Feminine, Lorelei. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Fiction is everywhere, from the embellished tale to the person avoiding responsibility for their actions, for the words they use to discredit others to the joy they bring with a touching sentimental lie; fiction is what drives the world in these most insane of times and the truth is often overlooked, often parodied and booted out of the window as soon as it is convenient to do so. In a world of fiction, truth is a rare commodity and even when the band playing with greatest of sincerity and genuine cool in their hands, the story is one that comes into view and for Feminine’s debut album Lorelei, fiction is holding hands sweetly with fact.

The feeling of crossing genres, blending them with artistry and thanks is to be heard throughout Lorelei, the weaving of many tales is not one that is ever exhausted, it is the hybrid that keeps giving and yet all logic is thrown out, it is taken for granted that reason is but a purely selfish emotion and what is truly needed is the experimentation, the search for the truth that nothing is truly what it seems and for that Giampiero Riggio and Francesco Cipriano have opened up something that is fleshy, full of heart and more importantly has soul.

It is the logic of composition that is enhanced in this duo’s endeavour, whilst working apart, they have joined forces, the yin and the yang flowing possibly across the rim of the Earth but with nature acting as a conduit, a beacon on the horizon flashing away but only being interpreted by the awaiting artist half a continent away.

It is tracks such as Honeyhunters, Mohican, Coral Face and Sacred Stones, the bravery of such enlightened work comes out, the search for truth brings out the fiction in such a positive light that it radiates with absolute pleasure and whilst it never shies away from understanding that on occasion the truth may disappoint, it also knows that the lie, the fiction is only ever realised long after the people have left the concert hall.

The lie or the fiction, the truth is somewhere in between but it doesn’t half sound good either way.

Ian D. Hall