Niagara - Don't Take It Personally
by Maarten Schiethart
published: 15 / 9 / 2014
Label:
Monotreme Records
Format: CD
intro
Flawed but courageous and often mesmerizing debut album from Turin-based electronic act Niagara, which includes much acclaimed experimental musician Davide Tomat in its line-up
Two years have passed since Tomat released his '0106' album of true majesty and on this return with his pals as Niagara, Tomat initially seems to have lost the plot completely. Vague synth pop, much in the style of the clueless Pet Shop Boys, takes up the first bit of the album, and there is hazy krautrock on 'Vanilla Cola' , but then 'Speak & Spell' and 'Laes' mark a sharp turn, being much more adventurous and experimental. More of a musician and a composer than a lyricist, Tomat, however, fails to lift Niagara to higher grounds. Much of the remainder of 'Don't Take It Personally' is similarly blurry; only on the latter tracks, Tomat's compositional merits come to surface. Tomat's genius shows on 'Popeye' - a mesmerizing yet brash electronica workout. Meaningless lyrics on 'China Eclipse' slightly spoil its dramatic excellence and build-up. On 'Else' you'll hear vocoder rock with a stamping beat, and a harp. Niagara's stretch of ideas offers a wealth of original music, including a couple of mishaps. I usually judge music by factors such as originality, authenticity, quality and so forth. In the case of Niagara's album, the courage level equals 9/10.
Track Listing:-
1 John Barrett2 Fat Kaoss
3 Vanillacola
4 Speak & Spell
5 Laes
6 Currybox
7 Popeye
8 China Eclipse
9 Else
10 Bloom
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/niagaraspaceLabel Links:-
http://www.monotremerecords.com/https://www.facebook.com/MonotremeRecords
https://twitter.com/Monotreme_Recds
https://www.youtube.com/user/monotremerecords/
soundcloud
reviews |
|
Otto (2013) |
|
| Appealing combination of pop, electronic and pysychedelica on debut album from eclectic Italian duo, Niagara |
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart