Short Reviews [NichelOdeon - 2025 - "Flipper [Folk Songs for the Judgement Day]"]

What I am listening to is the complete version of the latest release by Claudio Milano, aka NichelOdeon, which is the same album in two different versions which provides us with a combined running time of three hours. He provides all vocals from C -1 to F# 9, piano, keyboards, field recordings, electronics, virtual orchestra while the other main protagonist is Teo Ravelli aka borda (Aether, I Sincopatici, NichelOdeon) with drones, electronics, drums and percussions, and there are then countless others working together to produce something which is undoubtedly progressive and pushing musical boundaries while sounding like no-one else around. The first album contains six songs, and the second seven, but to be honest these are in many ways just meaningless concepts as what is happening here is that Claudio is combining pieces of more than 50 songs (dating from approximately 27 BC to 2025) which have no relationship to each other together with new and different themes and arrangements, providing a few snippets and then moving to something completely different. Some are instantly recognisable (FGTH’s “The Power of Love” for example), but Claudio’s vocals and arrangements are so transformational that sometimes it is impossible to recognise the source. There is no doubt that Claudio is one of the most exciting singers around, using his vocals as an avant garde instrument with which he is constantly experimenting to understand if there are limits to what he can achieve. If he was playing guitar I would say he is akin to the likes of Markus Reuter, Trey Gunn or Kevin Kastning, who each in their own way are always breaking boundaries. When I am listening to Claudio, I find myself deep inside a world which is often frightening, dark and somewhat aggressive, full of sharp edges and emotion, very different indeed to the world of pop where all is light and bright. This is something dramatic coming to us from the shadows from a time gone by when demons and magick walked the land. It has to be played on headphones, and there is no point in doing anything else while this is on as it demands constant attention as one never knows where the journey is going to lead. It will never be comfortable, and it will certainly be arduous, but when you reach the end, you will feel richly rewarded.