Latest Release
- OCT 20, 2023
- 1 Song
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Les Cinq Saisons (International Version) · 1975
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Les Cinq Saisons (International Version) · 1975
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
- Harmonium (International Version) · 1974
Essential Albums
- On their second album, Harmonium expanded both physically and musically—gaining a keyboardist and a flautist/clarinetist/saxophonist, and shifting from a stripped-down, folk-rock feel to a more prog rock-influenced approach. The heart of the band’s sound is still Serge Fiori’s crystalline vocals and his and Michel Normandeau’s acoustic guitar playing. At times, though, things dip into magical, Moody Blues-like realms with airy flute lines and pseudo-symphonic keyboards, as dreamy acoustic reveries like “En Pleine Face” share space with complex art-rock epic “Histoires Sans Paroles.”
- The first outing from Québécois trio Harmonium revealed the group as a Canadian answer to the ’70s L.A. folk-rock scene, with songs full of gentle vibes, bright acoustic guitar textures, and artful composition. Serge Fiori’s sweet, airborne vocals lead the trio through warm, welcoming, relatively spare arrangements, but their artistic side emerges in moments like the flights of fretboard fancy on “Aujourd Hui Je Dis Bonjour a la Vie” and the seven-minute, suite-like “Un Musicien Parmi Tant D Autres.”
Albums
Singles & EPs
- 2022
- 2021
- 2017
Live Albums
About Harmonium
Formed in 1973, Harmonium signed with CBS and released its self-titled debut in April 1974. It was a big seller with two singles becoming hits. Harmonium toured and then went back to the studio and expanded from a trio to a quintet to execute more elaborate ideas for their sophomore album, Si on Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison. After another tour and a sabbatical, the group devised an ambitious suite of seven songs resulting in a two-LP set, L'Heptade. It achieved a new standard of excellence in Quebec rock and became a minor classic in the history of progressive rock, thanks to its universal theme. ~ François Couture
- ORIGIN
- Canada
- FORMED
- November 1972
- GENRE
- French Pop