Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi

THE REVIEW

I type "Klaus Nomi" into Debaser's search engine and find no reviews: I'm surprised but only to a point; a bit disappointed, but the first thing I think is this: "this is a golden opportunity you shouldn't miss out on." But calmly, it requires tact, documentation, and humility; I know full well I am not the best person to talk about this artist, if only for purely chronological reasons, but it's worth a try. What did this bizarre artist's self-titled debut leave me with on the first listen? Beyond a slight headache and a basic but inevitable "insane coolness," the predominant feeling was certainly wonder, with a hint of alienation. We have this sort of new Farinelli capable of reaching absurdly high pitches for a male voice, absolutely unpresentable for the most conservative and habitual mainstream, who engages with these tunes of miscellaneous origin reinterpreted in a partly dance, partly new wave style, stuff that might even "break through" if only this freak of nature stayed a little more within the lines and adhered to the tastes of the general public.

Klaus Nomi gained more notoriety and following after his death than when he was alive, and a quick listen to this album is enough to understand why: his career lasted too short, there's no way to know which paths he would have taken, if he would have eventually managed to reach a wider audience, but in this debut he did absolutely nothing to somehow disguise his "diversity," to make it more appealing and accessible to the general public, as his idol David Bowie managed to do with absolute finesse, the only one to give him a concrete chance to emerge from the underground. Freak and proud of it, probably also aware of the inevitable consequences of his artistic choice; anyway, "Klaus Nomi" is something unforgettable starting from the cover, a perfect indicator of the uniqueness and charisma of the musical proposal.

"Total Eclipse" is certainly one of the most effectively deadly hits I've ever listened to, a delightful pop madness that alone would be enough for the highest ratings, but there's much more: the brilliant kitsch-vaudeville air of "Nomi Song", the hypnotic and slowed-down reggae of "Wasting My Time", and especially "Keys Of Life", a disconcerting canticle of medieval monks on which Nomi proclaims his visionary prophecy, "Exploring new dimension, new lifestyle my intention, do not ignore my advice, you hold the keys of life". This is regarding the original material, then there are some covers of '60s pop classics, among which stands out a "You Don't Own Me" overwhelming and with lyrics reflecting the character, performed with a theatricality that almost mimics the style of Nina Hagen, then the echoing and almost spectral extravagance of "The Twist" and the more frivolous and dance-like "Lightning Strikes"; completely transfigured songs, which Klaus Nomi appropriates and impresses with his own indelible mark. Just for fun, why not add some "real" operatic arias as well? Well, why not, so here are a couple of classics like "Cold Song" by Henry Purcell and "Samson And Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saëns; here Klaus Nomi limits himself to purely interpretative work, even musically sticking without oddities to the original compositions, but it's perfect as is, and I think the artist wanted to convey a specific message: some things you can go wild and do cabaret, others need to be taken more seriously.

You know those little lists that various music magazines sometimes have fun compiling? Like the 100/200/500/a million/ten million albums to listen to before you die? Well, in my list, this is a landmark, an essential album with an overwhelming impact. In its simplicity, because it is still Pop, often very dated too, I consider this album and this artist far more courageous, innovative, and noteworthy than an endless plethora of mass phenomena, rock and non-rock, that have achieved world celebrity status. But remaining confined to a relatively narrow niche was an inevitable price for an artistic choice of this kind.