Room 101 is the new album from Karmamoi, and it was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. The album lyrics “revisit some of the novel’s themes and concepts, adapting them to the present day and focusing on the human mind and its weaknesses”.
Room 101 is Karmamoi’s third release from band members: Daniele Giovannoni, on drums, keyboards and backing vocals; Alex Massari, on guitars; and Alessandro Cefalì, on bass. The album also features guest musicians: Adam Holzman, (Steven Wilson), who plays piano and Moog solo on “Newspeak; Steve Unruh, (UPF), on violin and flute on “Newspeak”, “Memory Holes”, and “Drop by Drop”; Francesca Zanetta, (Unreal City), plays solina on “ Memory Holes”; Sara Rinaldi, sings main vocals throughout the album; Valerio Sgargi, sings tenor and backing vocals; and Emilio Merone, on piano and key solo on “The New World”.
The album was released May 28, 2021. The album was produced by Daniele Giovannoni. It was co-produced by Mark Tucker and Octavia Brown. Strings on “Drop by Drop”, arranged by Emilio Merone. Choir on “Zealous Man” and “Newspeak” arranged by Valerio Sgargi.
Room 101, is a dark ride through an Orwellian world. But the music and vocals, from Sara Rinaldi offer a fresh talent and sound.
The album opens with cool keys and a dark mood on, “Memory Holes”. Sara Rinaldi sings, “Sit down in your safe alcove where you know you can’t be seen. The screen incessantly spews out the same words. Write in the diary you hold in your trembling hands. The screen is still talking loudly and you are afraid to remember your life. Memory is a crime. The past is not altered the past has been destroyed in fluttering and burning ash inside the memory holes”. Her voice soothes, despite the dark lyrics and tones. Rinaldi continues to sing, “It’s on the words you wrote “April 1984”, and now you feel sheer panic you are responsible for (the) truth. Dignity, integrity, democracy, you lost”. A difficult thing to listen to after four years of the Trump misanthropic tragedy, the world has just survived.
Sara Rinaldi opens “Drop by Drop”, by singing, “Drop by drop. It will erode the rock. Drop by drop. It will make you feel alone and lost. Drop by drop. It will become sea. Drop by drop. It will change all beliefs and the past”. Having survived a near miss like this makes it even more relevant, to hear the pain and suffering in this music. Yes, “The compass is broken. Inside gloomy hearts. Inside the box of failing stars. Inside these times”. Thankfully behind us, unless we do not learn from Orwell’s novel.
“Dark City”, opens dark and cold, with keys and Sara Rinaldi singing, “Woke up scared. I can’t recall. What we were before. This war. Through this age. All the time lost”. The pace of the music is slow and methodical, as is Rinaldi’s singing. She has little emotion in her delivery, perfect for the book’s subject matter. Then, suddenly an awesome drum delivery and powerful keys. Guitars and bass join in to create one of the most moving parts of the album, so far. Then, some cool guitar and keys eerily reminiscent of IQ’s Subterranea.
“Zealous Man”, opens with soft piano and even softer vocals from Rinaldi, “You are stunned now lying down on a cold cot, and you are feeling in shock listening to his voice. In a secret zone of your head. You trust him like when you met his eyes for the first time. Believing in his gaze. Believing in your faith. Believing in his grace. Believing in your fight. He is not your father. He is not your mate. He is a zealous man. He’s watching you. He is not your guide. He is not your truth. He is a zealous man!” Her voice echoes in the background so eerily. What a great cinematic moment.
“Newspeak”, is an instrumental piece, which opens with piano and atmospherics, and is full of great bass, floating and grinding lead electric guitar. The Moog solo is awesome! Best song on the album, and one of the best instrumentals of the year, so far. The piano work is just so compelling, and uplifting, on an album full of grief.
The title track, “Room 101”, opens with keyboards and more cool atmospherics, before heavy electric guitars and bass break loose. Rinaldi coldly sings, “You are a man. You’re the last. You are lost. In your failures and self-destruction. You’re at the end. You’re alone. You can’t oppose”. The male voice, of “Big Brother”, echoes her words, all set to chilling musical drama. The music really captures your emotions and allows you to live out the nightmare musically provided. The atmospherics help generate the image and feeling of Orwellian dystopia well.
“The New World”, opens with a great, repeating electric guitar riff, before drums explode on the scene. Then Rinaldi sings, “Here is the world we’ve drawn for us. Super troopers and digit guns. Satellites fill up the sky. Like bounty killers for all our future crimes. Silent waves are tracking us. No need to hide. No need to run. Watching us in this new world. On the super-screen. We are one and none. Yep. More than ready to leave this dark, dismal world behind and move on to more engaging, and living music.
If you have not read or know the story of 1984, then this will be an interesting and dare I say, learning adventure. Learn from the experience. and do everything you can to help the world avoid its outcome.
The music here is entertaining, well played and inventive. It is a good album, if you have time to kill, and want to spend it in dystopia. I was forced to live through four years of Trump, the buffoon’s, version of dystopia. And I, am more than ready to move on from that dark world, to the brighter days ahead of us.
Track List
- Memory Holes – 9:12
- Drop by Drop – 8:34
- Dark City – 7:16
- Zealous Man – 10:53
- Newspeak – 8:07
- Room 101 – 6:54
- The New World – 9:45
Graphic, photography and artwork by Joel Barrios.
https://karmamoi.bandcamp.com/album/room-101