Vecteur K: La peur du désert

Vecteur K, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2003. La peur du désert (The Fear of the Desert) is their first official release. The band consists of Marc-Andre Noel (vocals, guitars, percussion), Marc-Antoine Sauvé (guitars, mandolin), Jean-Francois Bernard (keyboards), Benoit Dalpé (bass) and Éric Cournoyer (drums).

 

The underlying theme of the album is "the feeling of emptiness expressed by mankind and the perpetual fight for filling it." Although I do not speak French, I can tell you there is an underlying feeling of melancholy in the music. Not depressing at all, just a subtle sadness prevalent in some songs. The band is very good at changing tempos and the transitions between different movements flow beautifully. The music can be quite accessible because of some outstanding melodies but in no way is this a commercial album. The arrangements can be fairly complex but never pretentious or overbearing. The guitar playing is very good with a nice mixture of electric and acoustic sounds.

The album begins with "tamböa", a very good progressive rock song where crunchy riffage turns into slower lush sounding sections of beautifully melodic lead guitar played with feeling. The second track "à L'abri des images" does a major change up as it goes from a country flavoured beginning to heavy progressive rock in just under seven minutes. The jazzy overtones in "mes armes de verre" complete with clean lines of lead guitar and soft drumming is another treat. The progressive rock of "vendetta" features a lovely piano intro, fusion sounding guitar, crashing power chords and back full circle to the soft sounds of piano. The great thing is that it all flows together naturally with not one note out of place.

My favourite song is the Floyd inspired "abscisses" with the music taking different twists and turns including a take on Celtic progressive metal, if there is such a thing. The guitar playing of Marc-Antoine Sauvé really shines on this one. Vecteur K are a great fit for the Unicorn Digital label. This is melodic stuff with a fair amount of complexity that should satisfy a wide range of musical tastes. Why don't you try it out for yourself?

Added: December 19th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Source: http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=8645

[...] The evening began around 9:20 PM with Repentigny band Vecteur K. We all remember this brilliant young band who opened for The Musical Box at the Bell Center last December in front of over 7500 people... so it was quite a difference to see them play in front of only 35 people for their first show since the Bell Center. The group is composed of Benoit Dalpé on bass, Éric Cournoyer on drums, Marc-André Noël on vocals and guitars and their newest member, Marc-Antoine Sauvé on guitars for his first live performance with the band. Their great set lasted a bit less than an hour and included L'Écho Intemporel, Mes Armes de Verre, Vendetta, À L’Abri des Images, Mieux Qu'avant, Vecteur K and La Dame dans l'escalier. Their fresh, dynamic mix of francophone alt-rock and progressive music features influences as varied as Genesis, Harmonium, Supertramp and Dream Theater. Their performance was magnificent and fluid, Marc-André's voice was powerful and the new kid did a hell of a good job! A great beginning to this evening. Visit Vecteur K's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/vecteurk . [...]

Karcius and Vecteur K at l'Hémisphère Gauche!
Robert Dansereau - April 8th 2007
http://www.progmontreal.com/liveshowfr.html

[...]The evening began when around 8:00 PM, the opening band Vecteur-K stepped onstage for a short but sweet performance. Vecteur-K is a Repentigny-based band composed of Benoit Dalpé on bass, Éric Cournoyer on drums, Jonathan Cabot on guitars and Marc-André Noël on guitar and vocals. Their style of proggy rock is influenced by Rush, Queensrÿche and Genesis, kudos to them for singing in French. their 30 min. set included among others their eponymous instrumental Vecteur K and La Dame Dans l'Escalier. A great young band with a rich sound. These guys will go far, and I was happy for them because it's one heck of a start to perform in front of such a big crowd. Great reaction by the audience, who cheered loudly. [...]

The Musical Box at the Bell Center
Robert Dansereau - December 16th, 2006
http://www.progmontreal.com/liveshow.html

[...] The band that followed was called Vecteur K. Their songs are like epic journeys going from atmospheric pop to progressive rock and back again. The response of the crowd was ecstatic with arms raised and a heavy dose of volume. The band responded by putting on a fabulous set. [...]

[...] Le groupe suivant s'appelait Vecteur K. Leurs pièces ressemblent à une aventure épique allant du pop atmosphérique au rock progressif et vice-versa. Un public déchaîné et bruyant les a accuilli les bras levés. Le groupe a réagi en leur offrant une fabuleuse prestation. [...]

The Sessions: canadian winner
Emy Hawk - 26 juin 2006
www.emergenza.net

VECTEUR K was a French singing band with a terrific singer and a great band with seasoned musicians……and the ladies in the audience loved the singer for some strange reason…….could anybody explain to me this reason? I am envious and want to know. Thanks.

Vecteur K est un groupe francophone avec un chanteur incroyable et un groupe de musiciens chevronnés.....et les spectateurs de sexe féminin aiment le chanteur pour des raisons étranges....est-ce que quelqu'un peut m'expliquer ces raisons?. Je suis envieux et j'ai le gout de le savoir. Merci

Montréal Alive and Buzzing
Mike Rophone, 16 janvier 2006
www.emergenza.net

[...] Surprisingly one of the few french singing Quebecois bands, ‘Vecteur K’ put on a driven and strong rock performance with a bit of a Rush feel. [...]

[...] À la grande surprise, un des nombreux groupe québecois francophone, Vecteur K, a présenté une performance rock entraînante et inspirée qui rappelle un peu le groupe Rush.[...]

Manic in Montreal
Billy Danforth, 31 mars 2006
www.emergenza.net