Artist: Univers Zero
Label: Cuneiform
Released: 2001
Rating: 4.2/5
With Ceux du Dehors, Univers Zero had probably hit the peak of their creative powers by then, but there was no time to rest. They were back to playing live like crazy, mostly in smaller venues. Somehow, in the middle of it all, they found the time to put out a single with three new tracks for the Japanese market in 1983. For a band like Univers Zero, singles were practically nonexistent, but the Japanese market was always known for squeezing a little more out of artists than other markets around the world.
The record spent almost twenty years forgotten, or rather, hunted down like crazy by collectors, until Steve Feigenbaum, a huge music lover and the owner of Cuneiform, teamed up with Daniel Denis (the band’s leader) and decided to put the little record out on CD. But it wouldn’t make much sense to release a twenty-minute album, so they added a few other rarities to the three original tracks.
The first piece is pretty atypical for Univers Zero from that period. You can tell Daniel Denis was a Magma devotee, because this time we get a mix of Eastern European folk and avant-garde, the kind that Magma loved so much on their first two albums (and only rarely later on).
On “Before The Heat” you can hear the influence of King Crimson, especially their more ambient and avant-garde stuff. The track doesn’t really have a climax or an intro, it’s mostly improvisation, but the atmosphere is that much better for it.
On the next track we get to hear how Univers Zero sounded live. Pure improvisation with a similar demonic vibe to the previous song.
“Influences” is the third piece on this album that was recorded in the studio, but it didn’t make the single (that honor went only to the first three tracks). Again, that typical compositional polish and incredibly layered arrangements.
“Triomphe des Mouches” comes from the album Ceux du Dehors (1981) and is played here in a somewhat extended version with a different arrangement – it’s a completely different lineup with many different instruments than on the studio album. The intro and the most dynamic section are stretched out especially far. With a lot of bands that would bother me, but Univers Zero know how to make improvisations so fascinating that they just suck you right in.
And to close, a live version of “Complainte” from the debut 1313, which shows both the improvisational and the compositional side of this superb Belgian band.
Don’t go thinking Crawling Wind is some archival or second-rate collection of leftovers. All the new tracks are of an exceptionally high standard and, typical for Univers Zero, played with pinpoint, perfectionist precision. Of course, there’s no shortage of improvisation either, which was especially important at their live shows. The guys shine just as brightly there. If anyone is expecting jazzy or rock-style improvisations, they’re in for a rude awakening. This is pure avant-garde in the vein of King Crimson (the instrumentals on In The Wake of Poseidon and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic). On their official studio albums, Univers Zero never showed their influences this clearly (apart from chamber classical music), but here you can hear the influence of both Magma and King Crimson.
Beyond the music itself, the booklet offers plenty of information too, with an extensive biography of the band, from its beginnings in 1973 all the way to the various side projects the members took part in. You can also see the changes the band went through between 1981 and the album Ceux du Dehors and 1984’s UZED, where a completely different lineup was playing. It’s clear Daniel Denis didn’t just swap out all the musicians overnight; it happened gradually, starting with the violinist and the wind player, who were replaced by players of similar instruments.
I wouldn’t count Crawling Wind among their best releases, but the stuff that’s good here is as good as their finest compositions. “Toujours Plus A L’est” and “Influences” stand out in particular. The album clearly shows two sides of Univers Zero – the purely compositional one with remarkably advanced, almost classical arrangements, and the more experimental one where anything goes. An important release for all fans of this classic Rock in Opposition band.
Lineup
Daniel Denis – drums, percussion, vocals, harmonium, violin, piano
Dirk Descheemacker – clarinet, bass clarinet, casio
Andy Kirk – harmonium, organ, vocals, piano, synthesizer, viola, percussion, radio;
Guy Segers – bass, vocals, violin, percussion
Alan Ward – violin
Christian Genet – bass
André Mergenthaler – cello
Jean-Luc Plouvier – keyboards
Michel Berckmans – oboe, bassoon
Patrick Hanappier – viola
Roger Trigaux – guitar
Production
Univers Zero
Track list
1. Toujours plus à l’Est 5:34
2. Before the Hear 4:06
3. Central Belgium in the Dark 9:54
4. Influences 7:36
5. Triomphe des Mouches 9:55
6. Complainte 5:29
Album length: 42:35
