d rather hear something totally new than something that came out 30 years ago. Other than that, I’ve got nothing but praise. The DVD let me relive some great moments from the first RIO festival and see shows I sadly missed (Gouveia 2006). We also get some archival footage, which nicely rounds out the album and the history of Present.
My bottom line: Barbaro serves up some of the best music Present have ever released. For me, Vertiges is the best Present composition of all time, or at least it feels that way right now, and one of the best pieces of music ever, period. A Last Drop isn’t far behind, while Jack the Ripper offers a nice peek at the difference between the new and old Present sound. Every fan of Present and experimental music should own this album.
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Present is one of those bands that just keeps getting better with each release. They’ve released some amazing stuff since their comeback with Certitudes (if we don’t count the C. O. D. Performance) and each release bested its predecessor. The last studio album came in 2001, so expectations were naturally very high for this one. Present didn’t let us down, producing another masterpiece, which reminds us of their past glories, yet also focuses on the future with an even more intense, complex and better-sounding release.
Present’s sound is hard to define. I suppose you could say their music is built around very dissonant motives and melodies (if you can call them that), which are intricately composed and arranged into what is sometimes considered as some of the most challenging music to have ever been recorded. Usually, I’m not a big fan of technical music just for the sake of it, but Present are able to put all their darkest fears and deepest emotions into their music to create otherworldly music, which is highly complex, but very emotional and involving at the same time.
Vertiges is a track co-written by father and son Trigaux. It’s perhaps Present’s most challenging work to date. The tempo is unrelenting and some of the parts are incredibly complex. I think this is where Present are best – doing amazingly difficult segments that still contain so much anguish and other primal emotions. Occasionally (especially somewhere around the half of the composition), Vertiges reminds me of the Univers Zero piece Presage, which is peculiar since Trigaux was no longer a member on Uzed, but I suppose he kept track of the goings-on in Univers Zero, seeing as Daniel Denis was also a member of Present. Nevertheless, Vertiges is a tremendous achievement, showing off some of Present’s trademark aspects, but the piece also seems to have a more modern feel to it. There is an amazing intensity and rawness throughout it that keeps you on your toes all the way through.
A Last Drop is a piece composed by Pierre Chevalier. It’s his second contribution to the Present catalogue – the first being Strychnine for Christmas from the High Infidelity album. Pierre’s style is quite different to Roger’s. His piece is not that hectic and wild, there are a few more peaceful moments to rest your ears. Some segments on the Mellotron remind me of early Crimson, while some guitar riffs remind me of Red. It is a nice contrast to the damage on the senses (positive, of course) that Vertiges inflicts on you.
The last title is familiar to most fans of the rock in opposition movement. Jack the Ripper (co-written by Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux) was originally released on Univers Zero’s Heresie and is one of the most recognisable Univers Zero works. Present still frequently play it at their shows. The version we hear here is the one from their live shows. It’s as if an extra surge of adrenaline has been put into the piece and Jack has become even more brutal and manic. Besides the more aggressive nature of the composition, it stays fairly true to the original. There are some added Mellotron and synthesiser parts, which add to the suspense, some of the instruments are different and the introduction is played on the piano instead of the harmonium, but in terms of composition, this is pretty much the same version as on Heresie. I would have preferred to hear a new piece instead of this, seeing as this new version is also on the DVD, but beggars can’t be choosers and I’m sure this will get a fair bit of mileage from my CD player as well.
The second part of the album is the DVD. You get almost three hours of Present performances, which is a lot by anyone’s standards. We basically hear all the favourite Present pieces and all of Present’s most memorable performances in the last few years.
First, we get a look at almost the entire performances at the first Rock in Opposition festival held in 2007. These bring back some fond memories and show the band in all its glory performing some of their best pieces. The two pianos set is particularly interesting because the arrangements are slightly different than on the studio versions.
After that, we can see the band performing at the Gouveia 2006 festival, where they already presented the two new pieces we can hear on the studio CD. A Last Drop is more or less the same as on the CD, while only half of Vertiges is played (from the section that sounds a bit like Univers Zero’s Presage).
A really excellent addition to the DVD is the archival footage. I enjoyed the two Trigaux men during the C.O.D. performance, where they played Alone, Le Poison (first part) and Ersatz on only two guitars, with a young Reginald Trigaux taking on lead guitar duties.
