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DVDfever.co.uk – Storsveit Nix Noltes: Royal Family Divorce CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Fat Cat Records
- Released: Out now
- Rating: 8/10
Crashbang-wallop Balkan style, from, er, Iceland?
Now this is a tricky one. Take 11 musicians hell bent on making a racket, for much of the time. Then, they base their music on the far flung edges of Eastern Europe. Got the picture?
Anyway, Royal Family Divorce isnt for the fainthearted. It can be a bit of a white knuckle ride actually. It all depends what you can find to appreciate (and please you maybe) in this often chaotic album. Organised chaos, that is.One things for sure, you wont hear anything like it in 2009, or any year come to that. By now Im sure, you think its in for a right old panning. No. You do need to keep an open mind though.
Maybe, the stepping stone to this is the fabulous Beirut album The Flying Club Cup, or better still Gulag Orkestar. There arent any direct musical comparisons; its just the idea of musical displacement somebody from one country delving into another country or regions heritage. To me the concept is simply mouth-watering.
SNN, for brevitys sake, take Beiruts idea to another level.Yes, this is edgy and often heady stuff, but there are some magnificent and sublime moments to juxtapose with the apparent mayhem.
Musically, the twist and turns, stops and starts are amazing: the passion and fire is unstoppable.Instruments include banjo, trumpets, trombone, cello, electric guitar, double bass, drums, violin, accordion, sousaphone, euphonium, oh, and a computer, all coming together.
Can you imagine it? If not, try the myspace link below.
The verdict: Superb.
Weblink:myspace.com/storsveitnixnoltes
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Wedding Rachenitsa
2. Krivo Sadovsko Horo
3. Pajdusko
4. Atmadja Duma Strachilu (Revolution Song)
5. Elenska Rachenitsa
6. Kopanitsa
7. Trakijska Recenica
8. Cetvorno Horo
9. Winding Horo
10. Nevestinko Horo
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.