Niagara - Don't Take It Personally

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 15 / 9 / 2014

Label: Monotreme Records
Format: CD

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

Review

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.