| Artist |
| ROME |
| Title |
| Nos Chants Perdus |
| Format/Cat |
| CD Tri 383 CD |
| Label |
| Trisol |
| Style |
| Modern European Folk |
| Date of review |
| 6th June 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 6.5/10 |
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If you're looking for an intense listen of a different kind then this, from the Luxemburg-based band, based around one Jerome Reuter, is where you'll find it. It's not intense in that the music is at all heavy, exactly the opposite in fact as it's a mostly quiet album as notes from either the guitar, piano or dulcimer are sprinkled like confetti onto proceedings; no, the intensity comes from Reuter's vocals which are gently sung or spoken as the mood dictates in either French or English, being delivered with such quiet conviction that every word, every syllable is of the utmost importance & are recorded in such a way that it's as if his most private thoughts are being captured. It's certainly a very personal & startlingly intimate way of working &, similarly, the music often sounds as if it were being played right in front of you, as is the case during 'Le Chaitment Du Traitre'. There's a strong folky element running throughout much of the album & the mood is mournful & melancholic pretty much throughout with only the beginning of 'Le Vertige Du Vide' & the closing 'Chanson Des Gestes' bringing anything light to proceedings & even if the music does sound outwardly restful that earnest voice just keeps drawing your attention. Indeed when the album does pick up something in the way of power, as on the relatively epic 'L'Assassin' with Nikos Mavrides' violin adding the mood & 'Les Iles Noire', there's a certain Nick Cave similarity, the latter bearing a resemblance to Where The Wild Roses Grow &, while it sounds less spooky the spoken French voice is just as intense in its own way. One thing's for sure, this is not an album that would serve either as background music, neither is it something that you'd just put on, it deserves to be listened to in a manner that's as intense as the music & while 'La Commune' could have a wider appeal to gothic fans & 'Le Rose Et La Hache' has so strong a Gallic flavour, thanks to Borislav Ivanov's accordion, that it instantly brings to mind the image of the band playing it on a rainswept Paris street corner, it's not likely to have a very widespread appeal. Still, if it's a cloudy day outside & you're feeling in a reflective mood & that Nick Cave album seems just a little bit too joyous (or even that Leonard Cohen one!) then this could well fit the bill.
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