"DISOBBEDISCO!": THE LICHTTAUFE REVIEW (ENGLISH TRANSLATION) by Il Levriero Staff
30/12/2005 at 19:14
Here’s the translated version of "Disobbedisco!"’s Lichttaufe review (thnx to Roy!)
----------------------------------
IANVA: DISOBBEDISCO! (ANTICA FONOGRAFIA IL LEVRIERO) “L’impresa di Fiume” o "un festival d’avanguardia e d’amore"
On taking the much awaited debut album of the Genovese band IANVA for the first time in your hands, it is rather like daring the first step into an old shabby North-Italian cinema hall. Just like a completely particular "teatro magico", as it is only to be found south of the alps. That which is played here, are passionate romances in the shade of Italian history, all a little ancient and surely old-fashioned too, in the meanwhile being covered by the dust of a poor time. In this epic work it is all about excavating and singing in rich images. "Disobbedisco!" is the archeofuturistic kiss of a half-drunken muse, which re-awoke out of her several decades lasting quiescent sleep on a sunny morning in Genoa.
“E che m’importa d’essere vinto nello spazio, se sono destinato a vincere nel tempo.” - “And what does it bother me to be inferior within space, when I’m destined to be victorious within time.”
Gabriele d’Annunzio
When in 1915 Italy plunged on sides of the Entente emphatically into the large war, this was naturally also attached to considerable expectations of territorial expansions which were even agreed with the Allied. At the end of the war the Italian forces asserted themselves against Austria-Hungary and claimed the status of a victorious nation. The following contracts of Versailles and Paris should affect the fate of the European continent lastingly and unfortunate. In Italy the peace agreement was undermined a "mutilated victory", as all parties experienced a rather distorted use of the so-called “international rights”. The Italians felt their shed blood betrayed when the annexation of Fiume (today Croatian - Rijeka) was being refused despite of all efforts. For many nationalists that was a punch into their face, but only the militarily high-decorated poet Gabriele d’Annunzio reacted to it with an often wrongly interpreted aesthetic action. With no more than two thousand black-dressed "Arditi" – an elite troop demobilized after the war - on September 12th 1919 he marched towards Fiume, which at that time was actually dominated by Italian population, and occupied it for sixteen months. What proceeded during this time in Fiume, goes far beyond the often expressed procedures of a state of occupation. Together with the Anarchist Alceste de Ambris the "Comandante" d’Annunzio created a new constitution for the city - the "Carta del Carnaro", which made "music the basic principle of the state". Every morning d’Annunzio spoke poems and manifestos from his balcony, the evenings were celebrated with dances, concerts and fireworks. During this time Fiume had become an festival of the avant-garde, a red wine-interspersed dream in the blending of aesthetics and decadence, which found an all too sudden end by the late reaction of the Italian government in the "Natale di sangue" ("bloody Christmas"), December 1920. D’Annunzios coup de force applies to many as the first expression of the so-called “fascist style” (according to the definition of Armin Mohler), yet his disobedience ("disubbidienza") should also be seen in connection to the surging mind of the poet. Gabriele d’Annunzio was after all an eloquent aesthetic, his "L’impresa Fiume" rather an artistic gesture than a military impact. For any political reality the Absinth may have atomised his senses too much, but in the ongoing occupation he found his fiery fantasy, born from love affairs and pathetic poems, consequently continued. For d’Annunzio Fiume was but the short-lived implementation of his very own poetry. This small historical excursion was necessary, to be able to understand better the cosmos of "Disobbedisco!". On the above described background IANVA invented their own story for their atmospherically dense debut album. It is the tragic, thoroughly Italian romance of a war-experienced soldier (Maggiore Renzi) and a famous chanteuse (Elettra Stavros), which unfolds in eleven, sometimes quite expanded compositions and brings the blood and the heart to boil. After the powerful, impulsive introduction, "La Ballata dell’Ardito" coming from the pre-single of the same name presents the male protagonist and rings in the very special post-folkloristic style, with which IANVA are to be brought in connection for the future. In a ballad-like dance full of acoustic guitars, trumpets and accordion the "Ardito" Renzi is characterized as a failed war hero, a bitter idealist, also somewhat cynical, but in the end thinking with his heart. It is here already noticeable, what applies to the album in its whole: the voluminous arrangement of the instruments constantly adapts to the different tendencies of the indescribably expressive singing. Military boldness, effusive courage, fiery desire, rapturous love, wistful memories, deadly melancholy and dandy-like alcoholism - everything of it is affected in the nearly one hour and the experienced artist collective IANVA lets each of these feelings seem originally and really alive. The Maggiore is pulled into the historical events and the listener needs not to jump afterwards as he gets anyway carried away automatically. Renzi too belonged to the "Reparti d’assalto", the Italian elite unit, which was to be demobilized and dissolved after having done their bloodily and courageously war service. In "Vittoria Mutilata" he and his comrade are reminding the time before war, the enthusiastic tumble for the forthcoming fight, the displeasure about the rusted, miserable time, the desire for the utopia and world improvement. The reality of the First World War however became the dreadful instructor of their juvenile carelessness.
