"DISOBBEDISCO!" REVIEW BY MICK MERCER by IL Levriero Staff
11/07/2008 at 01:30
Mr. Mercer reviews "Disobbedisco!" (2008 edition).
"I once turned down the chance to review Ianva on the grounds I felt they were involved with the Neo -folk movement, which I’d condemned for clearly being mired by right wing nutters, who hoped to slip under the radar to turn out tuneless drivel due to the basic nature of the form. People reacted with fury when I suggested this, only for members of bands in the ‘movement’ to email me and admit they were deeply disturbed by the way the scene was going and for these reasons deeply sceptical about its survival. It has since pretty much vanished up its own grimy backside, because those involved were not prepared to speak out but there’s an equally tedious groundswell of ‘martial’ music which still appeals to same slobs who roll like discarded turds behind the skirting boards of decency.
Ianva are, thankfully, nothing like either of those scenes, but they do have a militaristic theme inside this work, which seemingly looks back to the 1918-1920 period in Italian history and which for all I know does handle old Fascist characters, but it seems more a commentary on the Futurist phase behind a country’s bleak collapse. The booklet had ancient photos, but no clear story emerges to me. Obviously better known as lovers than fighters, Italy’s modern past is a mystery to me, but it gives the music and settings a curious tone, almost detached and regal, funnily enough.
‘Intro – Colpo Di Maglio’ has some old speech lifted from a 78 and mixed with an ambient gornaing wash, then ‘La Ballata Dell’Ardito’ with its crowing horns and slowly stirred drumming is like Indiana Jones inside out, slightly queasy, with some sweeter trumpet adding a maudlin air like a spaghetti western front (ha!), and some saucy boardwalk café music sauntering in behind charming crooning. ‘Vittoria Mutilata’ is stately summery fretting, furtive string synth embellishment and deeply rollicking drums.
With the barking sample of some madman ‘XII – IX – MCMXIX: Di Nuovo In Armi!’ moves over a drum rattle cleverly made to sound like a wave of glass before the acoustic lament enveloped by horns and solemnity. ‘Tango Della Menade’ is rapturously demented romantic swirls of literally old fashioned dance, ‘Sangue Morlacco’ swirls with much stampy clattering like an Italian flamenco, and the simple beauty of the acoustic ‘Per Non Dormire’ is very touching, with deftly imaginative drumming brushing seductively against the vocals, with piquant strings and horns again adding a light modern touch of glamour.
A more doleful ‘Traditi’ with languorous brass and doleful vocals stretches out, is adventurously slow, but the twilight angst of ‘Fuoco A Fiume’ is even more attractive. ‘Muri D’Assenzio’ is less demanding, with its murky accordion and piano, the graceful instrumenta; ‘Outro – Amor Sola Lex’ leading us into quirky carnivalesque clapalong pop of ‘O’Surdato ‘Nnammurato’, which is positively surreal. ‘Un Sogno D’Elettra’ and ‘Amsterdam’ seems listed slightly apart from the rest of the songs on the cover, so are these ‘bonus’ tracks? The former is euroindie of the type so stylishly created by dPERD, here is conventionally ravishing and rumbustuous by turns, the latter a French Pogues!
Think Necro Stellar crossed with some Cabaret Noir and you’re on the right track".
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