01	If I Die Laughing, It'll Be An Act Of God						03:47
	02	Great Blow For A Day Job						04:20
	03	Constance Eternal						05:52
	04	Postcard From Planet Earth						05:10
	05	Jumping My Shadow						05:27
	06	Bombjour!						04:04
	07	History Lessens (The Final Examination)						04:20
	08	A Badtime Story						05:35
	09	Come On Eileen						03:55
	10	Master Race						04:07
	11	Bombed Out (Instru-mental)						04:07
	12	Penny Dreadful (Full Shilling Mix)						03:10

OUI AVANT-GARDE A CHANCE (1996)

LINEUP:
Martin Walkyier - Voice
Graeme English - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Steve Ramsey - Lead and Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards and Backing Vocals
George Biddle - Fiddle, Keyboards, Piano and Backing Vocals

Additional Musicians:
Paul Smith - Drums and Percussion (3,6,7,8,10,11,12)
Paul A.T. Kinson - Drums and Percussion (1,2,4,5,9)

Very Special Guest Musicians from Subway to Sally:
Eric Hecht
Frau Schmidt
Bodenski


Oui Avant-Garde a Chance
Century Media (1854-2)
UK 1996

Tracklist:
1. If I Die Laughing, It'll Be an Act of God - 3:48
2. Great Blow for a Day Job - 4:19
3. Constance Eternal - 5:52
4. Postcard From Planet Earth - 5:10
5. Jumping My Shadow - 5:26
6. Bombjour! - 4:02
7. History Lessens (The Final Examination) - 4:20
8. A Badtime Story - 5:35
9. Come On Eileen - 3:54
10. Master Race - 4:06
11. Bombed Out - 4:05
12. Penny Dreadful (Full Shilling Mix) - 3:09

total time 53:54

brandon

Reputed to be Skyclad's least metal-oriented release, Oui Avant-Garde a Chance does indeed distance itself from the band's previous folk-metal stylings. While the vocals still contain a hint of metallic gruffness, and a bit of crunchy guitar pops up here and there, this album has a much more light, open, fiddle-led feel than the other Skyclad releases I've heard. Interestingly, I'm not sure which style I like better.
To be sure, the first half or so of this album (well, minus "Bombjour") showcase the band at their best: good lyrics and delivery combined with an interesting instrumental palette - George Biddle's fiddle playing is what makes this band unique - make for fun listening. True, the verse-chorus structures and less-than-complex arrangements might turn off prog fans, but the music is good enough to make up for it.

The second half of the album seems like a throwaway side, though. Perhaps, this isn't surprising, given that the band released seven full-length originals between 1991 and 1996, but nonetheless it's disappointing. Two of the tracks are just remakes of songs from the other 1996 Skyclad release, Irrational Anthems; one is just an instrumental take of "Bombjour" on this same album; and the other three are second-rate vocal songs that the band apparently didn't think particularly highly of, since their lyrics are not in the booklet (whereas the lyrics of the other songs are). Admittedly, the remakes of "History Lessens" and "Penny Dreadful" are better than the originals IMHO, and the instrumental version of "Bombjour" (called "Bombed Out") is much, much better than the original.

Oui Avant-Garde a Chance is a mixed bag, then, but it's still my favorite of the three Skyclad albums I have as I write this (Irrational Anthems and Prince of the Poverty Line being the others). The lyrics are great, the music is good for the most part, and despite the weak second half I'd still recommend this album to anyone interested in the lighter side - well, much lighter side - of prog metal.