Pray-Pax - The Lolita Years

Mildy distrubed but endlessly fascinating compilation of unheard material by Thierry Azam and Alain Michon, a pair of French artists who outside of Pray-Pax were also part of the lesser known The Lolita collective in operation across the 1980s. This is what I would consider distinctly European arthouse music, informed ideologically by DIY practice and aesthetically hugely wide ranging, flirting with jazz, synthpop, post-punk and surrealist prog trickery. They're as dissonant as they are melodic, sitting somewhere between a lost Recommended Records release and an entry in the fabled NWW list. They might be hard to pin down (and purposefully so I'd contend), but the range of ideas on show is undeniably impressive, equal parts ridiculous, funny and engaging, something like Faust and Vix Populi passed through a No Wave filter and contentedly left to rot in the sun. I wonder if contemporary French groups such as Nina Harker, Kou and the artists around Tom Val's Disques du Omnison have heard of Azam and Michon? It certainly sounds as if they're carrying the torch. And if not - and perhaps more excitingly - it reveals there must be something undying running deep in the collective waters just waiting to be channelled in right direction. It could be madness. it could be genius. It could just be the natural order of things in such circles. Whichever it is, it's enjoyable enough taking your best guess. 
 
FFO: Faust, Vox Populi, Nina Harker, Kou