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Rating: "Domestic Stories" is a work to which I am particularly attached because I bought it fresh a while after its release in '92, an increasingly rare occurrence for me, as I'm busy digging up ancient truffles in musical fields, thanks also to the sniffing of our beloved cow.
In short, in those years I was fully immersed in progressive music and was beginning to take my first steps into those movements that move more "avant," following the tracks of the RIO movement, led primarily by two labels; Cuneiform and ReR (Recommended Record).
This latter was founded by Chris Cutler who, as many of you may know, was the drummer for Henry Cow. Well, I believe I can assert that Cutler's work as a manager, curator, producer, and also musical theorist surpasses, without overshadowing, his importance as a musician. ReR has indeed the merit of having made a very important contribution to various musicians and works that, not finding available commercial outlets, risked not being published; the value of these works has subsequently rewarded ReR with the prestige it enjoys today.
An artist who is little known but has deservedly found his space on this label is Lutz Glandien, an interesting German composer who, tired of the artificial arrogance of avant-garde classical music, as he defines it, seeks creative cues in rock, electronics, and especially in the interaction between acoustic instruments and manipulation through the use of computers. This is precisely the formal aspect that characterizes this album, which features Fred Frith on bass, Dagmar Krause on vocals, Alfred 23 Harth on sax and clarinet, and obviously Cutler on drums.
The music, entirely composed by Glandien, is emotionally rich, deep, and dark. His participation as a musician is decisive, enriching the music with highly refined timbral sounds. On the capabilities of the three ex-Art Bears, I don't think it's necessary to spend words, while about Alferd Harth, I would say he has a truly distinctive style (not knowing how better to define it), and his participation is measured but significant.
The lyrics, masterfully interpreted by Dagmar, are authored by Cutler. Of biblical inspiration but not too much, they underline the melancholic and slight despair that characterizes the work, which, following a well-defined compositional line, leaves no room for improvisations or for the complex architectures reminiscent of Henry Cow.
An album that might even appeal to many who are not fans of RIO (understood as a genre and not as a movement, with all the limitations that entails) and are seeking some sensation to be lulled at dusk after a sad day.
Four stars rounded down, and not by a little.
Tracklist
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