| Artist |
| Rome |
| Title |
| Nera |
| Format/Cat |
| CD TRI 392 CD |
| Label |
| Trisol |
| Style |
| Neo-Folk |
| Date of review |
| 6th February 2011 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 6/10 |
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With this latest release, Rome continue to mix a number of differing elements into their music; folk, jazz, dark ambient, tribal & symphonic elements all make their presence felt, sometimes in the course of one track in the case of the gothic romantic dark folk of 'Reversion'! In comparison to the preceding release Nos Chants Perdus which had a very intimate feel, there's a certain distance throughout these 12 tracks, giving such numbers as 'A La Falveur De La Nuit' a mood of dislocation to the otherwise intimate mix of piano, percussion & Jerome Reuter's at times barely audible spoken vocals that, in unison with some uncredited female voice that form part of the backing soundscape, sound as earnest as ever although the climax of this track sees Reuter at his most abstract & inventive although this is then contrasted by the relatively bright & almost optimistic 'Das Unbedingte' which proves that anything can happen here. For sure, this is an album that refuses to follow any stylistic guidelines or observe any rules, it's always likely to throw up surprises. Witness the odd mixture that graces 'Hope Dies Painless' where some strummed acoustic guitar is backed by what sounds like an old locomotive emerging from the soundpool, forming a counterpoint to the mournful mood that becomes more evident as the track progresses, aided by some harmonised wordless vocals while the six minute duration means it has the room to really make its mark. Actually, as the album progresses these elements from the past come more & more to the fore with the title track being marked by the sounds of war & old brass snippets that work in unison with the percussive cascades to make for a mood that is at once bombastic & mournful. Likewise, the odd mix of effects that mark the beginning of 'Birds Of Prey' show a greater willingness to mix more traditional elements with more abstract ones while 'Les Hirondelles' mixes a repetitive martial music sample that could easily belong to a piece of strident neo-folk, with spoken voice that again feels both intimate & distant, giving the piece a far more introspective feel, like a commentary on human history coming from one who is far removed from mankind.
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