Izvajalec: Non Credo
Založba: Samozaložba
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.5/5
Non Credo sta svojo kariero začela z albumom Reluctant Hosts leta 1988. To je album, s katerim se začne dolgo in plodovito sodelovanje med Joeom Berardijem in Kiro Vollman. Po tem prvencu sta sledila le še dva albuma, a če imaš takšno kvaliteto, kvantiteta ni tako pomembna. Albuma Reluctant Hosts se dolgo ni dalo kupiti, a na srečo je bil ponovno izdan leta 2000 in še vedno obstaja nekaj kopij, ki jih je moč kupiti. Če imate priložnost, predlagam da ta album kupite, saj gre za dragulj, ki bo zadovoljil večino ljubiteljev eksperimentalne glasbe.
Prvi del albuma vsebuje osem vokalnih pesmi in eno skomponirano instrumentalno skladbo, medtem ko drugi del vsebuje v glavnem instrumentalne improvizacije. Vse vokalne skladbe so izvrstne, s tradicionalno odštekanimi in zabavnimi besedili, za katera je poskrbela Kira Vollman. Stilistično se pesmi gibljejo vse od kabareta, do popa (vsaj za Non Credo), seveda pa je tudi ogromno eksperimentalnih delov, po katerih sta Non Credo zaslovela s Happy Wretched Family. Na instrumentalu “Ask the Bearded Lady” (primeren naslov) pa lahko zasledimo tudi vplive cirkuške glasbe.
Na drugem delu albuma se nahajajo pesmi brez konvencionalnih vokalov, a Kira kljub temu poskrbi za zmešnjavo s svojimi vokalnimi norčijami. V tem delu lahko slišimo Non Credo igrati praktično vse glasbene žanre – jazz, klasiko, avantgardo, ambientalno glasbo,…. Kot da bi se želela pobahati s tem kar zmoreta. Poglejte naju, poglejte česa sva sposobna! A v primeru Non Creda v tem ne vidim nobene napake, saj vsak segment zveni kot naraven prehod iz predhodnega dela in ne zdi se kot da bi bilo kaj prisiljeno.
Besedila Kire Vollman so ponovno izjemna. Ustvari svoj lasten svet črnega humorja. Igra se s temami, ki so sila tragične, a jih naredi komične. V tem pogledu izstopata predvsem “Looking in the Window” in “Thank You Mommy”. Ne morem se spomniti nikogar drugega, ki bi znal tako tragične in morbidne teme predstaviti na tako humorističen, a kljub temu inteligenten način.
Včasih je težko verjeti, da gre pri Non Credo le za dva člana. Resda so tukaj nekateri gostje, vendar večino dela opravita Joe in Kira. Predvsem me je prepričal Joe na tolkalih, impresionirale pa so me tudi klaviature in seveda Kirin vokal. Morda je to njun najbolj eklektičen izdelek kar se tiče stila, saj brez težav preklapljata med žanri kot so klasična glasba, jazz, avantgarda, kabaret, pop,…
Edini del albuma, kjer se zdi, da sta Non Credo neizkušena, je, ko gre za zaporedje pesmi. Vse pesmi z besedili so postavljene na začetek albuma, medtem ko se na drugem delu nahajajo bolj ambientalni in eksperimentalni segmenti. To težavo sta na naslednjih dveh albumih odpravila, a tudi tukaj obstaja dober razlog za takšno razporeditev. Vse pesmi, ki se nahajajo na drugem delu albuma so pravzaprav bonus skladbe, ki so prvotno obstajale le kot podlaga za nekatere filme.
Kljub tej eni pomanjkljivosti (ki niti ni pomanjkljivost) je prvenec Non Creda imeniten. Ne pozna se pomanjkanje izkušenj, glasba je dobro zasnovana in inteligentna (kot vedno). Ponovno izstopajo besedila kot tudi zmešana (in resna) glasba. Joe in Kira sta z Reluctant Hosts posnela čudovit album, ki ga je nemogoče uvrstiti v en sam žanr. Album prikaže zagon glasbenikov, ki željno raziskujeta glasbene zmožnosti in prikažeta sposobnosti izkušenih skladateljev. Non Credo preprosto morate slišati!
