klaus nomi

As much I would have liked to avoid it, I was unable to post to Squid Can these past few days; hence the lack of Track of the Day and Friday Mp3, as well as the ongoing Squid Christmas. I was stuck in a house with no wireless, and I've been busy attending Christmas functions and birthday parties. But I digress. For those of us who woke up to snow this morning, here's a fitting song: "Cold Song," performed by Klaus Nomi in his eclectic-operatic fashion. In a show of guilt for not posting these past few days, here are a few extra Mp3s.

Download "Cold Song" from FileFactory
Download "New York Song" by Dark Dark Dark from Spinner
Download "It's All Good" by El Perro del Mar from Last.fm
Download "Le Fini" by Ursula 1000 from Megaupload

Klaus Nomi by Klaus Nomi

1981, RCA, 10 tracks at 32 min.

For those afraid of clowns, the thickly powdered face of Klaus Nomi may be enough reason to avoid the man’s music. For those unafraid of clowns, though, the general inaccessibility of his work may be prove to be a greater obstacle.

Nomi gained fame as a New Wave experimentalist in the eighties, but died an AIDS-related death at the age of thirty-nine in 1983. He had released two albums by the time of his death, one eponymous and the other titled Simple Man. Posthumously, a compilation by the name of Encore! was released. Perhaps due to his modest discography, the experimental-operatic-new-wave countertenor never quite achieved massive success. But amongst listeners(some of them introduced to Nomi by an episode of the Venture Bros, including myself), he remains a gem in their collections. From his debut, it’s clear why.

With only thirty-two minutes of music on Klaus Nomi, it may seem as if his premier album has little space for articulating artistry. But through a fresh fusion of influences and unique vocals, you’ll find yourself either hating or loving Klaus. If you happen to love the album, you may find your finger constantly pressing the “repeat” button.

At one point, you might laugh at the notion of listening to a shoulder-pad-donning, wide-eyed, slick-haired male vocalist with the vocal range of a prepubescent boy. But once you’ve given Klaus a few spins, you’ll stop laughing and say, “My God…this is the strangest, most beautiful, spaciest album I’ve ever listened to.”

It is difficult to recommend “standout” tracks, as the album is coherent in its excellence. The Gregorian chanting on “Keys of Life” may be off-putting at first, but once it slides into Nomi’s heavily German take on “Lightning Strikes” it’s clear that Nomi has the musical chops to back up his avant garde aesthetic. Pop standard “The Twist” is transformed from light rock and roll into a witchy brew of laughter and strange enunciations. The synthesized anthem “Nomi Song” is even more enjoyable; its sharp, self-interrupting vocals play patty cake with the quick stretches of electric guitar and dated piano.

On “You Don’t Own Me,” Nomi takes Lesley Gore’s classic of female independence and magnifies its message twofold through his German snarl and gender bending adoption of the lyrics. “Who says I can’t play with other boys?” he inquires, and while one’s first response may be to giggle, Nomi seems to mean it. “Cold Song” reveals Nomi’s classical knowledge and ability; his virtuosity here is extra proof of his honesty. A Nominian interpretation of the Twilight Zone seems to pop up on “Nomi Chant,” while urgency and anger are more clearly felt on “Wasting My Time” and “Total Eclipse.” “Samson and Delilah (Aria)” supplies a gentle close to the magnificent work.

Klaus Nomi is one of the most cosmic, ethereal sounding albums that ever resulted from the musical mountain of the eighties. Leagues ahead of other New Wavers’ pop quirkiness, Klaus Nomi is a supreme debut and musical achievement. Highly, highly recommended.

RATING: 5/5

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Listen to "You Don't Own Me" at Grooveshark

What better way to celebrate Presidents' Day than with a Nomi song?