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NOBLESSE OBLIGE "MALADY" (METROPOLIS) |
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How to describe Noblesse Oblige ... You could probably ask several different folks and get several different answers. This male-female duo's sound is really past genre-fication, truth be told. There are elements of goth, though not necessarily in any structurally conventional way. It doesn't sound like Bauhaus or The Cure or Marilyn Manson or any such thing, but the atmosphere is there. It also boasts a bit of the cabaret goth flavor here and there. Largely organic in flavor, the music is sparse - not surprising given that we're dealing with a duo - but the spartan nature of the music is also what brings to bear so much of the personality. The mostly semi-acoustic sounding music, however, can occasionally kick up a surprisingly dance oriented beat, though danceheads looking only to move their feet should probably pass on this. But those looking for shadowy but gorgeous music that is spartan yet lush, intermingles male and female vocals, shifts from dynamic to dynamic song by song (and so forth) will be quite pleased. Noblesse Oblige captivates with an original sound and a striking concept. "Malady" is a concept album exploring the occult, with influences from filmmaker Kenneth Anger, occultist Aleister Crowley and poet Christina Rosetti. (I can't take credit for discovering those influences - a little internet research never hurts.) Emotionally striking, sharp and focused, tightly executed, diverse in songwriting, singular in sound and unified in attitude, Noblesse Oblige is a surprising stroke of sounds, regardless of what you might be expecting.-- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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