The Wrong Object - After The Exhibition (2013)

Otra vez Bélgica. Un discazo especial para los amantes de Zappa, pero también para quienes gustan de Hypnos 69, Henry Cow, Gong y Soft Machine como para dar una somera referencia; jazz rock con mucho jam, folk del medio oriente, toques de Canterbury dan cabida a lo más vanguardista del jazz, del clàsico y de lo mas selecto del progresivo en sus intrincadas estructuras. El Mago Alberto nos lleva ahora a Bélgica con los espectaculares TWO, en un disco sin desperdicio.

Artista: The Wrong Object

Álbum: After The Exhibition
Año: 2013
Género: Jazz Rock / Fusion
Duración: 59:37
Nacionalidad: Bélgica

Lista de Temas:
1. Detox Gruel
2. Spanish Fly
3. Yantra
4. Frank Nuts
5. Jungle Cow Part I
6. Jungle Cow Part II
7. Jungle Cow Part III
8. Glass Cubes
9. Wrong But Not False
10. Flashlight Into Black Hole
11. Stammtisch

Alineación:
- Michel Delville / Guitar, Roland GR-09
- Antoine Guenet / Keyboards, Vocals
- Marti Melia / Bass & Tenor saxes, Clarinet
- François Lourtie / Tenor, Alto & Soprano Sax, Voice
- Pierre Mottet / Bass
- Laurent Delchambre / Drums, Percussion, Objects, Samples
Extra Musicians:
Benoît Moerlen / Marimba & Electronic Vibraphone (2,3, 5-7 & 11)
Susan Clynes / Vocals (8)

Mucho aún nos falta por recorrer en la escuelita de rock fundada por el Mago Alberto, y aún poco hemos tocado de la materia Bélgica, así que el Mago nos dará unas lecciones del buen rock que se hace por aquellos pagos.

Bélgica es quizàs uno de los paìses con una matriz rockera profunda, y salpicada por lo más vanguardista del jazz, del clàsico y lo mas selecto del progresivo. Una banda belga que provocó un asombro muy particular cuando asomó su proyecto al mundo llamado "Legacy" fue Hypnos 69, no sólo por ese trabajo sino también por la mixtura de su música y la acertada fusiòn de estilos. Y The Wrong Object es otra. Pero con el sello particular de Frank Zappa, del cual son una especie de hijos bastardos, y del cual dieron cuenta de Big Swifty en alguno de sus discos.
Apenas escuches los primeros acordes del disco te parecera que es una banda que escuchaste toda la vida, se te pega en la piel como un tatuaje y te va metiendo en climas raros, volados, atrofiados, retorcidos, pero siempre con melodía, y eso los hace muy interesantes al oído.
Para los amantes de Henry Cow, Zappa, Gong, Soft Machine, esta es una banda que va por ese lado, además este es un proyecto alternativo de dos tipos que saben de esto, Antoine Guenet tecladista de Univers Zero y Michel Delville.
Estos son discos que te llenan, te empachan de música, y curiosamente en esta producción hay una sola canción cantada aun cuando los TWO son estructuralmente instrumentales. Y créanme que es uno de los mejores temas del disco, un disco que te pega como oleadas y te va amoldando al cerebro de una forma particular. Arreglos de caños y solos de saxo al mango sobre un colchón de bajo distorsionado, suaves melodías en piano, todo matizado por sonidos claros y profundos, esto y mucho más vas a encontrar acá.
Otro discazo que cae al blog, sin desperdicio,y acuerdense que son unos hijitos bastardos de Zappa.

Mago Alberto

Bastantes comentarios pueden encontrar sobre este disco, y todos son por demás positivos, paso a mencionar solamente algunos, el resto pueden buscarlos ustedes, pero por sobretodo tengan en cuenta que más allá de las reseñas, deben escuchar a estos señores músicos para tener una verdadera idea del nivel al que llegaron.

Han transcurrido 5 años desde la última vez que The Wrong Object grabó un disco. Esto es principalmente porque Michel Delville, guitarrista y compositor, estaba ocupado trabajando con otras de sus bandas. Sin embargo, la larga espera valió la pena porque regresaron renovados y con una nueva formación. En este nuevo equipo militan el actual tecladista de Univers Zero, Antoine Guenet, y el percusionista que trabajó con Gong, Benoit Moerlen.
Aunque continuan siendo descendientes musicales de Frank Zappa, en este disco ya es menos obvio porque toman elementos de otros tipos de música. Tampoco han abandonado sus característicos jams con la participación activa e improvisada de varios de los instrumentos, pero al menos lo han enriquecido. Parece que les funcionó bastante bien aquello del bajo intensamente distorsionado para ritmificar mejor un par de tracks. La referencia de folk del medio oriente que aplican en Spanisf Fly también introduce variedades. Pero sin duda lo que marca la diferencia con álbums pasados son dos cuestiones. Lo primero es la suite Jungle Cow, donde despiertan en un modo psicodélico que podría decirse similar a The Cosmic Jokers, un experimento espacial y atmosférico pero aún con algo de improvisación.
Lo segundo que no habíamos visto en un disco de The Wrong Object es una clara tendencia y acercamiento al viejo estilo canterbury (del tipo Soft Machine, Hatfield o Caravan), y me refiero por supuesto a Glass Cubes, la única canción que hasta ahora incluye voz en toda la discografía de estos belgas.
Otros observadores de After The Exhibition incluso hablan sobre influencia de compositores de la música clásica, contemporánea e incluso algo de sensibilidad barroca.
A todo lo que hemos comentado solo agregaría el nivel dificultad que implican sus intrincadas estructuras y el hábil surco improvisatorio de los instrumentos involucrados, por ejemplo el teclado, la guitarra, la batería y el vibráfono.
El disco ha recibido varias valoraciones positivas y aquí no haré la excepción: tenemos otro material para postular como mejor producción musical del año.

Master Kob Legendario

Y por si ello no alcanza, acá va algún comentario en inglés, si quieren màs no les será difícil encontrar más referencias en la web:

Belgian prog heavyweights, The Wrong Object, make a spectacular return to center stage, with a studio album of brilliant original compositions -- and monumental significance! After a five-year absence, After The Exhibition showcases a variety of fresh, powerful material, masterfully delivered by a capable, cohesive new lineup. With their aesthetics still rooted in an array of storied inspirational models, The Wrong Object ventures further into hybrid musical territories -- pushing the boundaries of progressive jazz, rock and contemporary music; yielding results that are as stunning as they are superb. ... and the evidence of this -- After The Exhibition -- is overwhelming. Perhaps the influence of the late Frank Zappa has never been more apparent. The songs continually weave, duck, dart, and 'stop on a dime,' while exhibiting the "controlled reckless abandon" and a similar zany, humorous approach to both harmony and melodic/thematic motifs, akin to that which characterized his great work. This is a herculean effort; one that goes a long way in filling the very noticeable long-standing void left in the wake of Zappa's departure. After 10 years of an existence marked by extensive touring, recording and numerous collaborations with international jazz and rock luminaries (Elton Dean; Harry Beckett; Annie Whitehead; Alex Maguire; Stanley Jason Zappa; Ed Mann), The Wrong Object has reinvented itself in remarkable fashion: morphing from a quintet to a sextet, while embarking on exciting new sonic destinations. The music is engrossing, featuring a more pronounced use of electronics and vocals, while preserving their trademark energies and unique conceptual continuities. The inclusion of the hugely-talented, prodigious keyboardist Antoine Guenet (who is also the leader of MoonJune's recording artists SH.TG.N, and fresh new member of the legendary Belgian rock-in-opposition and avant-jazz-rock luminaries, Univers Zero) and two fabulous sax players -- Marti Melia and Francois Lourtie -- has given the band’s sound an unprecedented harmonic richness and rhythmic complexity. Combined with the foundation provided by (the also new member) bassist Pierre Mottet and (one of two remaining original members) drummer Laurent Delchambre, the band's charismatic leader and founder, Michel Delville (on guitar and electronics), finds himself surrounded by a tight, razor-sharp unit that seemingly knows no bounds. Every so often an album comes out which proves to be a defining moment for both a group and its respective genre; this is just such an album. Delightfully quirky, undeniably bold and adventurous, but ultimately most satisfying: After The Exhibition is a huge triumph. This incredible new release shatters the progressive music template and dances madly on its remains. The Wrong Object have cemented their position among the genre's most elite, vital -- and potent! -- voices. This superb work is immediately essential ... an "instant classic!" After The Exhibition is a rare, exquisite masterpiece of an album, certain to be viewed as one of the most important progressive releases in the post-Zappa era. It gets sweeter with each listen, and it will take up permanent residence in your regular CD rotation. This is profound progressive music at its most original, ambitious and achieving.

