Agghiastru
Disincantu

The first impression one has with Agghiastru's new album is certainly an aesthetic one.

The title recalls the debut CD Incantu, now Disincantu, and once again the same protagonist in a beautiful vintage photo, this time portrayed in bridal attire... Tormented brides, as those described in this new album, and certainly devoted to the dimension of disenchantment. The second impact comes with the participation of a great Italian musician, Cesare Basile, who, with his guitars in hand, strengthens the sonic arrangement of Agghiastru.

The album contains thirteen songs with multifaceted hues. It transitions from the folk of the opening track "Fuì" to the Latin rhythms of "Idda" or "Saru Mantici", even reaching desert folk rock turns as in "L'Ombra", the epic "Bianco Verginale", "'Ula Arsa". These musical extravagances are explained by Agghiastru himself (which in Sicilian dialect means wild olive) as "wild ramifications" of the project, where the quest for aesthetic freedom demands exploration of these different territories.

The album is decidedly more opulent than in the past. The piano is always prominent, but the rhythmic arrangements of guitars and drums manage to carve out significant spaces. In various reviews I've read, Agghiastru is often compared to musical names like Black Heart Procession, Cave, or Tom Waits. Certainly, there is a significant Sicilian melodramatic vision (Agghiastru sings almost sixty percent in dialect in this album) that tempers the "cursed" vision of the previously mentioned artists, making his poetic excursion on the edge of black humor, or "meriodinal" irony, as in the case of the song "Campari", living with difficulty, far from the well-known and festive aperitif. Nevertheless, the comparison is not misplaced.

The goal is precisely that, music capable of disregarding labels, and in this entirely "indie" and able to laugh at itself even when in these apparent bittersweet visions it seems nothing makes sense anymore... Vinicio Capossela comes to mind in some respects, another talented anarchist. Another aspect I find interesting is the writing style, which at times may seem dark, tragic, misogynistic, but reveals an unease that is quite natural and common, though with an irreverent poetic tone and never mere ostentation.

After all, if one knows everything that Agghiastru has done with his Inchiuvatu, this personal experience of his becomes more than understandable, borderless exploration... and indeed his favorite space seems to be the desert and the emptiness that fills it.  Sicilian desert folk rock.