'Disobbedisco!' is the much-awaited debut album from the Genoa-based collective Ianva who have already gained some critical acclaim with their initial mini-cdr 'Ballata Dell'Ardito'. 'Disobbedisco!' is an eleven piece musical relating the story of impossible romance between an Arditti officer and a temptress/spy during the ill-fated liberation of Fiume at the end of WWI. A familiar theme… but this conceptual approach offers a different and less-cliché perspective than what is usually the norm in the neofolk scene. An impression confirmed by the artwork; a lavish digipack with a sixteen-page booklet containing the lyrics (in Italian, but the English translations can be found on the label's website), manuscript texts and many period illustrations that help the listener slip into the atmosphere of the story.

Ianva is a musical collective regrouping a cast of Genoese musicians coming from goth rock, black metal, 70's prog rock, retro-cabaret and even classical backgrounds. But, if this fact wasn't mentioned in the press release you would never guess it from the music on the album. Here, the epic, passionate songs draw their inspiration from the rich legacy of post-war Italian popular and underground music, Morricone film-scores, decadent cabaret and a strong hint of Ain Soph's 'Aurora'. This may seem a strange counter-nature mixture on paper but it actually works out quite well on an album where the diversity of styles reflects the diverse situations affecting the story's protagonists. Well, most of the album to be more correct, as there are a few songs that border dangerously close to mainstream 80's italo-disco for my taste…

A good debut album from a band that will no doubt become the next big thing in the neofolk scene. Recommended not only to the broadminded listeners and Italian underground fanatics, but also to any self-respecting iron-hipster…