UKIYOE - MONDI FLUTTUANTI (WITH INSONAR)

The newest release from Italian composer/vocalist/artist Claudio Milano, here under the name of both Nichelodeon and InSonar. The latter project released a great album in 2013 which prog fans should check out. This time we have a new album coupled with a film on DVD. It was a great idea for a musician and director to put their works together and release them that way; this should be done more often. The short "Quickworks & Deadworks" by Francesco Paolo Paladino is an avant-garde film following two shipwrecked couples. Only some of the music on the album is featured. A bonus video (which can be watched on YouTube) was made for a track that was left off the album, "Tutti i Liquidi di Davide." A humourous but also sad tale about the love between a man and his balloon (no, seriously).

If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Milano or his work you should expect some very versatile singing in either 5 or 7 octaves (can't remember exactly). Everything from dramatic talking to screams to operatic singing to whatever else could be done with the human voice. Here his voice is sometimes electronically altered. The music itself is generally avant chamber prog, not a lot of 'rock' per se but the Italian vocals do sometimes remind one of some RPI. Piano, accordion and wind instruments are mixed in with electronics and percussion (both electronic and not). There is a list in the booklet (which contains some of Claudio's paintings) of albums that inspired this album. Some of the albums may be familiar to people who visit PA, like Radiohead's Kid A, Swans' The Seer, Art Zoyd's Metropolis, Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom, Tool's Lateralus and Henry Cow's In Praise Of Learning (amongst others).

"Fi(J)uru D'Acqua" opens with electronic percussion and piano before moving on to accordion and glockenspiel, all while overdubbed Claudios do their thing. In the middle is some atmospheric and symphonic synth backing while wind instruments and tympani play over top. "Marinaio" has seagull sounds and pounding programmed percussion fading in. A violin mimics a seagull. Eventually piano, overdubbed Claudios and some 'real' drums show up. At one point a nice melody is sung and then doubled on violin. Seagull sounds return in the middle along with some of Claudio's trademark 'little girl screaming' vocals. Gets dissonant and difficult for awhile before ending with icy synth effects.

"I Pesci Dei Tuoi Fiumi" starts with some Art Zoyd-like programmed beats and percussion effects. Then come the Claudios to both impress us and freak us out. Just one Claudio and a saxophone at one point. bell-like synth sounds as Claudio holds some long notes. The last track "Ma(r)LE" is listed as one but is three tracks on the CD. It is the most dissonant and avant-garde piece on the album. Overall yet another great release from Milano. I will give this a 3.5 but round it up to 4 stars.