Being an instrumental guitarist isn't an easy task, if you ask me. The compositions have to be more thought out than on "regular" songs since people are definitely concentrating on the music instead of listening to the lyrics. Composing beautiful music isn't a problem for Cloux, who's a guitarist hailing from France. His self-financed debut release, Full Fool, is full of great instrumental music.

The music on Full Fool contains beautiful melodies, lush harmonies, cool leads in the vein of Satriani, Vai, Timmons and the like as well as some groovy rhythms. For most this is already more than enough, but it's also worth mentioning that Cloux manages to sound original at all times. Although there are some influences audible, there's certainly a lot of "Cloux" in there as well. The feeling just shines throughout every single note he plays, and all the different nuances of tones are cannily accentuated on this record.

The balance between experimental parts and beautiful melodies on this album is fitting. One of the most distinctive features of Cloux's playing is the use of silence. He uses breaks rather often, and those stops accentuate his playing quite nicely. In addition to the instrumentals, there are some vocal performances (courtesy of Simon Fleurry) on this album as well. For example, there are the few vocal lines of "Human Being" as well as "Burp", on which Simon Fleurry actually sings rather humorous lyrics.

The production on this album is very good, especially considering the fact that it's an independent release. The guitar tone is just plain beautiful — I'll describe it as a really smooth "singing" lead tone. The mixing was handled by Julien Rousseau, who definitely has done a good job.

With such a strong record, I certainly hope Cloux is able to gain recognition on the instrumental rock scene. In case you listen to music falling into this genre, you should definitely give Cloux's Full Fool a spin. I, for one, am really looking forward hearing a full-length album from Cloux.

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- MAGE (May 2nd, 2005)

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LINE-UP:
Cloux: All Guitars, Drum Programming, Bass on Treacle Fleurry, Simon: Vocals on Human Being and Burp Mochiziki, Kengo: Bass on Lead on, Burb and Human Being Zolli, Xavier: Bass on Memento and Full Fool
Producer:	Unavailable
Mixing by:	Rousseau, Julien
Mastering by:	Unavailable

	TRACKLIST:
	01. Human Being 02. Full Fool 03. Burp 04. Memento 05. Treacle 06. Lead on Length: 21:08