That is to say Violeta Violeta Volume I may as well be classified as an instrumental record, as the vocals do not play the role of typical vocals, sharing and leading harmonic and melodic space just as much as literally any of the other instruments. In technical terms, Janove's pronounced singing voice is perfect to the point where I start to wonder if he himself is not a custom-manufactured, finely-tuned instrument. Kaizers' vocal approach, though their all-Norwegian style may be intimidating to non-Norwegian listeners (and Norwegian speaking folks alike, considering vocalist Janove Ottesen's unorthodox jæren dialect), makes regular rock act vocalists look like monotone deadweight place-holders for their obligatory shallow content. They're pirates who've just shaved and put tuxedos on, still raucous as ever at their core being. They've remained consistently hard-hitting over the years, not musicians to be subtle about their stylings, but this particular release shows Kaizers Orchestra running a much tighter ship cleaner jazz-infused guitars, a tone-down on the 'dirty gypsy' elements previously flaunted on certain earlier releases ( Evig Pint and Ompa til Du Dør) and overall, a much more refined accent. Violeta Violeta Volume I comes to us as evidence of 11 years of the band's progression. Pedantry aside, Kaizers Orchestra are of the few bands one would likely not hesitate to call “original”. Tip of the iceberg would allude to their unpredictable style reminiscent to that of Tom Waits' unpredictable, slightly vaudeville-esque sound, their grandiose, put-together production similar to The Dear Hunter's works and their gypsy-tinted quirks a la Gogol Bordello.
Their sound is hard to pin-point without name-dropping a multitude of acts that have nothing to do with each other. Are they an orchestra? Maybe a little, what with their insertions of eyebrow-raising instruments within the context of rock music oil barrel drums, contrabass and a pump organ to name a few on previous releases. Kaizers Orchestra fills a very specific niche, with alternative rock being far too big a blanket to toss over these gents. However, hailing from a country renown for its typical exports of black metal and appeasing, Anglo-expressed music doesn't do this native-tongued, whimsical six-piece alt. Not that the Kaizers (each band member has a stage name ending with “Kaizer”) are particularly obscure (they're quite popular throughout Northern Europe) or have an inaccessible sound, quite the opposite. If you haven't heard of them, it's alright, I hadn't either. Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian band who've recently released their 7th LP (the first of a 3-part series), Violeta Violeta Volume I. Review Summary: Kaizers Orchestra bring us their fanciful carnival ride unpredictable, thrilling and a little dizzying.
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