Oiapok – “OisoLün” | Progressive Rock Central.com

Oiapok has released their debut album, OisoLün on February 9, of this year. The French band describe themselves as the missing link between the future of jazz, progressive rock, exotica, and the music of Frank Zappa. I would argue, they are much more accessible than Frank Zappa.

The band is made up of Etienne Agard, on trombone; Jacopo Costa, on vibraphone, marimba, and percussion; Bertrand Eber, on trumpet; Stéphane Galeski, on guitars; Guillaume Gravelin, on harp; Mélanie Gerber, on lead vocals; Matthieu Lenorman, on drums; and Pierre Wawrzyniak, on bass.

I get a feeling of 1960s Brazilian jazz, similar to the free flow sound and breezy feeling, of songs like, “The Girl from Ipanema”: whose lead singer Astrud Gilberto, we unfortunately lost to time, so recently. This album of music is much more delicate and with distinct melodies, and for me, more enriching than Zappa’s music.

The band defines OisoLün, as “a chimera, an exotic bird, the last representative of its species, flying over an environmentally ravaged world”. The album is a humanist, ecological and committed manifesto, sung mostly in French.

Mélanie Gerber, does have a unique sound on lead vocals, with a nod to Lisa Gerrard, Astrud Gilberto and Björk. The music is very colorful, reminding me a few times, of the first album I reviewed this year, Solstice’s Light Up.

“The word “Oiapok”, is a neologism, a semantic shifting between the Guyanese river Oyapock, the cradle of fearless adventurers, a wild, exciting and dangerous place, and the belt of the Chariclo asteroid, Oiapoque, whose orbit crosses that of the outer planets of the solar system”.

My favorite songs were: The opener, “OisoLun”, with its beautiful, soft acoustic guitar; just like a Steve Hackett song, until we hear Mélanie Gerber’s beautiful voice, singing in dreamy soft accents, which bring on that Astrud Gilberto memory immediately.

“Summer 19”, is a beautiful instrumental song of only 30 seconds. Way too short.

“Le Concierge”, is an English language track, fully mesmerizing with Mélanie Gerber’s voice, and soft harp at its opening.

“So Empty, It Looks Real” is another English language track full of a powerful ecological message and fantastic acoustic and bass guitar at the opening.

Track List:

OisoLun – 2:22
Summer 19 – 0:31
Les Grands Equipages – 6:04
Le Concierge – 7:29
Frogs Might Disappear – 8:42
So Empty, It Looks Real – 7:16

Every track on this album is worth your time and listening experience. It is a beautiful, soft warning and appreciation of what we have now and we cannot let slip away. We have a beautiful world, full of “soft, clear jungle, (rainforest), rain” and more wonder than the eye can see or imagine. We must preserve it for future generations and take care to enjoy and appreciate it now.

Put on your headphones and take a journey with Oiapok, into our world today, full of the epic music of appreciation for all that we have been gifted to enjoy. As they say in the closer, “people can’t eat money now”. We need to set our priorities. This band definitely has their priorities in the right order. Thank you Oiapok for the reminder and the wonderful break from the changing world around us.

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