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Terra Incognita

by Group Du Jour

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Same track listing as the download edition. Standard jewel case with full color booklet.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Terra Incognita via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $10 USD

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Twilight Torches 05:19
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2.
Down in a Hollow 03:24
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3.
Can't Tame the Jungle 05:52
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4.
Remembering Beauty 05:23
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5.
Third Hemisphere 04:42
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6.
Invisible Man 03:46
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7.
As We Fade 04:49
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8.
Hypnoteque 1-3 12:45
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about

Daniel Crommie's band project Group Du Jour provides us with, arguably, Oregon's answer to Steve Hackett. Whilst not sounding at all like a Hackett clone, the album does possess the same essential ethic of strong composition and variety. The album mixes ethnic influences with interesting guitar effects, short songs with plenty of good hooks and of course Daniel's ever-present flute, which is played perhaps more like Tim Weisberg than John Hackett.

This is the first full studio album by the band since 1992's The Mystery Plays and sees Crommie team up with Bo and Paul Parker in the writing. Paul Parker's guitar is the major sonic element in the Hackett connection and appears forcefully on the first piece, "Twilight Torches". The poignant "Down in a Hollow", which follows, showcases Bo Parker's rich vocal talents.
The first significant African element is thrown in for "Can't Tame the Jungle", a catchy slow burning rocker with a compote of percussion accompaniment illuminating the rhythm and a searing fuzz guitar which wraps itself around the beat.
"Remembering Beauty" is a reflective composition for flute and synth with mournful vocalisations from Bo. "Third Hemisphere" picks up the African influence again with cross-rhythms and flute/guitar embellishments maintaining the slow tempo of its predecessor.
Bo joins with the vocals again after this instrumental interlude in "Invisible Man", a haunting ballad with electronic keyboard, melodic bass and flute providing the somewhat mystical textures.
"As We Fade", with its acoustic and electric guitar duet, rather reminds me of SoCal's Forever Twelve. The best is left to last however in the tri-part "Hypnoteque". Startling percussion and harmonica zaps upset the smoothness of the eerie woodwind. Hand drums and sax join the fray to give a vaguely Caribbean feel to the music. The development of the suite is completed by popping, pinging percussion in the final section to excellent effect.
14 years is a long time to wait for a full album folks so snap it up while you can.

Richard Barnes - Sea of Tranquility

After an absence of 15 years between recordings (the previous album being "The Mystery Plays") GDJ reconvened to record this powerful collection of mostly new material - with a couple of chestnuts thrown in for good measure. Not to be missed is the 12+ minutes of "Hypnoteque 1-3".

"One thing you'll find, when you cover a whole lotta different stuff on your music site is you run into all kinds of different stuff. Yeah, I know, weak attempt at humor but my point is that sometimes people want things described by a catch-phrase and often there isn't one. In a sense, GROUP DU JOUR puts one in mind of some of the earlier work by acclaimed ethno-technic-etc. band Afro-Celt Sound System, but leaning further toward the Celt side of the coin. At any rate, with really super acoustic guitar work thanks to Bo Parker & the blending of lots of flute from Daniel Crommie & ethnic percussion that runs from driving to hypnotic, this is good listening for either the very beginning or end of the day." - Chaos Realm.

credits

released August 15, 2007

Paul Parker: electric guitar, fretless bass, maboomba.
Bo Parker: vocals, acoustic & electric rhythm guitar, xylimbas, gong, tongue drum, tubes, keyboard bass.
Daniel Crommie: vocals, flutes, synthesizers, recorders, devices.

with:
Michael Maldonado: sax.
Paul Evans: hand drums & percussion.
Keith Hatfield: percussion.

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about

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Daniel Crommie Portland, Oregon

Daniel Crommie is a progressive directed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (mandolins, dulcimer, balalaika, recorders, flutes, synthesizers, etc.) and producer (Janie Mitchell, Kaitlyn ni Donovan, Lew Jones, Karen Searcy) who has released over three dozen solo albums, numerous albums with Group Du Jour, Echo System, Saturnalia Trio & DC Sound Collective over the last 35 years on New Weave. ... more

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