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Rating:
THE REVIEW
A piece of advice: don't stop at the first listen; it's definitely different from the albums Afterhours have gotten us used to.
This was my first thought as soon as I finished listening to it... and I must admit it took a while to appreciate it as much as I do now; it's a gloomy album, lacking those flashes of bright colors that were scattered here and there in previous works... here it feels like you never catch your breath, it's like breathing stagnant air...
But letting yourself be taken by Manuel's voice, listening to the splendid lyrics that he always manages to produce, and letting go... you realize that in that melancholy you feel good after all, and you almost can’t do without it. A blessing and a curse, I would say.
The title track immediately stands out, and it's the perfect synthesis of the album: it lies between songs with more rock influences like "È la fine la più importante," and decidedly darker tracks like "Carne Fresca" and "Chissa com'è".
However, my preference goes to the album's opener, "La sottile linea bianca": sensual and delicate, it perfectly represents the Afterhours style to me.
The style that Manuel invented and taught us to love.
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Summary by Bot
This review of Afterhours' Ballate Per Piccole Iene highlights the album's melancholic and dark tone, which initially challenges listeners but ultimately rewards with deep emotional resonance. Manuel's voice and lyrics are praised as central elements that help the listener embrace the gloom. Standout tracks like 'La sottile linea bianca' and the title track exemplify the band's evolving style.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Afterhours
Afterhours is an Italian alternative rock band from Milan led by Manuel Agnelli, active since the mid-1980s and widely cited as influential in the Italian indie/alternative scene.52 Reviews
Other reviews
By SouthMan
Everything sounds heavy, the rhythm has further slowed down, becoming obsessive, devoid of real emotions.
Afterhours missed the mark this time.
By enryka
"The album insinuates itself under the skin, reaches the neuralgic points of the body, and then takes root in the soul."
"Even the sun rises only if it’s convenient."
By Giordyboy1
A five-and-a-half-minute ballad with my heart in my throat and goosebumps.
To those who dreamed of being a rock star and instead find themselves reviewing albums in their bedroom, I say... come back when you’ve written something that resembles this, something that bleeds like this.
By ingenuapupattola
I want to memorize every word, every chord, every distortion of this MASTERPIECE.
Don’t let gloom defeat you. Keep it well in mind.
By enkrist1
Ballate per Piccole Iene is a small masterpiece brimming with inventiveness, full of rock insights that would fit well on a tough indie album... certainly not Italian.
They have a strength that strikes, being the only ones in Italy proposing rock worthy of being called by that name.
