THE COMET

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!

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.

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.

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

More info:

http://www.wearedemode.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/wearedemode 

FASHION IN THE WIND

Démodé are an interesting band from Udine formed by Francesco Zanon (violin), Lucia Soramel (clarinet), Claudio Colaone (sax), Luca Laruina (piano), Carin Marzaro (bass) and Alberto Zenarolla (drums, percussion). The name of the band means “out of fashion”, but their way of crossing the styles does not lead to any old stereotype. On the contrary, they draw on many influences shaping something new and fresh without sounding retro at all!

Démodé 2011

After many months of hard work, in 2009 they self-released a first eponymous EP blending jazz, folk, classical and world influences with a very personal touch. The opener “Il teatro dei gatti” (The theatre of the cats) is a lively track with many changes in mood and rhythm. It begins softly with piano and sax, then the rhythm section and the other instruments come in adding layers of colourful notes. The short, swinging “Jade” is also a good track but in my opinion the best track of this EP is the third one, “Tango!”, that reminds me of the classical atmospheres of Le Orme's Florian mixed with echoes of Piazzolla and Morricone. “Tristeza” concludes, after only 15 minutes, what in my opinion is just a tasteful appetizer..

You can listen to complete EP in streaming. Click HERE

In 2011 the band released their first full-length album, “Le parole al vento” (Words in the wind), confirming their great potential. It's another self-production but the sound quality is excellent and the nice art-work by Carin Marzaro evocative. All the tracks are completely instrumental and flow away one after each other without weak moments. The funny marching beat of the short opener “Circense” sets the atmosphere evoking the lights of a circus show with clowns and acrobats. On the following “Veraluna” (True Moon) the music veers to romance with a gipsy violin under the moon. The mix of Gypsy influences and jazz could make of this track a good score for a film such as Sweet And Lowdown by Woody Allen, where you can imagine the ghost of Django Reinhardt smiling in the background. It leads to the light melodic lines embroidered on the nervous rhythm of the funny “Unobanana”. Next comes the dreamy “Oltremare” (Oversea) that drives you towards new colourful musical horizons.

  

“Pizzica!” is a tarantella dressed up in jazz atmospheres while the following “China Boid” opens with a delicate piano pattern. It's one of my favourite tracks on this album and blends mild Far-Eastern influences with jazz. “Dante” features pulsing bass lines and frenzied passages intertwined with nice violin patterns while “Baciami Elvira” (Kiss me Elvira) evokes old “balere” where you can dance tango or “liscio”. Then comes “Vecchiomondo” (Old world) that could be a perfect score for the investigations of Inspector Clouseau, the protagonist of the series of comedy films The Pink Panther. The following “New Pest” is in the same vein with a darker, jazzier touch and the swinging “Serpenti” (Snakes) concludes an album very rich in ideas and full of brilliant passages.

You can listen to the complete album in streaming. Click HERE

More info:

http://www.wearedemode.com/

http://www.myspace.com/wearedemode

http://www.facebook.com/wearedemode