Listening to the complexity and weirdness of Gilles Snowcat’s re-release of 2001’s “Farewell To The Pulsar,” I find myself amazed that one person (with the exception of dream vocals by a talented lady known only as Carla) created all of this prog-punk strangeness by himself.
Yet I shouldn’t be surprised. For several years now I have known Snowcat as an untameable creative force, someone whose talent is surpassed only by his cunning. Originally conceived as a demo for his band Awaken, the six songs of “FTTP” stand on their own as a musical achievement. The fact that the text features a literary tragedy is a bit of a bummer, yet the tale quickly redeems itself as it develops into an abstract dreamland sequence that hearkens back to the great progressive rock achievements of the ‘60s and ‘70s. I was reminded of Genesis and “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” at some points. There are also elements of R & B and new wave, along with plenty of theatrical flair.
I asked Gilles, who worked with Awaken in his home country of Belgium, to shed some light on the creation of this oddly endearing set of tunes. “It was supposed to be a demo,” he explains, “something for the band to work on and record. There have been two attempts that didn’t lead anywhere, and as fans started to respond well to the demo, it just became an EP on its own.” [pullquote]“It was the end of that line-up, not of Awaken. We could hardly stand each other anymore, and the ‘Pulsar’ thing was just the final nail on the coffin. I’m not sure they hated it because of the songs themselves, rather because I took a decision without them.” Gilles Snowcat[/pullquote]
The project seemed to repel the members of Awaken. Gilles: “The nucleus of the band at the time was Julie Absil (voice), Lionel Meessen (voice), Cedric Hamelryck (guitar) and myself on voice, keys, machines, bass guitar. There was a long list of guests too, on various instruments and voices. Many cooks to spoil the sauce. On the ‘Pulsar’ demo, only myself and the dream-voice.” Gilles goes on to explain how the “Pulsar” project created conflict with his fellow musicians. “They hated it, for a huge spectrum of reasons. It was funny to hear the musicians complaining and the fans praising.” Gilles explains further: “It was the end of that line-up, not of Awaken. We could hardly stand each other anymore, and the ‘Pulsar’ thing was just the final nail on the coffin. I’m not sure they hated it because of the songs themselves, rather because I took a decision without them.”
True to Snowcat’s proclivity for wanderlust, the EP was recorded on an 8 track machine in various locations in Holland and Belgium (on the same equipment that Awaken’s “Party In Lyceum’s Toilets” was set to to tape with).The product was produced and mixed by Snowcat himself. With a dramatic text that takes the listener from tragedy to dreamland then absurdity, and a powerful musical foundation that features tranquil piano, thrashing guitars, and pounding drums along with ear-tricking melodic structures, it’s an interesting project from the ever-intriguing Gilles Snowcat. Definitely worth a listen.
finis
“Farewell To The Pulsar” at Bandcamp.com
Gilles Snowcat.com