Right from the outset, this band's sound has a lyrical and endearing approach that poses a singularly emotive response from the listener. A great deal of lyricism is evident as soon as contact with this lovely piece of work is made. The depth of feeling from the guitarwork alone is deep in the sense that it harkens hazy images of the sensation I get from one of my periodic Franco Falsini fixes. I can see going on a jag for this band in the same way that those past masters push all my favorite little buttons. I am very glad to have been provided a promo copy of something that might have slipped my radar otherwise.
There is much more at play here on different levels (the supporting cast is exactly on point and ready to shoot free throws). At this juncture, nearing the end of the second song, I still feel the need to rave on a little further about the guitarist, Antonio Severi. Don't laugh, but the lines spewing out of his guitar speak to me beyond smalltalk with a beautiful yet vapid woman at a cocktail party. Silky threads of notes weave a cocoon around my head that feels soft like rayon yet has a sheen like a polyester/nylon blend. This is the kind of playing that makes some reach for the vaseline or at least some lotion to smooth out the motion of playing their air guitar to this. If these hands weren't already slippery from my sweaty palms, I'd be making that reach too, hopefully the growing tufts of hair won't absorb the slickness or ruin my makeup. The playing is hot like a tall transvestite who really isn't one..
Six and a half minutes into the second song, 'Rosso Di Luna' we are treated to an ethnic percussion Steve Tibbets flavored feast spiced up on an electronic opus inflected platter replete with digeridoo doing the 23 skidoo on your frontal lobe. This short section alone would be an entire song for another band. It is nice to see a fresh new band tackle the complexities of building tunes that morph and shift gears this boldly. It works, it works very well.
Taking it back to the beginning for a moment, I can relate to you that this album begins in a space excursion type of exploration akin to a slow motion landing in the “Land of the Lost.” It is not until 2 minutes that a heavily syncopated RIO-ish groove breaks out all over your face like a berserker sleestack keeping the pace. Elements ranging from a xylophone-esque percussive attacks to the fury and creativity elicited from a half-speed Chris Cutler on a regular drumkit provides ample propulsion jettisoning ticka-takka emulsion. Affected keyboard swells mingle in well with a variety of disparate electronic sounds - from the chirping of bionic birds to humming crickets and tingling chimes interspersed throughout.
It is not until almost 6 minutes into the track that English vocals are presented which have the effect of a stream of consciousness radio broadcast over a fine backbeat. The subject matter of this first alluring chant is based on, and I paraphrase: "people visualizing and projecting their own future in a positive way." Frankly, subject matter aside, it would not be out of place on This Heat's "Deceit," Dreamies' "Auralgraphic Entertainment" or perhaps even a Skeleton Crew outtake. Less than a minute is all that they take to lay out this sublime message of lucidity on this fabulous musical trip taking a dip in the pool of cosmic consciousness.
This opening track closes with what sounds like a sasquatch trouncing through crunchy snow as heard via a tiny stethoscope right after everything slows down just before it. 'Onda Beta' is as good of an introduction to the rest as any 70's progressive classic. This band is quite melodic, but yet still exploring the outer boundaries of shifting polyrhythms on a regular basis.
The third track is a climbing staircase of a monster. It is hard to describe what is going on with the variety of instruments being deployed here, suffice it to say that by the time 'Bahnhofstrasse' rolls around we do not want to come back from vacation and go to work. To give you an idea of the palette afforded to this group, I shall list the instruments this killer trio employs: Antonio Severi: acoustic, electric and midi guitars, real & virtual keyboards, electronic hand percussions; Alessandro Vittorio: electric bass, keyboards, theremin (trk .1), digeridoo (trk. 2), tibetan bells (trk 3); Cristina Atzori: acoustic and electric drums and percussion.
'Xetrov 5' follows and has their second fragment of intelligible speech covering the ground of "the power of the word works innocently and always tries to be round," is spit out in much the same way as the above before a chunky and lumpy overdrive is set into motion. It's hard to keep up with the electronic warbles greasily spilled out over high-speed guitar runs, pitter-pattering drums This is the kind of melange of sound that could just as easily have you bopping your head or losing your sh*t while peaking on the psychedelic trip of your choice. Did I happen to mention that unintelligible backwards whispers
in Italian poke out here and there? Three-quarters of the way into it, that takes over and this track hovers in the air like so many northern lights before fading out.
Kicking in like a dirge on keyboards, 'L'Uomo Nuvola' begins taking us in a No Wave Rock in Opposition mode that makes it hard for you to control the liquid spasms being elicited from your body. When I hear this track, I really have no idea what to do with myself. This is really cool and goes through more changes than Michael Jackson at the plastic surgeon. Sorry, I won't get into it.. or any of the other cuts for that matter. Get this and you will not be disappointed, only if you are interested in complex music that tastes like wine at times and goes well with the chicken, that is. By the way, 'Salamandra' & 'La Soffita Volante' shred, hard. Their self-penned tag of “Psychophonic Oblique Rock” is right on the $, sound as a pound baby! Give me a few fat hits of what StereoKimono is wearing, I can dig it.
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