Indie pop as seductive device? Not a chance, unless you've heard
Cinerama. Really -- think about it. Is there anything remotely erotic about
Sebadoh,
Sloan, or (gasp!) the Elephant Six contingent? No sir/ma'am.
Disco Volante seems like a more logical extension of
the Wedding Present than Va Va Voom, employing more electric than acoustic guitars and drier production. Though the pairing of
the Wedding Present with
Steve Albini made sense for 1991's
Seamonsters,
David Gedge's decision to work again with the engineer seems a bit misplaced for
Cinerama. At that stage of
the Wedding Present's career, they were thriving on their roughness and angularities, something
Albini is an expert at capturing. But for
Cinerama, a group with a more rounded, elegant sound, it sounds a little awkward. If it was
Gedge's intent to win back some of the
Wedding Present fans who found Va Va Voom to be too much of a departure,
Disco Volante could succeed in that regard. With
Weddoes guitarist
Simon Cleave now a full-fledged member, there's some of the trademark late '80s/early '90s roar apparent in the likes of "146 Degrees" and "Your Charms"; but whether or not that and crisp drums fit snugly alongside French horn and accordion is debatable. Regardless of these features,
Gedge shows absolutely no signs of dwindling lyrically. His common topics of romance and lust are well-roamed, but the man is perfectly incapable of sounding like a cliché. Despite
Disco Volante's rougher sound, the eroticism is in throbbing supply in "Lollobrigida" and "Unzip." Otherwise,
Disco Volante echoes Va Va Voom in its well-placed use of chamber pop elements, and if you have that all-too-necessary skill that allows you to not think "
Jethro Tull" when a flute pops up from time to time, you're all the better off. And hats (and panties?) off to
Gedge for scoring the rhythm section of the disbanded Goya Dress. Bassist
Terry de Castro and drummer
Simon Pearson are ideal additions to
Gedge's vision. ~ Andy Kellman