Artist/ Band: Nichelodeon
Title: Come Esta Anne?: Twin Peaks 20th Anniversary Show
Label: Lizard
Year of Release: 2010
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

After listening to Nichelodeon’s first two CD’s (reviewed here at Prognaut), I was highly impressed and won over as a fan, to say the least. It was a delight to get a DVD of the band playing live. After all the accolades for their studio recordings, I expected this live show to be unreal. I was partly right. I confess that I was thrilled with the first half, which is actually not the whole CD “Il Gioco Del Silenzio” done live, and not even in order of the studio recording. The songs they picked are super though and it’s amazing to see Claudio Milano live, doing vocals that go from primal to choir boy all in a completely composed and professional context. You just have to imagine a male version of mix of Diamanda Galas and Meredith Monk fused with male Tuvan throat singers, and without a doubt, some heavy influence from Area’s late great unreal vocalist Demetrio Stratos.

Nichelodeon is comprised of a supreme group of musicians executing an extreme amount of avant garde, chamber, jazz rock, and operatic to momentarily soothing ballad. Done live, they add large screen visuals and on stage effects. It’s all quite busy and ever moving from one idea to the next. So much so, that it is nearly impossible to absorb it in one viewing. It’s in fact, difficult to keep track of every second. I have reservations whether some prog lovers will even like this stuff, but just be sure you like RIO and the more bizarre parts of Italian bands like Goblin and Area. It won’t hurt to have an appreciation for theater and acrobatic vocalists as well.

I do wish they had performed the entire “Il Gioco Del Silenzio” CD but I was still elated to see much of it live. Now for the 2nd part, which is misleading. It is titled as a Twin Peaks Soundtrack done Live but it’s actually the bands own experimental performance of music, playing live, while showing ( and watching ) an episode of Twin Peaks on the giant screen behind them, while audience looks on. For me, this was just simply chaotic and way off the map. The huge mistake is that the music never ever comes close to being in sync, or related, or even remotely close to matching up with the atmosphere of the TV show, by the minute. It’s like some terrible idea to do this improvised anything goes, while watching the episode of Twin Peaks. Now the band is having a ball, and is mostly intense with their music ( and this is way avant garde stuff, as in, it has no theme, no structure, beginning or end ....or least it seems they will never end *l*). I think they had a good idea on paper, but I would have loved them to match the music to the scenes of the TV show, and create the atmosphere as they interpreted it. Perhaps they did *lol* All I can say is it left me scratching my head. I was truly befuddled. Why did they do that? Maybe you will love it. We all have various tastes.

So you have a brilliant part one of the DVD that should not be missed. All 100% recommended. Unfortunately, the Twin Peaks thing just bombs badly. Write it up to an exercise in letting it fly with self indulgence by the musicians, as it is 90% instrumental. But we all know we can stop the DVD after that part one. I would never give up the ownership of this DVD just because it has one part that I didn’t care for.

Reviewed by Lee Henderson on November 20th, 2010

Tracks:

"Il gioco del silenzio live - Nichelodeon in concert"

- A solemn preface
- Ombre cinesi
- Apnea
- Claustrofilia
- Se
- Ciò che rimane
- Malamore e la Luna

"Passaggio nella loggia nera - Twin Peaks live soundtrack"

- Pt. I: A walk inside the Black Lodge (Sycamore Trees)
- Pt. II: The bank
- Pt. III: RR Diner
- Pt. IV: Return into the Black Lodge (Firewalking)
- Pt. V: Out of the Lodge (Come sta Annie?)

Reviewed Discography

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