Sometimes an artist makes contradictory moves; sometimes it simply doesn't matter. By 2001, René Lussier got tired of life within Ambiances Magnétiques. His experimentations of the last few years had been only mildly successful from an artistic point of view and the heritage of the collective was starting to weigh heavily on his shoulders. That year he released two records on two labels other than the one he co-founded in 1983. One was Déboutonné, a CD of acoustic guitar solos released in May on Ohm Éditions, another avant-garde label. More bold was his move for Tombola Rasa, released in September on La Tribu, a record label specializing in Québec alternative rock. Even more surprising is the fact that, while breaking from Ambiances Magnétiques, he came back to the kind of music he was doing in the 1980s, the music that helped establish the label. This project, which took years to bring to CD, is in direct lineage with Fin du Travail (Version 1), Le Corps de l'Ouvrage, Le Tour du Bloc, and Les Granules' Au Royaume du Silencieux. Lussier is witty, talkative, and partying hard. The nine-piece group includes longtime collaborators (and AM alumni) Robert M. Lepage, Tom Walsh, Normand Guilbeault, and Bernard Falaise. The presence of Alain Lamontagne, a foot-tapper, also marks the composer's return to a fantasized avant-gardist form of Québec folklore -- something that arches back to his very beginnings with Conventum. Tombola Rasa contains all the excitement, energy, and cartoonish fun of Lussier's best recordings from the '80s and early '90s. Some may interpret it as some kind of artistic regression, but fans will listen to this album with smiles firmly stuck to their faces. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
René Lussier (Bass (Electric)), Jean René (Viola), Pierre Langevin (Flute (Wood)), René Lussier (Percussion), René Lussier (Podorythmie), Pierre Langevin (Clarinet), Robert Langlois (Sound Recording), Alain Lamontagne (?), René Lussier (Producer), Pierre Langevin (Bagpipes), Normand Guilbault (Double Bass), René Lussier (Guitar (Electric)), René Lussier (Guitar), René Lussier (Realization), Robert Langlois (Engineer), Bernard Bulsson (Piano), Tom Walsh (Trombone), Bernard Falaise (Guitar (Electric)), Normand Guilbeault (Contrabass), Robert Marcel Lepage (Clarinet), Jean René (Alto), Robert Langlois (Mixing), Bernard Falaise (Guitar)
