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Rating: One harsh critique follows another, it seems, here is a fresh one, and quite bloody and painful too. I was waiting for the VNV Nation to fall into this trap, "Advance And Follow", "Praise The Fallen", "Empires", gorgeous, then "Futureperfect", "Matter + Form", "Judgement", let's not even talk about it, "Of Faith, Power And Glory", "Automatic", "Transnational", more excellent albums. Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson, noble fathers of Futurepop, seem to work in cycles of three: will the new release renew the virtuous circle started in 2009 or sink back into boredom and mannerism? Here you have "Resonance", or the noble art of the arrogant debunking. The idea of a VNV album with a symphony orchestra intrigued me initially, then I listened to the six-minute trailer that preceded the album's release and it gave me the unpleasant sensation of something dangerously similar to the soundtrack of a Leni Riefenstahl film. I was already prepared for a possible disappointment, but not even in my most pessimistic predictions would I have imagined such a mess. This album is a colossal, reprehensible rip-off.
Yet, thinking about it more carefully, I shouldn't be particularly surprised: it's the very underlying idea that is completely wrong, and those who know VNV theoretically should smell something fishy even without hearing a single note. Let me explain better: in the British duo's music, a symphonic and grandiloquent component has always been present, it's an organic and inseparable element of the sound that made them great; then there's the electronic component, the groove, the pulsing veins. One part without the other has no reason to exist, only a lame duck remains; pathetic spectacle, truly. Terrible idea, even worse execution: "Resonance" is a collection of slow and midtempo tracks taken from all their albums except the first, and this already shows a certain lack of ambition but if only that were the problem; in the final analysis "Resonance" is simply a hideous stopgap, a sleazy cash grab operation, moreover executed terribly. First point: Ronan Harris is a fish out of water, amidst all these adagios and "senseless violins" his voice truly gives a feeling of annoyance, it's more out of place than a camel at the Palio di Siena, second point: songs originally atmospheric but also intense and pulsing transformed into unbearable whines, and this is not done, this is not okay.
Compositions stretched out, depowered, stripped of all the muscle mass that makes them powerful, agile, effective; you find yourself with a Ronan Harris delivering, perhaps with a nice little candle in hand, I can see it perfectly, over a backdrop worthy of the worst "contemporary classical music": holding back, caging, self-censoring to the point of ridiculousness, and this to cater to dainty and inconsistent rearrangements beyond any threshold of endurance. One example among many, not even the most dramatic: "Beloved", this song, listen to it well, the intensity, the atmosphere, the emotional climax, the rhythm that emerges gradually to pulse proud and strong; and now admire the wreck; one-dimensional mannerism, no energy, no conviction, no integration between music and singing, no depth, not even a hint of original reinterpretation, and at times it seems like the theme song of Rivombrosa, damn! From an orchestral album, you'd at least expect some vehemence and sound impact, instead, it's just boredom over boredom, and a devastating emotional sterility.
Perfect album for soundtracking restaurants, waiting rooms, bocce clubs, boutiques of tenderloin, cheese shops "La Baita Alpina" in the center of Raggio Calabria, your customers will immediately become narcoleptic, and you can pass off mozzarella di bufala from 1995 as fresh (Cit.); seriously, if you have a relative, acquaintance, or friend fixated on Giovanni Allevi, this thing could be an excellent gift idea; Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson instead would deserve a barrage of bottles and assorted vegetables on stage should they wish to propose this "particular" formula live. Total failure, as an image, as a sound, as a final result; orchestras should be left in their broth to do what they are meant to do, bullshit like this is stuff for Metallica and multi-billionaire tenors greedy for money and social influence. And another thing: that "Vol 1" in the title; it’s a joke, right? I really hope so, not for me, but for them, for what they represent and the respect I have for them; because if not, at this point they would make a much more dignified figure by closing up shop, persisting on this path would be a truly atrocious way to commit artistic suicide.
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