Fans of Nick Cave or Antony and the Johnsons, a friend just turned me on to someone similar.

[Forkboy]

This is a great, melancholy CD. Once again, my friend comes through with another great and unexpected surprise.

Rome - Secret Sons of Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUv3njJ3nvI

Rome - Odessa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiyJMM9KH_k

Rome. Flowers From Exile . 2009. 5 stars .

Grave, resolute and romantic, the sounds of Rome travel down to the battlefields of the heart. The deep, bellowing vocals of Jerome Reuter are the centerpiece of this brooding neofolk album, as they hang over lush acoustic guitars and scattered samples of European poetry and martial speeches. The lyrics are exquisite, evoking the lonesome spirit of the soldier, or the dreaming revolutionary, longing for distant memories of love or some stern vision of the cause.

Sounding like a cross between Tom Waits and Tenhi, Rome blend a stark, war-time atmosphere with beautiful folk instrumentation. Strings, piano, choral lines and flamenco guitars weave their way across the face of this album, painting faded pictures of the Occident. “Accidents of Gesture” is slow-boiling and suspenseful, as Reuter’s baritone leads in foreboding percussion and soft drones. “Odessa” is love-lorn, centered on minimal finger-picking and elating vocal harmonies. “Secret Sons of Europe” features galloping Spanish guitar lines. “Legacy of Unrest” speaks of being torn between two sides, over subtle piano arrangements that glide across refrains of “it feels like spring again”.

Both intensely emotional and melodically stunning, Rome shines a light on the daring complexity and ambition of the neofolk genre. The songs here are much more than exercises in nostalgia; they are memorable and highly detailed pieces of art that slowly reveal themselves over time. The colors here are sepia-toned and warm, like the sands of Italy, Spain and Northern Africa, the sun-scorched burial grounds of distant conflicts. The sounds here are not isolated in history however, as Reuter’s powerful delivery recalls many doomed struggles, the faltering campaigns of the human spirit. One of the year’s best.

http://www.therockblogger.com/rome-flowers-from-exile-review/

[jonnyblitz]

1. Antony does an interesting version of Dylans " Knocking on

Heavens Door". I'm surprised to see him/her (not sure how antony gender identifies) mentioned here at DU. I like Nicke Cave as well so I will check Rome later today, I need to crash like NOW.

[superduperfarleft]

2. Surprised as well. Antony is probably one of my favorite artists recently.

(As far as I know, he still identifies as male.)

I'll check out the Dylan cover. Here's his cover of Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDlMdu2gjw

He has a new album coming out this year, I can't wait.

I just got Rome's album, haven't listened to it yet. Maybe I'll pull that out today.