Firma – Descantece vol. II

I am so glad to see Firma back on track! After a rather long break, that many people thought was the end of this band, they came back in force with Descantece vol. I and I couldn’t be happier to know that it wasn’t a one time event and that they seem decided to regularly put out albums once more. So Descantece vol. II is out and it’s pretty much the same Firma we know and love and of course that makes me one over-excited fangirl.

Inimile sunt lumini is an infectious track, in the vein of Baby is crying and Houston we have a problem. It’s the more joyful part of Firma, but despite of the lighter sound, the lyrics carry a lot of weight, dealing with the all too present and delicate subjects of terrorism and religious tolerance.

Spre orizont is even more rhythmic, but lacks the depth that the previous song brings. The lyrics aren’t very inspired, especially when it comes to silly cliches like “there’s only a little until we get far”, and I can’t stand the “hey-ho” that’s constantly repeated during the chorus. Not their most laudable effort.

Thankfully, Tot ce va fi is there to counterbalance everything that’s wrong with Spre orizont. It’s such a touching song, a little more settled and marked by that specific dreamy melancholy of theirs. I particularly like the lyrics, they’re a beautiful and poetic love declaration. I also love the meaning, the idea of predestined love, the cyclicity of knowing her when he was still earth and loving her when he will be earth, the profoundness hidden beneath the simplicity of the lyrics... and when they’re sung by Rocca’s charismatic voice, they’re even more beautiful.

With Fiul ratacitor they move further on the path of slow and powerful songs, with long and settled notes, reminiscent of their older tracks and especially of Crede in ei. Again the lyrics are lovely, I’m not sure if it’s because this is my language we’re talking about or if it’s an objective appreciation, but there is such a charm in those uncomplicated, yet poetic lyrics, that “r” that rolls on the tongue... English is a great language for poetry and music because of how nicely it flows, but every time I hear good lyrics in Romanian, I’m fascinated by their sonority and cadence.

As an absorbing grave interlude that leaves me wanting more, Respira, is a good representative of the album, which also leaves me sadly wondering “that’s it??”.

Unfortunately, the great flow of the previous tracks is broken with Vaduva neagra, which I guess is supposed to be in tune with the album title of “invocations” and starts off in an interesting way, but then goes into the “pretty girl, please don’t forgive me” plea that doesn’t really fit the previous part thematically, nor musically. It’s a track that keeps oscillating between interesting and corny and please, for the love of good music, stop using echoisms in your tracks, that’s something that poor artists do when they run out of lyrics or syllables to use. You’re not a poor artist, you’re one of the best rock bands in Romania, respect yourselves!

And respect themselves they do, as the last two track are a worthy closing for their album. K de obicei speaks of a relation with a woman he wants and despises and is attracted to and disappointed in.... It has a tribal trance-like vibe corresponding to the love-hate part and a more straightforward ending that marks the moment the two lovers throw down their masks and realise they’re actually strangers now. It’s intriguing both sonorically and story-wise and I love it.

But the best part is yet to come. Doar nebunii iubesc is just gorgeous, it’s more serious and a bit heavier than the rest of the album, it’s full of melancholy and the vocals make my heart twitch. I love the minor harmonies, the vocalising during the bridge, the myriad of emotions it stirs up... it’s everything I love this band for and more. In its musical simplicity there is so much emotional weight and it’s beautiful.

The final notes are an invocation, Descantecul lumii, that brings together Brahms’ piano and contemporary electronic music, with a very interesting result. I’ve always been a fan of these combinations between classical and modern and this one is tastefully done.

Aaand it’s over. Such a short album, after such a long wait! I suppose it’s better to leave the fans wanting for more instead of drawling it out when they lack ideas, but I really wouldn’t mind more.... I have such a deep love for this band. Maybe to others it’s not such an impressive project, they do follow a classical verse-chorus structure, they don’t have orchestras or insane vocals or anything like that, but they have a certain something that I’m completely fascinated with. Rocca’s voice is just amazing, it has a special colour and it has warmth and sensuality and it oints my heart. And they stir up such a weird mix of emotions, I have never been able to put my finger on it and describe it properly. And it’s not just that words don’t do justice to the state they evoke, it’s simply that I can’t figure out what state that is. It’s something that rarely happens to me, to not be able to figure out how I feel, but this is what Firma does to me. All I can say it’s a good feeling, a good band, a good album.