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Klaus Nomi
LIST OF THE KLAUS NOMI REVIEWS: Klaus Nomi (1981)
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Klaus Nomi (1981)Album Score: 12I saw the 2004 documentary about Klaus Nomi, and I was a bit disappointed they didn't spend more time discussing and analyzing his music. Granted, I'm probably one of the few viewers who had that concern, but I guess that's just who I am! Anyway, Nomi's image and personality were so interesting that there was no time left to look at the songs. However, hearing snippets from his music on the documentary, I immediately became interested in it and quickly got a hold of his two albums. This guy is an iconic figure of the New York underground, and that's more reasons than one. Right off the bat, you've probably already noticed how he used to dress. You at least *wondered* about him, right! Also, he died just as his popularity was taking off, which immediately thrust him into legendary status (even though he never attained the popularity of a Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain). Another unusual aspect of Klaus Nomi was the way he sang. He had childhood ambitions of being an opera star, and he spent most of his adult life developing a beautiful countertenor voice. However, he wasn't getting too far in the legitimate opera... so he decided to become a new wave star who happens to sing like an opera star! You might already be thinking that there was another German underground figure who combined punk with opera, Nina Hagen. (I have no idea who came first). But the two sound starkly different. Hagen is snarly and vicious. Nomi is quirky, gentle and otherworldly. To finally answer the most important question of them all: I think this album is fantastic! I was familiar with all these songs from watching the documentary, but delving deeply into the music itself provided a number of rich and rewarding experiences that I would never have picked up from the doc. “Lightnin' Strikes” is a brilliant cover of Lou Christie's hit from 1966... and it greatly improves the original. The instrumentation is very goofy (making it a *fun* experience beyond everything else), but Nomi's operatic voice lends it a vastly interesting tone. When he hits the chorus, it sounds like he's singing about the apocalypse, which is something that caught me off guard the first time I heard it. He does the same sort of thing with the chorus in “Total Eclipse.” Both of these songs are not only incredibly fun, but they're catchy as hell. His version of Chubby Checker's “The Twist” is about as weird as it gets. Instead of speeding up the tempo (like most new wave bands would), they slow it down and gives me visions of a weird alien dance party. Nomi's countertenor voice makes that already creepy idea even creepier. You're going to have to hear it to believe it. “Nomi Song” was written seemingly as his signature song... it starts out like an operatic aria and then a catchy, jerky new wave song comes in. That one's also a lot of fun! A substantial number of listeners are insistent that Nomi's straight operatic exercises are the undisputed highlights of his albums. While I beg to differ, I can see where they're coming from. “The Cold Song” is a cover of 17th Century composer Henry Purcell, and it's one of the most mesmerizing moments of the whole album. It's gorgeous, actually. On the downside, I'm not a major fan of the album's opener and “Nomi Chant.” Both probably require viewing his stage show to get their full effect. “Keys of Life” is a weird, repetitive thing that proclaims “He came from outer space / to save the human race.” A great introduction of the character, but not necessarily a great song. “Nomi Chant” probably didn't have to be included considering it's just a wave of synthesizer sounds and Nomi's not even singing on it. ... But considering the album is a surprisingly short 32 minutes, you can see why they had to include it! Anyway, I can see where it might fit into some sort of concept. On the stage show, I assume that would be the segment where Nomi goes back to outer space, or wherever the hell he came from. Anyway, this is a fantastic album, and if you have an affinity to new wave music, you should hear this immediately. Read the track reviews and reader comments:
Simple Man (1982)Album Score: 11It's not as good as the debut album, but if you enjoyed the hell out of it, nothing should stop you from getting Klaus Nomi's second and final studio album. That's right, this was his last one---he would succumb to AIDS just one year later. It's unfortunate that his career was over just as it seemed to be taking off, but I guess that's life. Even after delving into the debut album, listeners are going to have different opinions about what should have happened in the sequel. Opera devotees probably wouldn't like hearing his cutesy and throwaway version of “Just One Look,” and those who preferred his silly novelty numbers wouldn't care to hear his dark Henry Purcell cover “Death” (even though it was clearly appropriate considering his health crisis). I doubt anybody wanted to hear him sing “ICUROK,” which is bland synth-pop that consists of Nomi singing in a voice altering machine. Above all other things, we definitely don't want his voice to be altered! The album opens and closes similarly to the debut... The opener, “From Beyond,” is an atmospheric piece consisting of synthesizer waves and Nomi singing what sounds like a Gregorian chant (a piece written by early 17th century composer John Dowland). The closer “Return” is the same thing except Nomi's singing a cappella with tons of reverb. The second track, “After the Fall,” is an excellent number from the same composer who wrote the phenomenal pop masterpiece “Total Eclipse” from the debut album. It's just about as good, too --- it has a wholly memorable and catchy melody, and it showcases Nomi's operatic singing style. It's such a pure blast from beginning to end! The same composer even wrote the title track, another catchy masterpiece that was perfect for Nomi. If you don't hear anything else from this album, hear those. If you're a Dr. Demento fan, chances are you've already heard “Ding Dong,” a cover of the "witch is dead" song from the film The Wizard of Oz. It's hokey, of course, but it's a bout of cheeky fun featuring a playful vocal performance and a wide array of well engineered sound effects. That song really could have sounded too cutesy and inconsequential (a fate that begot “Just One Look”), but they handled it just right. “Rubberband Lazer” is an amusing combination of country western and science fiction --- the melody is clever and lyrics are silly and memorable. People who love novelty music definitely won't be disappointed with this release. Still, I gotta compare it to the debut. I relent the fact that this is lacking a creepy/fun equivalent to “The Twist!” As far as the opera stuff goes, I greatly preferred his “The Cold Song” to anything here. Nonetheless, both of these albums are great, and they're sure to provide you with endless hours of entertainment ... that is, if you're weird like me. Read the track reviews and reader comments:
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All reviews are written by Michael Lawrence.