The Present 94 show played at the Carmaux festival is also nice. Again, we see a line-up with no keyboards, but two guitars, bass and drums (Roger and Reginald Trigaux, Christian Genet and Daniel Denis). The band performed a very rocked-out version of Le Poison (Part 2).
The next footage is Delusions performed at Orion. Dave Kerman and Pierre Chevalier had already joined the band at this point and the playing seems that much tighter thanks greatly to them as well. Reginald shows what a great improviser he is when he goes into a Jimmy Hendrix-like solo.
The Wurzburg show also brings us something good – a piece I hadn’t heard before called Contre (also included on the Live album), which should have been recorded in the studio or even expanded by Trigaux because it sounds fantastic as it is, but with Trigaux’s typical additions, it might sound even better (if that’s possible). It actually reminds me of Art Zoyd slightly.
The sound of the performances seems slightly altered. The pieces sound more similar to the studio versions than when I heard them live at the RIO festival. I can’t speak or the other shows, but I’m guessing it’s the same. It sounds much better on the DVD than live, but that was to be expected, except for the archival releases, which sound exactly as archival releases should – not great, but not bad.
The sound quality on both discs is great, as I’ve already said (apart from the archival segments), also due to the good work of Udi Koomran, but the picture quality isn’t the best. The last CD/DVD combination I got before this was IQ’s latest album and they did a much better job of the picture, while Present’s DVD picture doesn’t always seem to be in focus. This is a very minor annoyance to such nitpickers as myself, as the performances can still be seen very clearly and enjoyed thoroughly.
The performances on both discs clearly show that we’re hearing some of the best and most dedicated musicians at work. Roger Trigaux’s vision is clear and for that vision he needs the best in the business and ever since No. 6, he has had the best group of people to work with. The sound is so full that you feel like every millimetre of space has been used up. No note seems obsolete, everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be. This kind of brilliance requires a great deal of dedication and belief – and this is what Roger Trigaux certainly gets from this great group of musicians.
Barbaro (ma non troppo) is a fantastic piece of work. The only real criticism I have is that it gives us too little new music – only 28 minutes. Sure, there’s a new version of Jack the Ripper, but I’d rather listen to an entirely new piece than to a composition written 30 years ago. Other than that little complaint, this CD/DVD is a real treat. The DVD gave me a chance to remember the wonderful moments o the first RIO festival and see some performances I unfortunately missed (Gouveia 2006). There is also some very memorable archival footage, which adds a nice touch to the album.
My final assessment is that Barbaro serves us some of the best music Present have ever produced. For me, Vertiges is the best Present composition I have ever heard, or at least it seems like that at the moment, and one of the finest pieces of music ever written by anyone. A Last Drop isn’t far behind, while Jack the Ripper offers a nice new insight into Present’s new sound. This is a must-get album for any fan of Present (for the CD and DVD) and experimental music (particularly for the CD). The future looks bright for Present!
Line-up
Christian Genet – bass (DVD: 10)
Keith Macksoud – bass
Matthieu Safatly – keyboards, cello
Daniel Denis – drums (DVD: 10)
Dave Kerman – drums
Réginald Trigaux – guitars
Roger Trigaux – guitars, keyboards
Ward De Vleeschhouwer – piano (DVD: 4, 5)
Pierre Chevalier – piano, keyboards
Fred Becker – saxophone (DVD: 12)
Pierre Desassis – saxophone
Udi Koomran – sound
Dominic Ntoumos – trumpet (DVD: 12)
Laurent Van Gorp – tube (DVD: 3)
Production
Present
Track list
CD
1. Vertiges (16:25)
2. A Last Drop (11:25)
3. Jack The Ripper (16:32)
DVD
Live at Rock In Opposition — France Event, 2007, Electric Concert : Sunday, April 15
1. Jack The Ripper (16:01)
2. Ceux d’en Bas (suite) (12:46)
3. Promenade au Fond d’un Canal (26:14)
Two Pianos and Percussion: Saturday, April 14
4. Souls For Sale (24:14)
5. Vertiges (17:55)
Live at Gouveia Art Rock Festival — Portugal, April 2006
6. The Limping Little Girl (12:43)
7. A Last Drop (11:36)
8. Vertiges (10:24)
Bonus archival videos
9. Present C.O.D. (7:27)
10. Present 94 (8:38)
11. Delusions At Orion (17:18)
12. Present 2001 in Wurzburg (6:39)
