Cinema Strange
Quatorze exemples authentiques du triomphe de la musique décorative

In 2006, when their success and fame had already long preceded them, Cinema Strange released: "Quatorze Exemples Authentiques Du Triomphe De La Musique Décorative," their third studio work. I would like to specify that each of the band's three albums is characterized by an element that makes it special and unique. Even though they belong to the same genre (death rock and batcave, enriched by a pronounced dark cabaret vein) and present the unmistakable, fresh, innovative style of Cinema Strange, the three albums are decidedly different from each other. In fact, they are authentic and valuable gems, characterized by specific themes and atmospheres, where every note, every sigh, every guitar riff captures the listener's attention, stimulating their interest.

The vocal mastery of Lucas Lanthier, the bard who tells the world the surreal and unsettling tales born from the group's common unconscious, blends with the musical originality of Michale and Daniel Ribiat, forming an unbreakable artistic synergy. Those who always need references and anchors (instead of directing their attention to what they are listening to, temporarily suspending judgment and setting aside their expectations just to allow the external stimulus - the music - to enter) suggest (im)probable comparisons between Cinema Strange and other well-known acts already present in the death rock and, generally, goth scene. For example, just to cite the most "peculiar" hypothesis, even today there are those who claim that the sound of Cinema Strange harks back to London After Midnight by Sean Brennan (and I still haven't figured out why. I know London After Midnight very well; I've been listening to their music for over twenty years, but I think there is a universe of difference between them and Cinema Strange). I believe that any potential comparison is arbitrary, vague, and inadequate precisely because the creative freshness of Cinema Strange is unmistakable, and not understanding it means not listening. Returning to the album under review, its sonic journey unfolds along three authentic examples of the triumph of decorative music (“First Example”, “Fourth Example”, “Ninth Example”) which are instrumental microcosms (as Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone sang: “A world inside a world”) that, along with “Intermezzo: Bright Violet Euphoria,” encapsulate and express the true essence of this third work by the Californian trio. Before proceeding, allow me to dwell on the wonderful “Intermezzo: Bright Violet Euphoria”: it is an authentic symphony, performed with absolute mastery, revealing a great deal about the creativity of Cinema Strange. It is a triumph of organ, Glockenspiel, piano, violin, keyboards, plus a sound I thought was produced by the Theremin or perhaps the glass harmonica (instead, in the album credits, it’s reported: “Other [Assorted Metals And Glass]”).

This ensemble of elements contributes to the spectral sense of an ephemeral and ethereal sound that hovers in the air like a restless ghost. The three examples cited in the album's title, plus the precious and delicate “Intermezzo: Bright Violet Euphoria,” are touched, caressed (or better yet, scratched) by distinctly death rock tracks like “Mr. Quilt's Rotten Luck,” “Needlefeet,” “Squashed Blossoms,” “Unlovely Baby,” “Molars,” “One Time One Summer,” “I Remember Tendon Water” and are accompanied by instrumental ballads like “Rat Catcher,” with its admirable Glockenspiel interlude, and the stunning intimate piano ballad “The Toad Curse And How It Perished In Flames.” For those who have not yet grasped the difference with other works by Cinema Strange (which certainly contain instrumental insertions), the symphonic parts present here, true homages to listeners, make "Quatorze Exemples Authentiques Du Triomphe De La Musique Décorative" a dazzling jewel, unparalleled, in the showcase of the band's triumphs.