Search - In the Nursery :: Duality

Duality
In the Nursery
Duality
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Special Interest, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

Truly risk-taking popular music is hard to find, often buried beneath a mound of play-it-safe "alternative" rock or formulaic electronica. The risk inherent in doing something truly unique is in being tagged "pretentious,"...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: In the Nursery
Title: Duality
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 7/21/1992
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Special Interest, Pop, Rock
Styles: Experimental Music, Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 016861916329

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Truly risk-taking popular music is hard to find, often buried beneath a mound of play-it-safe "alternative" rock or formulaic electronica. The risk inherent in doing something truly unique is in being tagged "pretentious," an insult almost worse than being called just plain "bad." England's In the Nursery walk a very fine line between the worlds of pop and classical music, making themselves broad targets for archers poised with the "pretentious" arrow. But what ITN almost always do, album after album, is succeed in creating glorious beauty--music so cinematic and lush as to almost spoil your taste for anything else. Duality, originally released in 1992 and remastered with two bonus mixes for this 1999 reissue, is a perfect example of the soundtrack-like work at which twin brothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone excel. Much like its predecessor, 1991's Sense, Duality takes the listener through a self-contained world of swelling (but never cloying) strings, melancholic piano, crisp snare, and rumbling timpani, accented here and there by the ethereal French vocals of Dolores Marguerite C. Duality's brilliant contribution to the ITN catalog was the introduction of classic British poetry to the mix. The Humberstones sample liberally from an old Richard Burton spoken-word album and throw his richly textured voice atop their larger-than-life musical tapestries; it's a perfect fit (check out "Corruption," on which Burton reads John Donne's sonnet "A Feaver" to spine-chilling effect) and a tactic they would use more fully on their magnum opus, 1994's Anatomy of a Poet. Duality's other highlights include "Belle Epoque," the disc's uplifting opener, and the title track, a darkly powerful symphony that builds in emotion and drama to a spectacular climax. ITN provide the music; you provide the imaginary film. --Steve Landau

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CD Reviews

Listen start to end, with lights out
J. Thomas | Fresno, CA USA | 05/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my No. 1 disc of the 1990s -- a title I don't give lightly, and a title that "Duality" has kept almost from the moment I picked it up in its original 1992 release.In a darkened room, perhaps with headphones on, the opening synth-horn fanfare, angelic vocals, and heavy percussion of "Belle Epoque" immediately seize the soul and begin your journey into the depths of your mind where, as "Always" notes, "the universe is unfolding as it should."As In the Nursery's soundtrack plays out, it triggers the greatest hits of your own personal soundtrack, over the typewriter and solemn recitations of "Red Harvest," over the symphonic urgency of "A Valediction" and to the final seconds of "Mecciano" where everything stops and "makes you end where you begun."Alternately serene and intense, but always intricately structured, compelling and multilayered, the music exudes an incredible level of sophistication that transcends the "Industrial" section into which it usually gets lumped. The electronic instrumentation is flawlessly crisp; the multifaceted percussion knows when to be bold and when to be tame; the spoken-word recitals are just enough to trigger emotional responses without demanding specific vision."Duality" is not background music. These are timeless compositions that demand your full attention. In return, you'll get a musical reward the likes of which I have never experienced from any other piece of contemporary music. Even eight years later, "Duality" can still make me ecstatic and make me cry, all within about the same 45 minutes."Duality" was the culmination of a three-disc progression into neoclassical, symphonic and sountrack explorations that began with "L'Esprit" and "Sense." All three are outstanding works, but "Duality" easily stands at the top of the heap and is the one to buy today if you're buying only one."
25 YEARS AND STILL GOT IT !!
Joseph E. Imparato | 01/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"TWO BROTHERS, make such beautiful music,keep it up klive,Nigel.ONE OF THEIR BEST CD. THEY HAVE SO MANY GREAT CDS."