Spiritual Front:

Autopsy Of A Love
No Kisses On The Mouth
Songs For The Old Man
Ragged

Ain Soph:

Datemi Pace
Lacrime e Santi
Gli Amanti Tristi
Tempi Duri

David E Williams:

Legends Of The SS
Beautiful Brownshirted Man
Altar Boy
Less Than Queer
Grey Balloon Masquerading
Pumpernickel Crust

Naevus:

South Bank
No, Remember
Don't Boil
The Body Speaks In Tongue
Visions, Rushed

This limited edition CDR released in DVD packaging features a sampler of the four acts featured at the 1° Congresso Neo Pop’n’Folk festival as organised by Old Europa Cafe on the 23rd of October 2004 in Pordenone, Italy. All tracks are listed “in this form unreleased” and I suppose in the form they are presented they are at that. Several of the track names are incorrectly printed yet are retained here for comparative purposes.

The evening is encapsulated nicely to disc, direct line into mixing desks has allowed for remixing and stripping away the dregs of live performance, including the audience no less. At times the mixing is a little heavily compressed but is for the most part a clean and well-tuned production that feels more like a band practice than the rapturous atmosphere of a crowded hall.

Spiritual Front’s performance is a veridical domino of their studio work, their introspective folk coverture as plaintive as ever. Heavy distortion and clipping mars what would have otherwise been a great Ain Soph offering, so poor is the mixing here that the clarity curdles funneled noise, highly unpleasant and disappointing. Mr. Williams regales the evening with his intellectual autopsy backed by his carnal pianoforte, a remorseless cavalcade of tattered shreds of human misery. Thankfully the mixing is without the scars that mutilated Ain Soph’s session. Naevus end the disc with a faultless recital, warm and intimate laments gouge their grim folk in a worthy finale that can forgive some of the mixing mistakes that tend to clip some of Lloyd James’ vocals.

The album is released as a one colour cover DVD case with photocopied insert that shows each of the acts live, the CDR itself silkscreen printed.

NYR