Moonjune Records

Brilliant!
If you had asked me a year ago about Jazz Rock Fusion, would had answered that I liked a few artists like JEAN-LUC PONTY, BRAND X and RETURN TO FOREVER, but that my passion was in Prog Rock and not in this complex and messy genre??Since then, my good friend Leonardo Pavkovic from Moonjune Records, started to send me some albums each one or two months. At the beginning I didn't cared too much, but after listening bands like TOHPATI ETHNOMISSION, SIMAK DIALOG, SLIVOVITZ and others, I started to wait for the next set of records and having cravings when I didn't received them?Damn Leonardo, I got addicted and now I don't only spend my hard earned money in Prog CD's but find myself searching for music from all this great bands in the jazz section of the stores and catalogues.
Well back to the issue, I just received a new set of CD's (Thanks Leonardo) and really enjoyed them, but THE WRONG OBJECT was something really special, their latest release After the Exhibition is a different kind of beast, and I called it beast because the music has it's own life, it's fierce, loud and aggressive, threatening the listener with a risky and elaborate fusion of sounds, styles, moods and genres, that go from UNIVERSE ZERO (Thanks to virtuoso keyboardist Antoine Guenet) to FRANK ZAPPA with a touch of KING CRIMSON, Canterbury Scene and Classical references.
The music is not subtle at all, the guys from THE WRONG OBJECT don't hide anything, the transition from one style to another is radical and without any warning, there's nowhere to hide or time to breathe, they keep bombing us with a tempest of sounds and melodies that maintain the listener at the edge of the seat and which I enjoyed from start to end.
I usually write something about my favourite tracks, but in this case it's hard to find a song that overshadows the rest of the album, being that each and every musical piece are outstanding, but the ones that impressed me more are the breathtaking Dexto Gruel with constant changes and bombastic arrangements.
Of course the contrast between the soft, clean piano and Michel Delville's frenetic guitar, all blended with some sort of Middle East influence in Spanish Fly also captured me. But that's not all, the Jungle Cow trilogy is also brilliant, with special emphasis in the trippy part two, where the dense atmospheres are simply delightful.
Now, if I had to choose one song alone, I would go with the marvelous Glass Cubes that has everything I love, starting with the beautiful melodies, the elaborate arrangements, solid vocals and accurate rhythm section in the hands of Pierre Mottet and that human metronome named Laurent Delchambre in the percussion.
But I won't keep choosing songs , because there's not a single weak moment in the album and every track has something to be mentioned (for example the important role of Marti Melia in the sax), but doing it would take me hours and several pages.
So will end this review rating After the Exhibition with 5 solid stars, being that anything less would be unfair for such a marvelous work.

Iván Melgar

It has been five years since the last album from The Wrong Object, during which time they have morphed from a quintet to a sextet, and have also taken the opportunity to take fusion to a whole new level, as they bring together traditional jazz elements with rock and electronic experimentation which normally doesn't dare show itself within this genre. The result is a progressive jazz hybrid that is going to excite many, while shocking those who feel that they knew exactly what to expect from the genre. Some of the music seems highly structured and layered, while other areas appear to be much more improvised, but often bringing in and melding musical elements which normally would not be seen dead in the same room together.
The new line-up Antoine Guenet (who is also the leader of SH.TG.N, as well being a new recruit to Univers Zero) with two sax players, Marti Melia and Francois Lourtie, which allows the band to provide harmony and complexity. Added to that is new bassist Pierre Mottet who has locked in with drummer Laurent Delchambre, while Michel Delville (guitar and electronics) is able to fully explore all musical avenues as he has with him a cadre of musicians who will follow wherever he dares to lead.
This is progressive jazz fusion for a new era, and has an edge that is missing from that of the Seventies bands, and is all better and dynamic for it. This is music that takes you on a journey, but it may just be a harder and rougher one that you may have initially imagined but will be all the wiser for getting to the other side. Yet another classic from Leo's stable, this is essential.

