Natura Morta - Un Pensiero Intrusivo

Second album and first time vinyl appearance for Turin-based artist and multi-instrumentalist Maria Mallol Moya, under her assumed Natura Morta moniker. Moya appears to have had a fairly active involvement in the Italian underground over the past decade or so, though this is the first time I've encountered her work. It feels like the right juncture at which to greet her. Broadly speaking, Un Pensiero Intrusivo plugs into that long-standing history of post-industrial neo-folk and dark wave that's not really ever gone away in certain enclaves and outposts in Europe, a seven-song suite of atmospheric drones, klanging percussion and dramatic, ethereal vocals that veer between the sacred and the profane. This is, in short, very serious sounding music, Moya determined to get down to the brass tacks of the dark night of the soul. And she does it with full conviction, in a manner that recalls in varying measure the gothic drama of Diamanda Galas, the artful divinations of Annelies Monsere and Jordan Deal, and to certain degree, Bjork circa Medulla. Mostly, though, Un Pensiero Intrusivo is the sound of an artist coming into bloom, unafraid and glowing with the possibility of sharing their vision with the world. Such things are hard to ignore.
 
FFO: Diamanda Galas, Annelies Monsere, Oi Les Ox, Bjork circa Medulla, Jordan Deal