Scala is the name of a Belgian youth choir, and
Kolacny Brothers are conductor Stijn Kolacny and pianist Steven Kolacny, who accompanies the singers. The crossover gimmick is that the choir performs (in English) versions of rock hits of the 1970s to the 2000s. Thus, a massed group of young voices addresses, say,
Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" and
Depeche Mode's "I Feel You" over Steven Kolacny's piano chords. The more melodic and melancholy songs (
U2's "With or Without You") tend to work better than the more pop-oriented ones (
Alanis Morissette's "Ironic"). The oddest moments come with the juxtaposition of the ethereal voices with more provocative lyrics, such as the choruses of
Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" ("Where were you while we were getting high?") and
Radiohead's expletive-laden "Creep." But, in truth, this is a novelty record and one that, at nearly an hour's running time, wears out its welcome long before the angelic intonation of
Nirvana's demand from "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Here we are now, entertain us!" ~ William Ruhlmann