By way of preparation I had the pleasure of listening again to Dperd’s previous work “Io Sono Un Errore”. It is as moody and sultry a work as you could wish to hear. “Sleepy” was my wife’s description. I’d have said “hypnotic”. In spite of its bleak title, “Cold Song” off that album will take you to places that you didn’t know existed. That was in 2010. It’s now 2013, and the Italian darkwave duo return with “Kore”.
A familiar melancholic pattern emerges. Valeria Buono’s vocals are as haunting as ever. Movements are slow and shadowy. Overall I found this album more introspective than “Io Sono Un Errore”. At first and when listening to “Non E’Il Cielo” I thought it’s not darkwave for darkwave’s sake, which I think would be pointless, but “Kore” is self-indulgent. Gone are the indie elements of “Io Sono Un Errore”. The atmosphere of the night is always there. There’s a soft and suggestive drum pattern on “Non E’Il Cielo” which supports the reflective piano-playing and deep emotion which peers through the gloom.
As the album progressed, I became more and more distanced from it. The sound becomes suppressed and the edge of “Non E’Il Cielo” is taken away. It’s dreamy, moody, calm and in the case of “Fa Male” even jazzy and orchestral but it all seems to drift on aimlessly. The guitar work is placid and pleasant, and there’s a touch of relaxing New Age music about “You’ll be Watching Me”. Ms Buono sounds like a classic Italian singer. Her voice is lovely and stands within a dreamy, hypnotic beat reflecting pure melancholy. It can be repetitive though. Both the track “Io Sono Un Errore” (not to be mixed up with the previous album of the same name) and the more discordant and woozy “Catena Cieca” end enigmatically. There’s then a couple of nonentity tracks before the now becalmed album finally hits a right note with the interesting “Sono Qui”. Silky and sad as usual, this nocturnal jazz blues style song has an air of prog with its keyboards and sound effects. It is silkier still thanks to the fact it is sung in Italian. “Sono Qui” recalls gliding along a deserted motorway at night. It would the ideal companion if you were going somewhere and you want something peaceful. “Train Song” returns to the eclectic style of “Non E’IL Cielo”. Edgy but with customary calmness, the song is enriched by the floaty vocals and pattering drums. It and the album end without fuss.
This album is self-limiting for the most part as it doesn’t move much “out of the zone”. It suffers for that in my view. In the middle section, it lacks variety, preferring to concentrate on nocturnal dreaminess. Beauty abounds but the melancholic pitch stays constant, thus depriving this album of interest. I would describe “Kore” as sleepy.
(6 /10 Andrew Doherty)
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