Catharsis - Le Boléro du Veau des Dames (1974)

Whether this is Catharsis' best album may depend on your particular sensibility, but it’s arguably the most developed one. Up to this point they were mainly on psychedelic duty, alternating between organ runs and ruminations - as laid down by a phantom of the opera who is coming to realize there are plenty of fish in the sea - accompanied by pounding or pensive percussions and punctuated by pre-orgasmic ululations, all sounding like it was recorded in an abandoned château oozing with the ectoplasm of idle aristocrats and frisky courtisanes (a formula that was probably perfected on Illuminations). 

One could draw a parallel here with soundtrack works, like some of Goblin’s early stuff, but instead of Dario Argento's giallos, Catharsis' albums would be a more fitting score for some Walerian Borowczyk softcore flicks - best enjoyed at a rundown arthouse cinema, where in ancient times people could go to engage in more culturally benign forms of sleaziness.

This later LP (their last palatable one) is not a major departure: you lose some mystery, you gain some clarity. Harmonies progress, sometimes taking unexpected turns; themes actually get fleshed out; and the instrumental palette may be slightly richer (was that a sitar I just heard?). The moaning, though, is kept to a minimum, so, unless you are a dj archeologist who has already dug out all the crates of Italian porn soundtracks for samples, this is probably the best place to start without startling your neighbors.