Runaway Totem

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Nov 18 19:12:22 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залиты диски Runaway_Totem:
(2011)Le_Roi_DuMonde
(2012)Affreschi_EMeditazione

Ещё два альбома славных представителей итальянского зюля/авангарда.
Говорить о стиле альбома, в котором всего 3 вещи, две из которых в районе 30 минут, сложно.
Короче говоря, тут есть ВСЁ - всё, что вам может понравиться в джаз-роке/фьюджне/заппе и всё, что вам может там НЕ понравиться. Не раз себя ловил на том, что рука тянется к кнопке "выкл.", но с удовольствием дослушал до конца...
Диск 2011 года закрывает собой трилогию, начатую в 2007 и продолженную в 2009-м годах.
Альбом 2012 года - во многом разнится с 2011-м. Тут нет монументальных композиций, есть просто концептуальный альбом, посвященный различному восприятию искусства. В качестве иллюстрации слушателя бомбардируют этими различными видами искусства - от амбиента до тяж-прога, спейс-рока и краута. Мне он понравился меньше.
И опять то же чувство...
В общем: не знаю. С этой группой у меня так уже бывало - отторжение/неприятие, а потом заслушиваешь альбом "до дыр". Они есть у нас, почти вся дискография... кому зашли, тому будет точно в радость, кому нет - лучше не надо - диски энивей не ординарные.

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Le Roi du Monde
Runaway Totem
Zeuhl, 2011
(c) Review by TenYearsAfter, PA

"Italy goes Zeuhl"

This unique Italian musical project is rooted in 1988, their goal was to use music as an universal language. In 1993 Runaway Totem released its first album entitled Trimegisto, during the years followed by a serie of albums. In 2007 the band released the CD Esameron on their own label Runaway Totem Records, as a part of a trilogy about the four elements. The second part is named Manu Menes from 2009 and the third effort Le Roi Du Monde (from 2011), this review is about that final part of the trilogy.

Listening to Runaway Totem is entering the realm of the Zeuhl, first the suite entitled Il Giardino Del Nocciolo E Del Melograno, more than 30 minutes. It is divided in many parts featuring a huge variety, but without a theme or other elements that blend the many different moods. First a bombastic atmosphere with choirs, moving guitar runs and a wonderful blend of Grand piano and synthesizers. Then spoken words in an Arab-like language, mixed with brass instruments and again choirs. Next a long and very atmospheric and experimental interlude, again that brass and the choirs, followed by an accellaration featuring powerful vocals, propulsive guitar and a dynamic rhythm-section. This culminates in a fiery and bombastic part, but suddenly the climate changes in dreamy with beautiful Grand piano and sound effects, finally biting guitar runs and tight drum beats, evoking avant-garde King Crimson. I needed a short break to breath, so many experimental ideas for an 'Old School 70-77 Genesis die-hard'!

The second composition is the mellow Le Marriage Du Soleil E La Lune, it sounds melodic with the focus on hobo and flute, along warm male and female vocals. The fiery electric guitar delivers the musical contrast, pretty unique music.

The final track La Citta Azurra Del Sole (around 30 minures) contains the most adventurous music, a kind of avant-garde version of Seventies Frank Zappa, featuring a huge array of instruments, from brass, harder-edged guitar and vibraphone to violin, flute and synthesizers. The atmospheres change from dreamy and slow rhythms to fiery and sumptuous, to me it sounds very experimental, but if you like this kind of music (from Zeuhl to avant-garde King Crimson), this album is a real musical adventure!
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Affreschi e meditazione
Runaway Totem
Zeuhl, 2015
(c) Review by Windhawk, PA

Italian band RUNAWAY TOTEM was formed back in 1988, and has a dozen albums to their name as of 2015. They are generally considered to be amongst the relatively few bands exploring a brand of progressive rock known as Zeuhl, with a trilogy of albums released in the '90s generally considered to represent the band at their very best, and are otherwise known for having a fairly constantly revolving line-up. "Affreschi e Meditazione" is their 11th full-length production, and is also their most recent studio album, released by Lizard Records in 2012.

