Geekus Interruptus:

I'll be away for the rest of the week, so no more geekery for a little while. I'll resume when I get back though.

Et Cetera - s/t (Apostrophe, 1976)

Not to be confused with either the '90s Danish neo-prog band of the same name or the early '70s fusion band, Et Cetera was one of (if not the) best of the vintage-era French Canadian prog bands. As far as I know, this is their only album, which is a damn shame, because it's a beautiful record, a classic of melodic, symphonic prog. As has been noted by many others, it's definitely in the Gentle Giant vein, with complex harmonic/rhythmic structures and extensive use of fugue-like counterpoint in both the vocals and the instrumental arrangements. It's mellower and more atmospheric than GG though, and it breathes a bit more. Lots of excellent analog synth work, and even some Ondes Martenot (an early, pre-synth electronic keyboard instrument, you might have seen Radiohead use one onstage). Nice mix of male and female vocals, with pure, smooth voices (none of the overdone singing that is the bane of so much prog rock), and the lyrics are all in French. This being a prog album, that's probably a good thing. In short folks, if you buy only one French Candian prog record...