(Review from progressor.net, progressiveworld.net, proggnosis.net, progarchives.com)

Led by bassist Mike Sary, Louisville based US progressive band French TV was formed in 1983. French TV’s music is simple and complicated … All the band’s other issues contain moving moments; a hybrid of Canterbury, RIO, Fusion, and Insanity, not to mention random little snippets of other styles.

The band’s selftitled debut album contains nine excellent instrumentals, full of original, truly innovative musical ideas.

While spacey, brassy keys open the album on “The Visit Revisited” – defying convention, this track actually comes first rather than last — it is chunky bass rhythms, scattershot keys, and eddying guitars that are featured on “Happy Armies Fight In Their Sleep” — proving that French TV’s own brand of humour is evident from the get go. Despite the dark humour of the title, the whole piece is upbeat and bright, where those bass rhythms are very martial.

“Under Heaven There is Great Disorder”, being undoubtedly one of the best tracks here with its brilliant arrangements in general and killing sax solos in particular, is also a prototype of the principal stylistic ‘base’ of the music of French TV in the 1990s.

Rippling keys open “Spill”, while sparse bass thrums in the background. Slowly rising to the top, bass takes the lead, before percussion and keys swell back to the surface … those rippling keys become pulsating, like the sound effects for a UFO in a 50′s sci-fi flick. Each instrument fades in and out of the mix, leaving one or the other in the lead … before the tempo picks up to a rockier rhythm, punctuated by extremely shrill keyboards — so high pitched, don’t be surprised if your furry best friend and his doggy pals at stand attention.

“Dreams Of Peace” is another seemingly uncharacteristic track from the band, where the sound is more instrumental Supersister, being mainly Rhodes and drums. Lively at the outset, at times it truly becomes dreamy, where spacey synths create a peaceful eddy. “No Charge (A Free Improv)” sounds very much the contrary as the band are so in sync that you can’t help but think this should have been composed. Cohesive and tight for the most part, there are only a few sections where things seem a little unraveled – and characteristic French TV.

Parts of “Earth, I Wait” features some harsh, angular piano along with lyrical phrases. There are parts where Roberts verily attacks his keyboards — arty and avant-garde at the same time, this might be described as the classical composer losing his mind. And yet, it also speaks very much with the voice of a violent earth — volcanoes erupting, earthquakes shaking the crust, wildfires raging through dense forests, pummeling winds ripping structures apart. It is chaotic to be sure … and yet, a tour de force for Roberts, the soundpainting done up in angry reds, oranges and sinister blacks.

“The Visit” itself is energetic. Sary’s bass here is quite funky, deep boomy as it plays off with the vibes in a fevered duel. The calming piano which closes the album is in quite a contrast, not only to the rest of the track that precedes it, but also to anything else on the album, being the closest to classical than anything Roberts does on here.

Line-up:
- Mike Sary / bass
- Stephen Roberts / Roland juno 60, Roland jx3p, Fender Rhodes, piano, trumpet, vibes, drums (9)
- Artie Bratton / acoustic & electric guitars
- Fenner Castner / drums & percussion
- Jeff Jones / sax (3)
- Jon Weiner / cello (8)

Track List:
01. The Visit Revisited – 0:59
02. Happy Armies Fight In Their Sleep – 3:48
03. Under Heaven There Is Great Disorder (And The Situation Is Excellent – 3:31
04. The Artist’s House – 3:21
05. Spill – 10:44
06. Dreams Of Peace – 4:13
07. No Charge – 5:12
08. Earth, I Wait – 7:47
09. The Visit – 5:52

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