"Affreschi e Meditazione" comes across as a fairly innovative production. This is an album that combines elements from cosmic, psychedelic, ethnic and ambient music into a grand totality that is more challenging than what you'd expect from such a brew. Mainly by combining ambient and intense details, but also by using sounds and tones that are either challenging or unusual or both. An intriguing production on many levels, and one to inspect if ethnic-tinged, cosmic music created in a challenging manner sounds like something you might enjoy, especially if you also have a taste for jazz rock.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Jan 20 10:26:02 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит RunawayTotem/(2019)_MultiversalMatter

Последнее творение хорошо нам известных ветеранов РПИ. Их много есть у нас...
Стиль, как обычно - РПИ/зюль-с-мужским-оперным-вокалом.
"Всё хорошо, прекрасная маркиза, за исключеньем пустяка..."(с) На диске 6 композиций, из которых 2 по 10 минут, одна на 15 минут и одна - на 30!
Для зюля это - нормально.
Но, учитывая, некоторое отсутствие разнообразия в музыкальных ходах, иной раз, до боли начинает напоминать Танджерин Дрим (я не имею ничего против ТД, даже наоборот, но (!) мы же сюда пришли не за этим, да?) Энивей,
РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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Multiversal Matter
Runaway Totem
Zeuhl, 2019
(c) Review by Matti, PA

This is the 11th album by the ultimate Italian 'Zeuhl' group. I haven't listened to their other albums, the debut being already from 1993, but a few years back I was deeply charmed by the latest offering of Universal Totem Orchestra, which is said to be originally a spin-off act for Runaway Totem (although, after comparing the line-ups, the details of the bands' blood relations remain unclear to me). That said, I felt curious for this one, and I was prepared for a fascinating and very original listening experience. Well, original and unconventional it certainly is, but I'm not wholeheartedly impressed. My rating of three stars definitely doesn't imply a typical middle-of-the-road thing, an album which is "good, but non-essential". Instead it's a a compromise of giving four stars to the high degree of uniqueness and the music being bravely and sincerely what it is, and of giving only two and a half stars in a more subjective scale.

While many might call this one a grower, ie. an album too strange to be fully understood and enjoyed at the earliest listenings, I firmly believe that my own reception isn't going to be any better with time. Because first and foremost I find this 73-minute album way too extended and therefor rather boring, paradoxically. In my opinion, all its musical contents and ideas could be expressed -- much more effectively -- in half of the running length.

The opening track 'Dark Matter' goes on and on for 30 minutes. It has an interesting soundscape which is hard to describe. It has a meditative and other-wordly atmosphere, created mostly by electronics. If you're familiar with Todd Rundgren's instrumental epic 'Treatise on Cosmic Fire' (on the album Initiation, 1975), think of the more unstructured, prelude/interlude-like moments in it, add some Krautrock á la Popol Vuh, and you get a faint idea of how 'Dark Matter' sounds in the beginning. The Italian-language male vocals enter around 3-4 minutes (as well as the hypnotic percussive pattern) and from that on, for the most of the time, the mammoth piece feels like an improvisational, experimental back-up jamming for the shamanistic moaning of lyrics, despite containing some vocal-free moments along the way. In the last quarter there luckily are less vocals and both the drumming and electric noises become more intense. The manic half-laughing-half-crying moment is also interesting. Surely this piece has lots of awesome uniqueness, but half an hour is simply too much.

'La Scale Oscure' is another kind of beast: fast-paced, short (2:55) and manic in both percussion-heavy playing and freaky vocals. 'Deoram Matter' has at first pretty nice guitar strumming, and it would have functioned very well as a brief instrumental. But it's a 9-minute song mostly repeating the lines "Terra, fuoco, acqua e aria" and later "voi per noi noi siete solo dei dei dei". The vocals are this time more normal singing, but musically there ins't enough ideas for the length. 'Korath Matter' centers around sinister Gothic soundscape with chorals and over-the-top main vocals reminiscent at times of Screaming Jay Нawkins. But it's 15 minutes, gosh. 'Paesazione Sonora' (5:44) is not necessarily too long at all, but it offers more of the same vocal-centred experimental jamming I'm getting rather tired of at this point. The female voice is a nice additonal feature.

The final piece 'Universo di Sfere' is my favourite. It's a near 11-minute instrumental refreshingly combining ambient soundscape and melody/rhythm -based approach. This one has lots to offer for the listener's inner visions. A pity that the whole album takes too much of your time without giving back in equal measures. Нave a listen if you're fond of experimental soundscapes and meditative /freaky eclectism -- and if you have nothing against heavily extended track lengths.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido