Fiasko Rec.
Gnomus : Diagnosis (FIN,2007)****'
Each album of Gnomus seems to be inspired from a collection of ideas ready to burst out into one sonic improvisational concept, and then does this int trippy improvisation, structured and controlled but free of limiting boundaries of expression.
This new album, divided in logical sections, is like a soundtrack showing a new world. This might be their most adventurous release to date, using a rather groundbreaking talent, because with a seemingly irrationality of sound, they succeed in remaining logical with it, natural and extremely explorative.
The opening section, “Briushtuwa”, for me sounds like a suggestive suggestion for a true next, inspired step for a Canterbury styled group: more improvised, avant-garde, and contemporary, a true sonic exploration. Just like the kind of nonsensical babble from the victims or saved ones who were struck by the Holy Spirit, in apostolic churches into narcotic epileptics, Gnomus' babbles, with a deformed voice, bubbles up with a similar and direct inspirations, in combination with almost electronic sounds of accompanied keyboards, fuzz bass, and rather wild drums. The drums are skilfully jazzy, the keyboards free-music like. The section evolves from a faster rhythmic energy to something more meditative in sound. The rhythm section here and elsewhere is inventive and always aware, jazz skilled. Rhythmically, the music, in its own very free form expression, drives further more funky jazzfusion-like, a renewing direction for the group. A new vocal part appears this time like a discussion, with parts of reverted and inverted language logics and muses. Even a dog takes part in the discussion, which becomes a more heavy one, a puppet-version of some street reality. (Last part was called “lumbago”). The next part, “Furunkel”, starts “moody with moog”, with slow bass, and in a sonic filmic way. More weird voices participate very far in the distance, like a humoristic version of punished crowds in hell echoing innocently like crows, and this with percussive touches like cymbals. The instrumental improvisation becomes really interesting with moog, organ, and strange sounds harmonies on high tones keyboards, from calmer to wilder, frenetic & frantic inspired bass, uncompromising in its exploration, vividly energetic, also thanks to the eclectically fitting drums. Some electric piano solo, electronic impulses that drip strange harmonies of a different world are even moody with totally new harmonies. While the website slightly warns that a “Listener may notice features from such musical phenomena as ambient, free jazz, radiophony, modalism and cacophony”, for me, some of these strange or new-sonic harmonies seems to be very consequently driven by “different” logics, as organised moving sounds. When it brings us back to the mechanically deformed voices, this time, this sounds like a free minded pseudo-African song inspiration, a entertaining version ? only seemingly inspired from the kind of slightly flipped-by-trips-in-trance, driven inspirations, this time with messages coming through as if coming from a different world. A slightly Magma-esque rock drive in bass and drums goes berserk with alienation, with sounds that makes us think something of the mind behind this was kidnapped by aliens, we can still hear their human logica and voices coming through, while fuzz bass and improvised keyboards of strange sounds adapt to the reachable part of the poor spirit, -a rather ground breaking improvisation with its own logic. Last part, adds metallic sounds, mixed with electronica and various improvised layers of keyboards. This sounds to me like a vision thousands of years into the future, to a moment of an inspiration which is recalling a composition of Bach, while cyborgs, old and rusty, and quirking, and new and with hip electronics, are attending.
The whole piece, which was recorded and mixed in three days, can be listened to with free-jazz associations, curiosity to adventurous proportions with progressive music associations, or even as some kind of imaginary soundtrack. Recommended !!
PS. Only afterwards I realized that all titles refers to diseases. So there must have been a sonic translation inspiration inspired on their effects..