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Non Credo started off their recording career in 1988 with Reluctant Hosts, an album that would mark a long and artistically successful relationship between Joe Berardi and Kira Vollman. There have only been two other albums after this debut, but if you have quality like this, quantity isn’t that important. Reluctant Hosts was long out of print, but it was luckily rereleased in 2000 and there are still a few copies floating around here and there. If you have a chance, pick this album up as it’s a true gem for fans of experimental music.
The first part of the album contains 8 vocal tracks and one composed instrumental, while the second part is filled with mostly improvisations (I think). All the vocal tracks are great, with traditionally twisted and fun lyrics by Kira Vollman. The styles vary from almost cabaret songs, to what sounds like almost pop (for Non Credo) and experimental parts that Non Credo would later become renowned for on their Happy Wretched Family album. There’s also a circus-like atmosphere on the instrumental “Ask the Bearded Lady” (a fitting title).
The second part of the album is comprised of songs without any conventional vocals, but Kira does create some havoc with her vocal experiments. In this part of the record, we can hear Non Credo basically doing any genre you please – from jazz, classical, avant-garde, ambient. It’s almost as if they were trying to show off their credentials. Look at us! This is what we can do! But I see nothing wrong with this, at least not with Non Credo, because every segments sounds like a natural progression of the previous one and nothing seems forced.
Kira Vollman’s lyrics are again spectacular. She creates her own world of dark humour, where she takes sometimes extremely tragic events and puts a humorous twist on them. The standout tracks in this department are (for me) “Looking in the Window” and “Thank You Mommy”. I can’t think of anyone else who is able to create something so funny, yet thoughtful from a theme that is basically very sombre.
It is sometimes hard to believe that Non Credo is only a duo. True, there are some guest musicians here, but most of the work is done by Joe and Kira. I am particularly impressed by Joe’s work on percussion, the keyboard parts (from both) and naturally Kira’s vocals. Perhaps, this is their most eclectic work to date in terms of style, as they seem to effortlessly switch between so many different genres, like classical, jazz, avant-garde, cabaret, pop,…
The only part of the album that Non Credo’s inexperience is evident is in choosing the song sequence. They put all the tracks with the lyrics in the first part of Reluctant Hosts, while the second part contains some ambient and experimental passages. On their two following releases they would remedy this and combine the tracks more wisely, but there’s an explanation for why the sequence is like it is here as well. All the songs from the second part are basically bonus tracks that were recorded as soundtracks to a few movies.
Apart from the one shortcoming I mentioned (for which there’s still a good reason), Non Credo’s debut is nothing short of excellent. There are no signs of immaturity, the music is well crafted and cleaver as always. The lyrics again stand out, as does the wacky (and serious) music. Joe and Kira made an incredible album with Reluctant Hosts, one that transcends genre classification. This album shows the enthusiasm of musicians eager to explore new musical worlds and the craftsmanship of experienced composers. Non Credo has to be heard to be believed!
Zasedba
Joseph Berardi – bobni, tolkala, klaviature, harmonika, violončelo
Kira Vollman – vokal, bas, klarinet, klaviature
Gostje: Jesse Jacobson – kitara, bas na Thank You Mommy, Jerome Faulkner – sintetizatorji na Thank You Mommy, Bill Rhea – violina na Beguiled
Produkcija
Non Credo
Seznam skladb
1. Why?
2. Tell Me What You Dream
3. Looking In The Windows
4. Ask The Bearded Lady
5. Beguiled
6. Stiff We Walk
7. Hair Of Dog
8. Descent Point
9. Thank You Mommy
10. Dint Of Thrift
11. Tied To The Mast
12. Filare
13. Gumption
14. Death Of A Swan
15. Cleavage And Pearls
16. A Bed For Birds
17. Forks & Spoons
18. Oval Dip
19. Traces Of Ether
20. Scent Of Night Sweats
21. Flatfoot
22. Gumshoe
23. Liquid Measures
24. Stigmata H2O