“’Guerra sola igiene del mondo’, dicevi e su tutto la convinzione che la militanza non fosse che Arte e che l’Arte non fosse che Azione…”
The mechanical war routine led the fighting soldiers to an uprooting of their ideals, which left nothing remain but despair and bitterness. In the simple loyalty codex of the "Arditi" the Maggiore, disappointed by both war and by peace, recognized his only hold and drew from it strength to the resistance and disobedience against the infamously upcoming new world order.
“Le armi noi non deponiamo. E restiamo, restiamo, restiamo…”
This all is being packed into a driving folk-rock song, which, with its dark-coloured acoustic guitars and the gestures of a melodious bass, is nostalgically reminiscent of some progressive folk movements of the 70’s. "Vittoria Mutilata" ends dynamically with a loud guitar-solo and so slides perfectly into the tour de force of "Di nuovo in armi!". Renzi follows his commander d’Annunzio as one the volunteers towards Fiume and experiences within the occupation an ecstatic image conveying a special atmosphere of the reawakening of the old spirits of life. The music itself is a sole orgy of polyrhythmic percussions, fanfares, flutes and an unbelievably emphatic voice. The drums imitate with large impact some military snares and seem the more impressive than all the other pallid attempts in this genre. Of which a majority of the "Militaria Neofolkers" suffer serious lack, IANVA have indeed in pure abundance: honest, sincere passion and heart. Not insignificantly therefore a line in the lyrics reads:
“Obbedire all’Amore é il novissimo imperativo.”
With the passing-by of this orgiastic celebration, a magic condition occurred, the ecstasy rises to a higher stage, the music calls an aesthetic ritual down from the sky that never wants to end, giving birth to an unreal drizzle that pours down all over Fiume. This now is the most favourable time for the first appearance of the female part. In the "Café dell’Hotel Europa" d’Annunzio and his "Arditi" celebrate their triumph and the turn of the year 1919/20, as the whole city seems to have sunk into a deep intoxication. Being introduced by an spicy Italian announcement and a wonderful old-fashioned synth-pad Elettra Stavros sings her tango with a hoarse and passionate ardour and the accordion intermezzo lends the song in addition a folky, wild and earthy character. You would like to fall on your knees before all this elegance, this beauty and suddenly unleashed eroticism. In this singing lies the multicoloured female mysticism, for the characteristics of the Stavros are naturally more complex and more obscure than those of the male protagonist. Veiled by sensual metaphors, the divine and decadent dancer and singer acts outwards like a hissing wildcat and lets her inside fragile and vulnerable soul dance agilely.
