I have a very personal connection with this album.

Volapük recorded it during their tour in my home country, Poland. They played my city. I went to see them. I got to meet them. This album documents that tour. Unfortunately, a recording from my show is not on it.

But there is more. They came back to tour Poland a year later and the band I was in at the time supported them in our city.

They arrived late and never saw our show. I am still a little bit cranky about it.

But my story aside, Pokapuk presents the trio at their peak.

Right after this tour, they became a quartet, and their music changed. But here, it is exactly what they were always known for - complex music that merged rock, contemporary classical, jazz, and humour.

You hear all those elements here. There is an improv based on Bach's cello suites (Bach is Back), a funny, driven rock miniature (Le Feu de Tigre), a drum improv, an odd-time-signature explosion of Dunaj and more.

There's Gigou playing drums with balloons (you really had to see it). There's Michael Mendel playing two clarinets at once. There's Guillaume Saurel treating his cello like as if it were a guitar and then, suddenly, making it sound like another of Gigou's drums.

And there is that incredible energy that only those three could produce.

I was so happy to see that Pükapök is still available via Cuneiform. Year ago, I gave my copy to my nephew, a budding clarinet player at the time. I am happy to have a copy again.

If you're into Rock in Opposition, you should hear this.