Review Summary: "Try again, fail again, fail better." - Klimt 1918 master ambition and top themselves.
Bands change. Some follow a predictable path, while others decide to do it suddenly. From their birth in Rome in 1999, Klimt 1918 followed the former route. They rose from the ashes of a death metal band, adding a newfound love for gothic rock and new wave to the mix, which gradually brought them closer to alternative rock and shoegaze. Straying away from metal with each release, the comparisons with bands like Katatonia are nothing but a memory. Klimt's new twin albums stray further than ever, offering two hours of an impenetrable shoegaze wall -littered with influences from new wave to post rock- where a focus on lyrics is highly recommended on first listens to avoid getting lost.
It's easy to describe how the albums sound. A glance at the artwork(s) sums the sound very well: a thick fog in which is hard to see anything that isn't close. A fog of reverberating guitars, echoing voices and a rhythm section that becomes more or less audible depending on the occasion, making the production job as important as the instruments. But, while the albums sound very homogeneous, the pieces possess an identity of their own. Generally,
Sentimentale is the friendlier twin owner of the more obvious hooks and righteously placed first. An example is the cover of "Take My Breath Away", a famous pop hit from the 1986 movie "Top Gun".
Jugend instead is tougher. It does feature a livelier instrumentation, but it also features experiments like "Stupenda e Misera Citta'" ("beautiful and miserable city"): ten slowly building minutes over which "Il pianto della scavatrice" by poet Pier Paolo Pasolini is recited.
With patience
Sentimentale Jugend will unfold and reveal its numerous strengths. The most apparent is undoubtely the cold foggy atmosphere that works well with both the optimistic and sad moments. But each track has something to say; details that gradually emerge from the fog. Be it the uplifting theme repeated through "Montecristo", the intense chorus of "Belvedere", the cathartic horns in "Resig-nation", the post punk of "Juvenile", and so on. As mentioned, lyrics play a big role for the music to work best. The lyrical content is densely written and delivered with satisfying emotion. The topics range from sentimental introspection to more concrete inspirations like movies, books and politics, as titles like "Gaza Youth (Exist/Resist)" imply. For curiosity's sake, "La Notte" ("the night") is the first song the band wrote entirely in Italian.
Sentimentale Jugend is an ambitious project. Eight years have passed since the release of Klimt's previous fatigue, with which it shares the most similarities. Working for the successor, the material just kept spawning and became too much for a single full-length. The newborn twins reflect the distance Klimt walked since their inception, but it doesn't neglect the band's past. One track, "Sant’Angelo (The Sound & The Fury)", even has its roots planted into "Passive", an oldie that appeared on the band's 2000 self-released demo
Secession Makes Post-Modern Music. There is a lot to unearth in the 110+ minutes of music, given the attention and willingness to dig deeper into its layers.
Sentimentale Jugend is an offer that's demanding as much as it's rewarding. A crowning achievement and an intimate listen with a yet undefined staying power. An inspired work sustained by trademark passionate vocals that will make old and new fans feel at home.
