js “After the Exhibition” is the latest offering from artsy fusioneers, The Wrong Object, who haven’t released an album in five years. This new CD finds Wrong Object working with a mostly revamped lineup that now features two saxophonists plus bass, drums, keys and guitarist/band leader Michel Deville. Guest Benoit Moerlin also adds marimba and xylophone to many of the tracks, pretty much sounding like a regular member of the band. The ensemble sound Wrong Object has on here is like a jazz-rock mini ‘big band’, very much in the style of Frank Zappa or early Don Ellis. The musical influences on here also show a strong interest in Zappa, as well as music from Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the melodies of Bartok and Stravinsky, and that quirky European style of jazz-rock known as Canterbury.

There is rarely a dull moment on “Exhibition” as complex arranged melodies build and then open up to solo sections that give the different members a chance to really stretch out. The individual tracks don’t seem to matter much as every thing just flows together as a sort of world beat fusion symphony. The style of fusion on here accentuates the jazz and is very much rooted in a loose swing feel as invented by guys like Jack DeJohnette, so there is very little plodding rock beats. Despite their obvious interest in the past, Wrong Object maintains a modern sound with a tasteful use of electronic ambience, occasional chiming post-rock guitars and some drumnbass beat influences too.

After years of neglect and dwindling sameness, the fusion genre has been making a comeback recently in the hands of artists who are re-exploring the jazz roots of the genre and bringing in fresh creative approaches. The fact that fusion is no longer as profitable as it once was has been a blessing for the style’s integrity and helped drive away those who soaked the fusion style for big dollars. In that spirit of high energy creativity, it is easy to recommend “After the Exhibition” to fans of modern jazz fusion.

Sean Trane 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