Band: Capharnaum

CD Title: “Le Soleil est une Bombe Atomique”

Label: Unicorn Records

Label Website:www.unicorndigital.com

Release Date: 2007

I’ve said this before but I really admire musicians who strive to be something different and perhaps even non-conformist to the popular musical ideologies of current song writing fashion. I like bands that defy convention. And it always amazes me there are so many out there trying to do that. Take a band like Capharnaum; they’re an instrumental quartet, their music rocks and yet incorporates equal elements of dissonance and groove. Their first CD Le Soleil est une Bombe Atomique hit my mail box the other day and it’s really cool.

Capharnaum are from the Quebec City area and have been together in some fashion or another since 1991. Today they’re a four piece consisting of Francois Blanchard (guitars), Marc-Andre Blanchard (guitars), Philipe-Antoine Bernard (bass) and Maxime Brisboise (drums). Their music is really quite unique. It’s an instrumental trip, it rolls you along like a machine at times, stops and lets you groove in another direction for a while, only to run you up against a wall of dissonance. Most of the 10 compositions are in the five or six minute range with the longest being seven and a half. Each track goes through a myriad of changes in structure and arrangement. And while there are two guitars here the music avoids any kind of ‘metal’ sound. There are times where it gets heavy but it’s more from an intensity or complexity rather than sound. And like any good progressive rock bandCapharnaum are not afraid to mix it up, going from intensity to atmospheric with the two guitars trading licks all without the aid of any obvious keyboards. The music here while it stops and breathes from time to time is mostly pretty hectic, even busy at times. But what really makes these songs work for me is the balance. Nothing is overdone. While there is no denying the band’s penchant for intensity, I never feel assaulted, it just moves along melodically.

Le Soleil est une Bombe Atomique clocks in at 50 minutes, and presents, as I said, a truly unique modern rock sound that’s not afraid to push the envelope. This is music that fans of RIO bands like Forever Einstein will certainly enjoy, but it’s also music that will appeal to fans of more mainstream prog rock as well. Capharnaum seem to have really hit on something here that’s musically quite refreshing and I wish them all the best as they take their music on the road.