Loomings - Everyday Mythology

Loomings are one of the strangest, yet mind-boggling bands that launched back in 2012 by Italian musician and composer Jacopo Costa (Yugen, Empty Days, Camembert) whilst living in Strasbourg, France. He brought along vocalists Maria Denami, Ludmila Schwatzwaler, and Benoit Rameau to bring in the Chamber music, Avant-Rock, Zeuhl, and Rock in Opposition influences followed by Bassist Louis Haessler, and percussionists Enrico Pedicone.

Their debut album released on the AltrOck label this year entitled, Everyday Mythology, is challenging, intriguing, and unexpected momentum that will have the jaws dropped at the right moment to listen and hear what they will think of next. The influences of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels-era, Ramases, Gentle Giant, and Present, that I can hear in the band’s music is like a wild-like flower ready to burst with amazing results.

The three vocalists, blew me away from the moment I put the CD on from start to finish. It’s operatic, chilling, and at times experimental. But they also have a sense of humor into their music which would have made the Grand Wazoo himself very proud of. Since I’ve mentioned about the four influences, you could tell from the moment they were recording the album at different studios, that they were having a great time and showing that not doing to show-off, but to get a real kick out of it and enjoy it. The three highlights show how much they know their musical taste.

Sweet Sixteen is poking fun at the ‘50s doo-wop sounds with the sounds of Ramases Glass Top Coffin-era as if it was recorded in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, and used during the end credits for Peter Jackson’s adult puppet humor twist of The Muppet Show of Meet the Feebles. The opener, Keywords has a dystopian trip-hop essence of the Beastie Boys meets Schizoid Lloyd with an avant-rock intensity as the Glockenspiel’s go into challenging mode between both Jacopo and Enrico as the stop-and-go operatic sounds with a Gyorgi Ligeti vibe is a chilling atmosphere.

Louis’ Bass sets a colder tone that gives me chills for the first two minutes on The Things That Change. He goes through a darker hallway for the listener to step into and expect for them feel as if someone is behind them. With a jazzier and doomier vibration followed by the sax playing of Isabella Fabbri in the earlier part of the composition, she gives him free-rein before the militant style of drumming and crescendo’s just jumps at you and the essence of Pierrot Lunaire vocalist Jacqueline Darby, it’s hard to describe it. 

The dooming and thumping electronic nightmarish finale of Milano, sees Loomings almost doing a score for George Orwell's dystopian 1984 and the voices, chanting sets the tones of nightmarish world of what it was, turned into a hellish atmosphere. This is my second and fourth time listening to Loomings debut album. This was a big challenge and I wish could name the other centerpieces, but for me, I just can’t get enough of this! AltrOck know their RIO and Chamber Rock very well. And for me, I’ve been getting a kick out of it from start to finish. Jacopo has done an amazing job here with this big time!