Released
1998
Label
ITN Corporation
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Contact
ITN Corporation
52 Roebuck Road
Sheffield S6 3GQ
England
Visit
Last Edit/Update
12 June, 1998
In The Nursery
LINGUA
Track Listing
1. Poema
2. Mute Harmony
3. I Ask For Grace
4. Profundus
5. The Living Tongue
6. Shonen No Hi
7. Biello Dumlo
8. Salient
9. El Secreto
In The Nursery's new CD investigates the power and beauty of language,
and its ability to express the thoughts, emotions and desires of man. Contemporary and
ancient literary texts from all corners of the world have been used as the textual sources
for the lyrics on Lingua, and these are performed by In The Nursery's
steady collaborator since the late 80s -- Dolores Marguerite C. -- along with a
handful of guest vocalists.
The music, as written and arranged
by the twin brothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone, is as always
exquisite, fusing classical instrumentation with synths to create songs that are both
symphonic and danceable at the same time. On the whole the sound on Lingua is less
grandiose than on previous albums; more intimate and subtle compositions have been aimed
at, allowing the wonderful vocal contributions to come to their full right. However, on
the album's two instrumental tracks "Profundus" and "Salient," Klive
and Nigel have given their musical imaginations free reign. "Profundus"
is a homage to the sea and its inhabitants; the voice of the ocean, and the calls of
whales and dolphins have been translated into sound and melody on this, the CD's most
visual piece. More in the vein of past efforts is the bombastic instrumental finale --
"Salient," with its expansive symphonic layering, and marching snare-drums
leading the way into a lush and nuanced soundscape of classical design.
The second track on Lingua
contains the album's conceptual theme in its purest form. "Mute Harmony" --
which features original words by Dolores Marguerite C. -- takes its departure in
a statement printed on the back of the CD-booklet: "Language makes thought possible,
for language is thought." In four brief and striking verses, images of the absence of
language are painted, and the inter-dependency of thought and word is sketched. The piece
is performed in French, and is supported by strong percussions, and multiple sheets of
synth themes and woodwinds.
Guest vocalists have been brought
in for the songs "I Ask For Grace," "The Living Tongue," "Shonen
No Hi" and "Bielo Dumlo," to perform the Serbian, Mayan, Japanese and
Friulano lyrics of these songs. "I Ask For Grace" opens with dense, melancholy
strings and a warm flute theme. The text by Desanka Maksimovic -- which takes its
departure in the horrors of Yugoslavia's history of civil warfare -- is alternately
recited and whispered by Nadia Borrás Markovic. The lyrics are beautifully
written, and Nadia's vocal performance (in Serbian) perfectly captures the
hopelessness and sadness of the words, which is of course further accentuated by the
accompanying music.
For "The Living Tongue," the text of which derives from the ancient Mayan book
of creation Popul Vuh, Klive and Nigel weave a rich tapestry of
exotic and mysterious percussions, synth atmospheres and other electronic effects that,
after a subtle beginning, build to a powerful crescendo at the end. Eloisa Gottdiener
conjures up the strange, ancient Mayan language, as she tells the story of how the animals
of the world were informed by the Maker to speak, and developed a language apart from
human speech.
Rich, streaming harmonies, a slow
dragging beat, and a nostalgic theme performed on oboe provide the soundtrack for Tomayasu
Hayakawa's vocals on "Shonen No Hi." The words are in Japanese and stem
from the poet Harou Satou's poem of the same name (which translates into
"Memory Of My Boyhood"). The final guest performance on Lingua is by Francesco
Tami, who recites the "male" part of a 14th century text, written in
Friulano -- a now lost Italian dialect. Dolores Marguerite C. performs the female
sections of the text "Biello Dumlo Di Valor," the title of which translates into
"Beautiful Valuable Girl." The accompaniment here is very subtle, consisting
mainly of piano and waxing and waning string airs.
Finally, there are the opening and
closing pieces -- "Poema" and "El Secreto," both featuring the same
text by Chilean poetess Raquel Jodorowsxky, performed by Dolores. The
words are fantastic; written in very simple language, the poem speaks on multiple layers
about loss, the art of poetry, and (im)mortality, while of course echoing the theme of the
importance of language. The sound picture on "Poema" is very textured and full,
with waves of beautiful synth, strings and flute themes carrying along Dolores vocals,
and powerful bass drums and snare percussion punctuating the flow of the piece. "El
Secreto" plays almost like a reprise of "Poema," although here the
percussional elements are absent, the pace has been slackened considerably, and the
melodic qualities are fewer. The vocals are spoken and have been treated, making "El
Secreto" a more melancholy rendition of "Poema."
Lingua is another
installment in In The Nursery's impressive series of concept albums. Few
musicians produce music that is both of high technical and emotional character, while also
appealing to the intellect; In The Nursery do exactly this.
Recently the band has established
their own label -- the ITN Corporation -- on which they have not only
re-released their entire back catalogue, but also their more dance-oriented side project Les
Jumeax, and their Optical Music releases, which are soundtracks to some
of the masterpieces of silent cinema.
