Izvođač: Kurai
Izdavač: Altrock
Izlazak: 2009
Ocjena: 4.3/5
Kurai je riječ koja na japanskom znači sumrak i vjerojatno je to baš prava riječ za opis atmosfere na ovom albumu. Moglo bi se reći da je riječ o ponovnoj suradnji Zaga i Staussa, kao što je to već bilo kod Zauss, ali ovdje je glavni čovjek Zago. Zago je očito imao na umu stvoriti ambijentalniji i mračniji uradak. Kad album odslušaš nekoliko puta, postane ti jasnije što je želio napraviti i vidiš da mu je to u velikoj mjeri i uspjelo.
Neki dijelovi albuma su grupne improvizacije (vjerojatnije), ili grupne kompozicije, i ti su mi osobno najdraži, iako i Zagove solo stvari imaju puno toga za ponuditi. Obično čujemo mješavinu ambijentalne glazbe, jazza, klasike, avangarde pa i rocka. Na neki me način glazba podsjeća na Frippove soundscape, samo što je ovdje više zanimljivih ideja i elemenata (što je već naznačeno velikim brojem žanrova u samoj glazbi). Vjerojatno bi se još više paralela moglo naći između ove ploče i ranih King Crimson (posebno zbog česte upotrebe melotrona kod obje postave). I oni su pokušavali miješati atmosferične dijelove s jazzom, rockom i klasičnom glazbom, iako su ambijentalni dijelovi kod King Crimson obično bili napravljeni odvojeno od jazz i rock skladbi, dok Kurai te elemente često kombiniraju u jednoj jedinoj kompoziciji.
Glazba je na trenutke toliko tiha da je zastrašujuća, ali vjerojatno je upravo to i bila namjera. Tišina pojačava osjećaj iščekivanja, kao da bi se moglo dogoditi nešto strašno. Gotovo poželiš neko oslobođenje, ali dođe samo do povremenog kaosa kad svi glazbenici sviraju naizgled nepovezane dijelove, što ti baš ne smiruje živce niti oslobađa pritisak koji se do tada neprestano nakupljao. Ipak, kad se jazzovski dijelovi završe, ponovno smo suočeni s zbunjujućom tišinom.
Kurai je poput horora bez prave jeze. Čuješ samo nagovještaje onoga što bi se svakog trena moglo dogoditi, ali do toga nikad ne dođe. Ideja je vrlo originalna jer je slušatelj neprestano na iglama i napet. Vjerojatno mnogi misle da takvom uratku mora nešto nedostajati, ali zamisao je iznenađujuće originalna i zaista dobro funkcionira. Ljubiteljima glazbe koji razmišljaju izvan zadanih okvira ovaj će album biti barem privlačan, dok će nekima nekonvencionalan pristup biti čak i briljantan i uzbudljiv.
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Kurai is a word that means dark in Japanese and I suppose that’s as good a word as any to describe the atmosphere here. We could say that this is another collaboration between Zago and Stauss, like on the Zauss project, but this is much more in Zago’s control. Zago’s vision was obviously to create a more atmospheric record with a a very dark colour to it. When you’ve listened to it several times, you get a sense of what he was trying to do and you realise that he actually did what he set out to do with great success.
Some parts of the record are either group improvisations (more likely) or group compositions and those work best for me, even though the Zago solo compositions have a great deal to offer as well. Usually, we hear a combination of ambient music, jazz, classical, avant-garde and even rock. In a way, I am reminded by Fripp’s soundscapes, but with a lot more interesting ideas and elements thrown in (as can be seen by the many genres incorporated within the music). I guess you could draw more parallels between this record and early King Crimson. They tried to fuse atmospheric pieces with jazz, rock and classical music, but the atmospheric pieces in King Crimson were usually done separately from the jazz and rock pieces, while Kurai usually fuse these elements in one piece.
Occasionally, the music is so quiet that it’s almost eerie, but I suppose this is the point of the album. The quiet brings on a sense of expectation, as if something horrific might happen. You almost want some kind of release to occur, but there’s only the occasional chaos of all the musicians playing seemingly disjointed music, which does nothing to soothe your nerves, or at least put an end to the pressure that’s been building up. Even so, once the jazzy chaotic parts end, we’re again faced with more disturbing quiet.
Kurai is like a horror movie without any real horror happening. You only see hints of what might happen at any given second, but it never occurs. This is a very original idea because the listener remains in a state of agitation and suspense throughout the album. I’m sure many people will say that there must be something missing from an album like this, but the idea is actually surprisingly inventive and works really well. Musical fans who like to think outside the box will surely find this album intriguing, if nothing else, while some may even find its unorthodox content brilliant and exciting.
Postava
Enrica Di Bastiano – harfa
Maurizio Fasoli – klavir
Giuseppe Olivini – udaraljke, čembalo
Peter Schmid – bas klarinet, kontrabas klarinet, trombon
Markus Stauss – saksofoni
Christian Weber – bas
Francesco Zago – električna gitara, melotron
Produkcija
Francesco Zago
Popis skladbi
1. Herbert Quain 3:36
2. Cavedio 8:05
3. Premessa Inessenziale 1:15
4. Einigermassen Ruhig 5:22
5. Miniature On Rovine 1:09
6. L’eco Delle Fiamme 7:34
7. L’oscurita Naturale Delle Cose 1:12
8. Fluester-Kadenz 6:58
9. Strassenleuchte 0:53
10. Treffunkt 6:27
11. Fuoco Pallido 5:01
12. Peter Was There Too 5:41
13. Lento “1 0:36
14. Einigermassen Ruhiger 5:29
15. La Folgore Nera 2:06
16. Still Water 2:25
17. White 7:47
