Ison
is the second full length album by Démodé, a very interesting
"pocket size orchestra", as they love to define
themselves, from Udine. It was self released in 2015, four years after the
previous Le parole al vento, with a renewed line up
featuring Francesco Zanon (violin), Andrea Zampieri (clarinet),
Claudio Colaone (sax), Luca Laruina (piano), Carin Marzaro (bass) and
Alberto Zenarolla (drums). In my opinion these four years of gigs and hard work in the studio have resulted in a very mature work
where the band showcase all their great talent and musicianship
mixing jazz and chamber music, avant-garde and tango, East-European
folk and progressive, melodies and dissonances... The result is an
excellent instrumental album that is really worth listening to from
start to finish!
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| art cover |
The
opener "La fuga" (The escape) could evoke a joyful ride in
the country after a hard week spent on the workplace. It starts with
a nervous passage led by sax, drums, pulsing bass lines and piano,
then the music begins to swing towards positive feelings and more
relaxed atmospheres until the finale, when some delicate sax lines
seem almost wishing you good-night.
"Ison",
is darker and full of mystery. The title of this piece refers to the
comet ISON, also known as C/2012 S1, a sungrazing comet
discovered on 21 September 2012. In 2013 Ison broke apart when it
passed close to the sun because of heat and tidal forces... According
to the official website, between creation and destruction comets
are symbols of metamorphosis and, as the passage of Ison
coincided with a moment of deep renewal for the band, they chose to
name after it not only this piece but the whole album.
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| Démodé 2014 |
"Arturo"
is a short track that starts slowly and then evolves in a lively dance
with klezmer influences that make me think of Louis de Funès
playing the role of Rabbi Jacob in an old French comedy film... The
following "Memento" is reflective, jazzy and cinematic. I
don't know if this piece was inspired by the film of the same name
directed by Christopher Nolan in 2000, but in my opinion it could be
a really good score for a neo-noir psychological thriller with such a
kind of plot...
The
dreamy "Nuances" conjures up ethereal atmospheres and black
and white memories. It leads to the magical beauty of "Il
sentiero incantato" (The enchanted path) that seems to take you on
a mystical trip in the Alps. The evocative music will lead you on
a beautiful path, through breathtaking panoramas and ancient woods where rocks, trees and roots conjure up
legends and old myths...
The
title of the following "Il papiro di Ani" (The Papyrus of
Ani) refers to a papyrus manuscript with cursive hieroglyphs and
colour illustrations created during the 19th dynasty of the New
Kingdom of ancient Egypt and that now lies in the British Museum.
Egyptians compiled an individualized book for certain people upon
their death, called the Book of Going Forth by Day, more
commonly known as the Book of the Dead, typically containing
declarations and spells to help the deceased in their afterlife, and
this manuscript was compiled for the Theban scribe Ani... In my
opinion, here the beautiful music could be a perfect score for a film
based upon a novel by Wilbur Smith such as The Seventh Scroll
or River God.
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| Démodé on stage 2015 |
"Split
Inside" is a calm, introspective track featuring classical
patterns veined of exoticism and romantic dreams. Every now and again
it reminds me slightly of Le Orme's album Florian... Next comes
the suggestive "Charlotte" with its sensual Latin flavour
and its echoes of tango.
According
to the band, the ever changing "Luna indiana" (Indian Moon)
was conceived like a crazy radio station that changes continuously
tune with irony and absolute nonchalance. It precedes the lively closer "Zucchero
sotto sale" (Sugar under salt) wthat blands in a funny way classical
passages, jazz and Latin rhythms driving you in a frenzied final
dance...
On
the whole, I think that this is a really good, mature work. Anyway,
have a try and judge by yourselves: you can listen to the complete
album HERE
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