Review: Sonata Islands Kommandoh – Quasar Burning Bright (2020)

Quasar Burning Brightly is the fifth studio album by Italian band Sonata Islands Kommandoh, formed in 1998.

Led by classically trained flutist/composer Emilio Galante, the Sonata Islands Kommandoh (sometimes known by the shorter name Sonata Islands) is an unusual ensemble. In addition to their own music, Sonata Islands Kommandoh has released jazz interpretations of Gustav Mahler compositions, made a Rock In Opposition cover album on which they covered music by avant-progressive artists such as Fred Frith and Univers Zero, and on their previous album Zeuhl Jazz (2018) the band made music in the style of French Zeuhl giant Magma.

Although the compositions of Zeuhl Jazz were mostly Galante’s own (including one by John Coltrane), the style of the songs owed much to the style envisioned by Magma’s Christian Vander. On Quasar Burning Bright, Galante is for a change completely on his own. The compositions are his alone and do not directly imitate the style of any other composer.

Quasar Burning Bright’s music is far more electronic than Sonata Islands Kommandoh has ever been. And this doesn’t just mean the addition of synthesizers to the band’s earlier rock instrumentation, there are even influences from the experimental glitch movement.

The best example of this is the album’s stunning eight-minute opening track ”Aphantasia QBB”. Opening with electronic glitchy sounds, the track initially feels like German kosmische music with its hazy floating feeling, but then the synths start hitting sharply in a slightly Heldon-esque violent prog ambient style. The complex rhythms bring an avant-prog feel to the playing before returning to a more floaty abstract section where the flute paints impressionistic pictures together with the synths. At the end, the music is again made more rhythmic and Alberto N. A. Turra’s electric guitar is finally allowed to solo with a tortured quality. An absolutely stunning piece and an extremely interesting new direction for Sonata Islands Kommandoh.

After the electronic storm of the first song, the second track with its flutes sounds at first much more traditional Sonata Islands, but eventually ”Susac Cacus” also gets some electronic buzz and clatter. The electronics and the often jazz-inspired flute (which is also often treated electronically) together form a fascinating juxtaposition. A combination that shouldn’t really work, but which, against all expectations, is far more than the sum of its parts. It’s also pleasing that Sonata Islands Kommandoh doesn’t leave the rhythm of the songs to stagnant sequences (at least not for long), but instead a real drummer keeps things lively.

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Some of the songs also have a very jazzy feel to them, such as the tasty jazz-rock riffing of ”Mod-D QBB 115 bpm”, where the electric piano rattles sympathetically alongside the flute. Basically, Sonata Islands Kommandoh is an avant-garde jazz-rock band that takes a slightly new angle with each album. The companion track to the same song, ”Mod-D QBB 125 bpm”, features boisterous jazz guitar playing from the skilled Turra.

Quasar Burning Bright ends with the 12 minute cosmic anthem ”It Ain’t Necessarily So” where the band’s old Magma influences surface most. The song is the only one to feature vocals (without actual lyrics though) and it’s a fascinating combination of floating synthesised soundscapes, hypnotic repetition and an almost funky groove.

I’m not a big fan of pure electronic music, but this combination of a strong electronic touch with a more organic sound is often fertile ground, but rarely as successful as Quasar Burning Bright.

My feelings about Sonata Islands Kommandos have been somewhat mixed in the past. I’ve liked their albums, but their music has previously relied so heavily on styles created by earlier composers that I haven’t really known what to think. With Quasar Burning Bright, Emilio Galante seems to be creating something all his own and it will be really interesting to see where Sonata Islands Kommandoh goes next.

(Note! Unfortunately, there is no physical release of Quasar Burning Bright available, at least not yet, but to support the band, you can buy the album in digital format on Bandcamp for a very reasonable price.)

Best tracks: ”Aphantasia QBB”, ”Mod-D QBB 115 bpm”

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Tracks

  1. Aphantasia QBB 07:51
  2. Susac Casus 06:47
  3. Mod-D QBB 115 bpm 06:18
  4. Think Atomic 05:29
  5. Mod-5 QBB 125 bpm 05:34
  6. It Ain’t Necessarily So 12:18

Sonata Islands Kommandoh:

Emilio Galante: flute Giovanni Venosta: keyboards, vocals Alberto N. A. Turra: electric guitar Stefano Grasso: drums Stefano Greco: programming, electronics, monochord, vocals (6)

Guests:

Fabio D’Ambrosio: vocals (6)

Producer: Sonata Islands Kommandoh
Label: Chant Records

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