Carpe Diem
En Regardant Passer Le Temps

THE REVIEW

The French Progressive scene in the seventies featured several notable groups, the Clearlight project of Cyrille Verdeaux, Ange, Pulsar and, the most significant name, for having invented a genre (Zeuhl), Magma of the genius Christian Vander.

Carpe Diem, less known compared to the aforementioned, produced only two records between 1975 and 1976, thus arriving at the tail end of the genre's golden period, a situation similar to other transalpine bands or even to the British Camel themselves, who, although their debut album dates back to 1973, produced their best albums precisely in those years. This is one of several cases of bands (in Italy we had La Locanda Delle Fate) that created memorable (or at least valid) works at a time when the "classics" of the genre had already been published.

The quintet from Nice proposes a mix of romantic Rock (but not only), ranging from the very early King Crimson, for the flute parts by Claude-Marius David, which embellish the compositions also with "brushstrokes" of Sax typical of certain Canterbury, and Alain Faraut's drumming that recalls Mike Giles' technique; affinities also with the early Genesis, not only in style but also in the production of the album in question, not as excellent as other works of the time, which reminds me, in my opinion, of certain sounds of "Trespass". Keyboardist Christian Truchi alternates soundscapes from the court of King Crimson with Banks-style symphonies, but also "Space Rock" sounds akin to their fellow countrymen Pulsar. The most representative piece of the album is "Reincarnation", as it encapsulates all the characteristics mentioned.

"En Regardant Passer Le Temps" features four tracks, its overall duration is brief (about 36 minutes), re-released in 1994 along with the equally valid successor "Cueille Le Jour" with the music label Musea (the original label was Crypto).