Kev Rowland

Belgian band THE WRONG OBJECT was formed in 2002 by Michel Delville. Since then half a dozen albums have been released by the band, the majority of them either live albums or productions recorded live in the studio, most of them featuring notable guest musicians. Their most recent album, "After the Exhibition" is a regular studio album, however, and a pure band effort at that. This CD was released in 2013 through the US label Moonjune Records.
The Wrong Object's latest studio effort "After the Exhibition" is a production that should appeal to a dedicated niche audience within the progressive rock universe: Those with a firm interest in demanding, challenging material in general, and those amongst them with an affection for jazz and jazz rock most of all. I suspect that the greater majority of the latter crowd will find this album to be a highly rewarding experience.

Olav Martin Bjørnsen

To be honest, by the start of the last calendar year ('13), after a four to six year silence, I thought that TWO was a dead thing. It sure seems like the project certainly went through a delicate phase, since there remains only two members from the line-up that had recorded the awesome Stories From The Shed. Indeed only leader Delville and drummer Delchambre remain, the main change being the addition of Antoine Guenet (ex-PaNoPTiCoN and presently also in the new Univers Zero line-up). Actually, if memory serves, most of the newcomers come of PaNoPTiCoN, which never had a fixed line-up anyway, due to the concept of the project. Elsewhere Pollard gave way to Mottet on bass, and Melia and Lourtie are now blowing the horns, and the always excellent vibraphonist Benoit Moerlen appears as a guest on no less than four tracks. So, something did happen, and TWO's rebirth six years after is a sweet gift, courtesy of the great Moonjune label.
Despite the heavy line-up changes, you'll have no problems recognizing instantly TWO, but I would not call ATE just another Wrong Object album. This is probably the band's most "prog-rock" album, despite retaining its heavy JR/F and Zappa atmospheres. The heavy Detox Gruel is a mix of riffs and gypsy jazz music. The three-parts and almost 17-mins Jungle Cow is the centrepiece of the album, but hardly the most accessible, as the first two movements are often bordering on dissonance, but it remains reasonable, and the third really delivers the good with some cool dramatics. The following Glass Cubes features female vocals, and though it brings a breath of fresh air, though the start has a "déjà-entendu", but the second part sounds like a cross of Gong meets Kate Bush.
A fine return to affairs from a group most of us thought dead (or at least dormant), although it doesn't reach the perfection of Stories From The Shed. While ATE might not be the most representative of their usual soundscapes (given the important line-up changes), it's still very much a worthy TWO album, and ranks in my top 5 album of 2013, among with Maalouf's Illusions and Setna's Guérison. Definitely worth investigating.

Sean Trane

The Belgian grouip The Wrong Object has existed in seven years and this is their fourth record. They play a powerful and interesting jazz rock and the band has the members Michel Delville(guitar, roland GR-09), Antoine Guenet(keyboards, vocals), Marti Melia(saxophones, clarinet), Francois Lourtie(saxophone, voice), Pierre Mottet(bass), Laurent Delchambre(drums, percussion), Benoît Moerlen(marimba & electric vibraphone) and Susan Clynes(vocals). The cover is nice, like a painting with an angel or something. i think this is the first Belgian band I hear ever.
As near all modern records the lasting time is quite long but the contant has high quality. The Wrong Object shocks me with the first song which is totally perfect, a masterwork in its genre. "Detox Gruel" is powerful melodic jazz rock with monstrous soxophones shaping a wonderful sound. The saxes play a big role over the whole record and the listener won't be disappointed with this record. Such an explosion as the first track won't unfortunatley return. I consider "Frank Nuts" as an almost perfect track and the only song with (real) vocals "Glass Cubes" is mighty. The power in that track is almost symphonic and the band really show class. Of the other tracks I also would recommend "Spanish Fly", "Yantra", "Wrong but not false" and "Stammtisch", all exciting jazz rock in different styles.
The biggest disappointment is that the perfection of the first track doesn't come back. Also it could have been nice to hear more vocals when they did it so good on one track. The "Jungle Cow" trilogy is also an inferior row with quite uninteresting sounds which lower the full impression a bit. But this is still an even and intriguing record I would recommend. Fusion has big opportunities, both for listeners and musicians. Four stars!

Adrian Drömmaren

Ya saben dónde obtener éste discazo, y si no saben pregunten, pero no se pueden quedar sin escucharlo. Todo un plato exquisito para el mejor paladar auditivo.