No Strange Armonia Vivente

(The new opera recorded is called Armonia Vivente and it is concepted like a natural sequel of the previous Cristalli Sognanti; the sound since the first impact don’t deserve the expectations: the world described by No Strange is always liquid, cosmic, lysergic; the 16 tracks (two of them recorded on a live conceit) are a trip out of time, which is referred to the big indo-european tradition and the avant-garde and experimental, connected to the most acid folk and popular melodies.
ARMONIA VIVENTE is this and more… On the cd edition are added 4 bonus track extracted by the early No Strange period (’83-’84) out on that time only in demo-tape version!)No strange are back on the road of the dreamlike psychedelia, a walk long 30 years.

The new opera recorded is called Armonia Vivente and it takes place on a double long play record edit by Area Pirata on a double cd and by Psychout Record on a double vinyl, it is concepted like a natural sequel of the previous Cristalli Sognanti; the sound since the first impact don’t deserve the expectations: the world described by No Strange is always liquid, cosmic, lysergic; the 16 tracks (two of them recorded on a live conceit) are a trip out of time, which is referred to the big indo-european tradition and the avant-garde and experimental, connected to the most acid folk and popular melodies.

ARMONIA VIVENTE is this and more… On the cd edition are added 4 bonus track extracted by the early No Strange period (’83-’84) out on that time only in demo-tape version.

Here the impression of who has listened to the preview:

Each No Strange record is an important moment for subterranean italian music art. Because it is never a banal moment, it is never only a new record of one of the most remarkable band of the eighties, nearly back now to find out new energy and desire to come back to express their own creativity. No Strange embrace in the best and unique way the huge italian and mediterranean music tradition; they absorb from the 70 cosmic deutsche lesson, the late american and english sixties with insert of medieval, baroque, oriental, gregorian chants, popular traditions echoes.
No Strange sound is unique and the double format new album is not only a brave slap to an absurd modernity burned and consumed in a moment but is the necessity of creative expression to hold all the sound of the band from Turin. An important band, this record more.
Tony Face Bacciocchi

The coming back of No Strange on the record scene, sign a crucial point of the recent italian music panorama.
Like it happened already with the previous Cristalli Sognanti(Area Pirata – Psychout record 2012) Savatore D’Urso e Alberto Ezzu continue to keep alive the concept of psychedelia digging in the history of this musical genre adapting it as it can be possible to the modern times.
Since from the beginning “Grida Mondo” and his delicate vocal harmonies, enriched by the presence of Rosalba Guastella assumed as the third official member role of the band. No Strange make understand to have a very rich program ready to push, to abandon each prejudice on genre inviting the listener to abandon theirself to the flow of the following music.
The basilar conceit is to be in front of a total music record, to be approached with a curious and careful spirit, we should have each time we listen to a record.
We are not in front of a product for hit parade but a way to talk through music with a language that can appear unusual and fascinating. Armonia Vivente is a record completely harmonic where, sound, voices, evocative words, fascinating instruments and sound of the every day life are mixed, following a circular flow to wrap up the listener and put him in the centre of another world.
This record postpone to a very far away age where each opera was listened with a long pondered attention as we all should still have each time we listen to music. If we don’t cut for ourselves a necessary space to abandon us to the music of Armonia Vivente it will be difficult to be able to catch the thousand shades, the multitude of embroidery, the musicians involved has chiseled to give corps to the vision of this new masterpiece of No Strange.
Eliseno Sposato – RLB Radioattiva

TRACK LIST:

DISC A
1. Grida Mondo 3:51
2. All’Albeggiare del Nulla 2:25
3. Contrasti 12:02
4. Il Burattino di un’Altra Commedia 2:57
5. Analogie 1:15
6. La Città Ubiqua 8:42
7. Tu non lo sai 3:28
8. Cascate di Luce 2:51
9. Fori Elastici 11:26
10. Armonia vivente 6:59
11. Uno squarcio nel pensiero 1:11
12. Splendid Your Rise on Living Râ 6:29
13. Il Mattino Resta 7:16
14. Bangalore 6:10

DISC B
1. You (1983) 3:11
2. Rainbow (1983) 2:59
3. Lisergic Tomahawk (1984) 6:41
4. Tribe from another world (1983) 3:41
5. Voli Sonori (Live 2013) 11:32
6. Le Fond Marin – in Train (Live 2013) 5:37
REVIEW

Richard Allen – Shindig #40 06/2014

Translating as
‘Harmonious
Living Between
Similarities And
Contrasts’ this new releease by
Italian ’80s
neo-psych duo No Strange follows on
from their 2012 outing, Cristalli
Sognanti, their first since 1991. This
is psychedelia of the “lay down on the
floor with the blob lights on” variety,
drenched in trippy improvisation, sitar,
echoing voices, sound effects and
assorted ancient and modern
instrumentation.

Imagine The Incredible String Band
jamming with early Pink Floyd and
The Third Ear Band, throw in a dash
of olive oil sunshine and a distinctly
Italian artistic vision and Roberto’s
your uncle. ‘Contrasti’ (‘Contrasts’) is
one of the most convincing slices of
neo-psychedelia this writer has heard
in a long time, while ‘Tu non lo sai’
(‘You Don’t Know’) is prime acid-folk
with sita,. harmonica and some great
guitar work. The CD version adds rare
bonus demos from ’83-84.

Dennis Dalcin – Bucketfull Of Brains #82 – Summer 2014

The great Torino, Italy-based, psychedelic band No strange, follows up last year’s brilliant album Cristalli Sognanti (Dreaming Crystals) with a brand new and equally wonderful 2-CD set called Armonia Vivente Tra Analogie E Contrasti (Harmony Between The Living Similarities And Contrasts). The set is split between new songs on the first CD and mostly older ones on the second. The new music CD begins with ‘Grida Mondo’ with Rosalba Guastella and Ursus D’Urso’s ethereal voices co-singing the lyrics. Sitars, guitars, keyboards, drums, horns/flute and otherworldly vocals combine to creat an out-of-body experience on ‘II Burattino Di Un’Altra Commedia’. On ‘Fori Elastici’ violin, bass, tablas and ethereal voices combine for a mind trip that lasts 11:26. Fuzz guitar overloads the very short (just 1:11) ‘Uno Squarcio Nel Pensiero’. The 19 tracks on disc 1 create a lysergically transcendental state guaranteed to transport you to other worlds in your mind.
The mostly older material from 1983-84, at the time available only on a demo-tape, is amazing in its scope and sound. Their ability to synthesize eastern and western sounds into one unique vision reminds me of vintage 70s Amon Düül II. In most cases demo tapes, no matter who’s made them, would not be of sufficient quality to warrant release, but these produced by No Strange are an exception. Their demos breathe and work their way into one’s psyche in a way very few modern bands can!. ‘You’, ‘Rainbow’ (both from 1983) and ‘Lisergic Tomahawk’ (from 1984) are the early band at their very best! The last two tracks on CD 2 are live recordings from 2013 and show the band to be both experimental and psychedelic at the same time. ‘Voli Sonori’ is 11:32 minutes of other worldly sounds and eastern textures. ‘Le Fond Marin’ (In Train) sounds like what would come from some fantastic union of later period Captain Beefheart mixed with early period Faust and Amon Düül II circa 1972. This brilliant new release proves Ursus D’Urso, Alberto Ezzu, Pino Molinari, Rosalba Guastella, Lucio Molinari and Paolo Avataneo to be innovators of the highest order. Only 600 copies of this CD are available so be quick and get your copy now!