QUE PIENSAN DE ESTE DISCO
PRESS - UNITED KINGDOM
AMERICANA UK
Italian band make an excellent stab at Califone style deconstructed country blues. There are bands that can lock themselves into tight motorik grooves with nothing extraneous creeping in - the rhythm is everything - and then there are bands like this one, whose grooves are as loose as a mercenary's morals. All sorts of things creep in; ambient noises (this was recorded in a barn) splashes of cymbal that are just off the beat, little bits of tune left over from a rusted old song laying unused in the corner. These Italians share a common ground with Califone in their appropriation of any musical form in pursuit of their vision. For instance, in contrast to much of the post-folk meanderings of most of the record, the final track 'You Told Me' borrows as much from post-rockers such as Rodan, the Shipping News and yes, Slint, with its bass riff; sparse echoey drums and little fills of guitar, it is as muscular as they get. The atmosphere conjured up is definitely one with menace - the guitar fills on 'Question' serve to bring tension and clear the way for the careworn vocals. After this the song is built from seemingly disparate elements and has an improvisational quality that keeps you listening to see where it is going next. The title track features bird song and drones but it's very different to the Animal Collective, the electronic high screeches giving way to a warm bass line that throbs intermittently, building a pulse into the corpse that is constructed from pastoral folk and free jazz - a charming Frankenstein wearing a skinny tie a beard and clutching a Coltrane, actually probably one by John ('Ascension'?) and one of Alice's astral recordings ('Ptah, the El Daoud'?) CD in its hands. 'He' builds slowly in a narrative way swelling to a Wicker Man climax of pagan folk, while 'You Told Me' reveals a quieter side more akin to Loftus or Pullman, the strings plucked and chiming like a roomful of clocks that occasionally synchronise themselves. The difference though is the use of vocals that defiantly try to save face. There are field recordings that add to the atmosphere as the creaks and squeaks sound as though the clocks care being tightly wound to mark the passing of feelings. The finale combines the rhythmic pulse of post-rock guitars, field recordings and the folky sounds of mandolin and guitar. Despite the primitive recording and the demo quality, this is brimful of promise.
Reviewer: David Cowling
Reviewers Rating: 7 out of 10
Album: All My Senses Are Senseless Today
Label: Zahr records
Released: 2004