“Perché luna nuova sarò, meretrice e poi Santa, e la mia malapianta in giglio io muterò…”
Still rigid of the sight and the appearance of the Stavros, Maggiore Renzi gets hooked upon a suddenly kindled deep-drunken dance. "Sangue Morlacco" is also the name of a strongly alcoholic cherry liqueur, which he owes above all to his deep-red colouring. With rushing blood the impetuous guitar strings of this Instrumentals make the floors of each Osteria go up in flames. The Maggiore trembles. He trembles into the tearing uncertainty of the almost kitschy sugar-sweet hit "Per non dormire". Ever more the occupied city is pervaded by the illusion of a liveable decadence. Renzi gets a lightning driving through his heart, each time he thinks of Elettra. He has madly fallen in love and nevertheless remains a soldier of his commander. He wavers drunken by both poles between the sense of duty and passion. The utopian charm of the boundless possibilities, which was present at the beginning of "L’impresa Fiume", now transforms into bitter obstacles and impossibilities, as the two lovers won’t be able to find to each other. The tragedy and its crisis always occurs in the zenith of the tension and so it is little wonder that this track is carried by an impressing, theatrical size. With imposing vocals and the catchy trumpet refrain it seems like a modern intonation of the great “old school” masterpieces, and Jacques Brel or Scott Walker will easily come to your mind here. Fate takes its turn and the marvellously produced tragedy of "Disobbedisco!" extends to a historical stage. The contract of Rapallo declares Fiume as a free city and thus sets d’Annunzio under pressure, who, in his drunken hopelessness, starts a war with the Italian government. In "Traditi" he addresses for the last time to his comrades. Here the “Comandante” went alive by the voice of Italian composer and singer Andrea Chimenti. The dream of the avant-garde festival dissolves into the flaming smoke of the city, which is fired at by the Italian fleet. In the breaking fire, the population meets the hard soil of reality. Elettra is imprisoned in her consuming longing, she knows about the fact that Renzi will be lost in Fiume and nevertheless she sings herself into a feverish hope. "Fuoco a Fiume" is coloured by an enormous drama, it lives almost only on alarming drum-rolls and the loud cry of trumpets, which arise sharply and steeply from the dreamy ecstasy of the album. For Maggiore Renzi and the "Arditi" this means the sudden mobilization from a constant inebriating of Absinth and life. The fire, they danced around in the past months was basically just an artificial, aesthetic one, which made them susceptible to the real flames. The music of "Muri d’assenzio" transports this exciting blend of savage drunkenness and bold soldier-life with the typically decadent piano and the swaying accordion, which finally finds its clock within the nevertheless forward bursting percussion.
“Un sogna che sfumo nel piombo, si sa, val bene un’avanguardia estetica, ma ora è la realtà…All’armi!”
In the "Natale di Sangue", the "bloody Christmas" of 1920, since Italian troops attacked the occupants of Fiume, the story of “L’impresa Fiume” and with it some soldiers meets a fatal closure. Maggiore Renzi strives into the futile fight, thinking of Elettra, whom he promises a see again in Trieste. For him the effusive imperative of total dedication fades out with melancholically tapped piano keys. But in the port of Trieste, Elettra waits for her lover. The outro depicts the dramatic of this conclusion scene with an outstanding precision. At first the hesitating sway and hope within the impatient guitar play, then rising like a tempest comes the nostalgic synthesizer, which carries the deadly certainty and the inexpressible tragedy within its warm swelling. Actually it would be now time for the titles, but instead IANVA dared a jump into the late twenties. The Stavros is a down and out chanteuse dependent on opiates in the ports of Hamburg, singing a smoky and passionate version of the traditional "O ’ Surdato ’ Nnammurato" for the half-bladdered audience. It is a final farewell to all the great illusions of life and nonetheless simply a heartfelt love song. For IANVA it is in addition a homage to the unique actress Anna Magnani, who, if "Disobbedisco!" would actually be a film, could have been an excellent cast for the Elettra.
Italian cinema knows an immeasurably long list of great, important names and even if the artists of IANVA devoted themselves to another profession, they could be added without a doubt to this list. With "Disobbedisco!" they tell a story in notes and lyrics, which have no troubles to induce the equivalent images in the head of the listener. Their style has greatness, it is old-fashioned, completely torn out of today’s time, extremely authentically and above all very honest. With IANVA we may perhaps have the luck to encounter a renaissance of the great passions, of humans made of flesh and blood. "Disobbedisco!" is with all its densely filled tracks and its beautiful and brilliantly nostalgic artwork a complete piece of its own, which is rooted in the often called ambivalence of Archeofuturism. The "Comandante" would have been strongly delighted.
(Roy Liebscher for www.lichttaufe.com, XXVIII-XII-MMV)
| Full database
