NichelOdeon: Bath Salts and InSonar: L'Enfant et le Ménure (4 CD Box Set)

NichelOdeon and InSonar are Italian projects created by mastermind vocalist Claudio Milano. NichelOdeon is a project formed in 1997 as a means for Milano to develop his experimental sounds for video installations, theater and dance exhibitions. InSonar was created much more recently. Both double albums, Bath Salts and L'Enfant et le Ménure have been released as one massive four CD box set as well as individual double albums. This review takes on all four discs.

First up is InSonar's L'Enfant et le Ménure. On this album Milano has gathered an impressive list of guest musicians from across the globe including Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto, Nik Turner, Mattias Gustaffson, Graham Clark and Jonathan Mayer. I have to say this album is not in my normal listening prog comfort zone but it just goes to show how diverse the genre has become. This stuff is clearly out of left field; experimental avant-garde progressive rock developed around Milano's unique voice manipulations. He has a wide octave range which he exhibits throughout the album.

Beginning with the unusually titled "The Simpsons sing Gounod" it is clear this music will not be for everyone. The vocalizations are just plain strange with deep notes to high pitched shrieking and everything in between. It is one of the weirdest acapella songs I have ever heard and one I don't really care for. "L'Estasi di Santo Nessuno" includes more off the wall vocals and sparser minimalist instrumentation with some pretty nice flute provided by Francesco Chiapperini. Percolating percussive sounds forms the back drop in the eerie ""La Stanza a Sonagli". Creepy effects, unusual voicings and a steady drone of theremin (played by Takeuchi Masami) are what you will hear. Eventually the beat becomes more pronounced with the use of drum loops and operatic vocals adding extra colour. It's really the unique vocal arrangement that sets this song apart. "Thief of Toys", sung in English, begins with swirls of classically inspired piano and Milano's deeply toned vocals. "L'Inventasogni" is vested in creepy vocals and wild ebow before the piano, sax and drums churn out a completely improvisational experimental sound.

The second disc is called Ashima and the music is no less strange. Starting with the creepy "Liberami – tabernacolo erotico" laden with eerie effects and droning theremin. Milano sounds suitably deranged here and again, this vocal style will not be for everyone. In a word, bizarre. "Song to the Siren", originally written by Tim Buckley has an atmospheric lush sound with powerful vocals. "Canción del Jinete" is another experimental offering with subtle electronics, drones and violin textures. In the Bowie/Eno penned "Warszawa" the minimalistic approach is quite relaxing and although very different, the starkness of the original is maintained.

NichelOdeon's Bath Salts is somewhat different than the InSonar album although there are similarities mainly due to the Milano's unique vocals. Although I consider Bath Salts to still reside in the avante-garde side of progressive rock I found it to be a slightly more accessible listen than the InSonar discs. That said, this stuff still pushes the boundaries of the avant-garde.

The first disc titled Capitolo I. D'Amore e di Vuoto begins with the mellow "Prologo" consisting of mainly vocals and gently cascading harp notes. "Un Posto sicuro" starts out quite somber with harp and vocals, eventually morphing into a fuller 'band' sound with some excellent sax. Musically there is a lot going on but one really needs to pay attention to catch all the nuances this music has to offer. "Ricordo d'Infanzia" is a very atmospheric and moody piece with Milano's vocals upping the intensity level. Milano's voice is the main focus in "Surabaya Johnny" with just harp as an accompaniment. I found this one just okay as his vocal performance is a little over the top for my tastes. The second last song "7 AZIONI" is just too bizarre for my tastes, while I found the mournful "Giulia" to be more palatable, especially the pretty harp motifs.

The second disc Capitolo II. Di Guerre e Rinascite is possibly a little more jarring and harsher on the ears than the first disc. "Terra" sets the tone with unsettling electronic effects and maniacal lead vocals. "Fuoco Amico" is another strange one with gentle harp and strings contrasted with Milano's positively deranged sounding vocals. My favourite is probably the mellow "Secca in Festa" with gentle harp and a more restrained vocal performance. Overall, I did find some of the vocals very hard to get into (much like the InSonar discs) although there is no denying the man's incredible talent.

The set comes with lavish booklets complete with striking artwork, lyrics and a comprehensive list of musicians. There is no doubting the tremendous amount of work that went into this package.

The music here is anything but ordinary and I am still not quite sure what to make of it. InSonar certainly pushes the boundary of my listening habits and is a pretty hard disc to grasp, at least for me. Bath Salts, while a little more accessible, will still be an acquired taste. If your listening habits are confined to more standard progressive rock and metal like IQ for instance, these albums will be a tough sell. However, if you want a musical adventure that you will not soon forget and don't mind vocals that are just plain bizarre you may want to check this out.

Track Listing:
NichelOdeon: Bath Salts
CD 1 – Capitolo I. D'Amore e di Vuoto
1. Prologo (3:13)
2. Un Posto sicuro (8:53)
3. Ricordo d'Infanzia (6:23)
4. Surabaya Johnny (5:24)
5. Bolle (2:11)
6. Rapporto sulla Fine di una Storia (4:52)
7. (This Side of) The Looking Glass (6:24)
8. Desiderio nascosto (3:48)
9. 7 AZIONI (Musica per la Carne) (6:30)
10. Giulia (nata in 7 Mesi, morta al primo Appuntamento) (7:12)

CD 2 – Capitolo II. Di Guerre e Rinascite
1. Terra (4:48)
2. Alla Statua dei Martiri di Gorla (9:23)
3. Fuoco Amico (mai N.A.T.O.) (2:20)
4. Trittico 50 mg (7:05)
5. Johnny dei Pirati (5:01)
6. Secca in Festa (Lode ad Antonio Primaldo) (2:58)
7. L'Urlo ritrovato (12:45)
8. Un Posto sicuro #2 (2:32)
9. Finale (Ninna Nanna) (3:03)
10. Portami un Fiore (1:39)

InSonar: L'Enfant et le Ménure
CD 1 – L'Enfant
1. The Simpsons sing Gounod (2:43)
2. L'Estasi di Santo Nessuno (5:30)
3. La Stanza a Sonagli (6:24)
4. Thief of Toys (5:49)
5. L'Inventasogni (5:33)
6. Menura Latham (6:18)
7. Gallia #1 (3:22)
8. Venus in Furs (6:38)
9. Dieci Bambini Cacao (12:53)
10. Hamelinvoice (4:20)

CD 2 – Ashima
1. Liberami – tabernacolo erotico (2:57)
2. Song to the Siren (6:56)
3. Canción del Jinete (3:26)
4. La Torre più alta (6:36)
5. Plaisir d'Amour (4:44)
6. Warszawa (6:42)
7. Gallia #2 (3:16)
8. Medina (5:13)

Added: May 6th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
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Language: english

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