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Rating: Do not get distracted. This is the command imposed by Amor Fou in their third album 100 Giorni Da Oggi. It is a warning repeated in the inner booklet of the CD where you will not find any lyrics, but just a few sentences extracted from the songs. A way like any other to say "could you please listen to the lyrics?" Those who love to find things ready-made will have to make peace with this, as Raina (formerly of Giardini Di Mirò) has his own way of writing: articulated, full of culture, unconventional, and sometimes coarse (he is part of that school of authors led by Bianconi of Baustelle). Everything is supported by a driving, beautiful, and steady bass drum, with a sound more intent on looking beyond borders. And under the blows of this electropop, which strongly feels like an '80s revival, no one can consider themselves immune: from the corrupt and cocaine-addicted crowd where even the dental hygienist does not have such a clean mouth (make of it what you will), to those who deliberately take their dog to pee in front of the police headquarters or those who are happy only when stripped of their clothes. But this is just a rather reductive slice of the themes that Raina and company address within the album because in 100 Giorni Da Oggi there is also room for contraceptives, anorexia, photoshop, Thyssenkrupp, and temporary workers.
The influences are countless, and depending on one's musical culture, one could find various artists within this endless Milanese melting pot. The ones that stand out are undoubtedly, as mentioned earlier, Bianconi/Baustelle ("Goodbye Lenin", the chorus also has something of Ricchi E Poveri), the eternal Battiato ("Ali"), Max Gazzè ("Una Vita Violenta") and Le Vibrazioni ("Tigri"), but if we want to go beyond the Italian scene, there's a lot from Arcade Fire ("Gli Zombie Nel Video Di Thriller", "I 400 Colpi"). All in an album that on the first listen might even seem pretentious and arrogant, but manages to unleash its essence only listen after listen.
I hope that Amor Fou is not something ephemeral and fleeting: for me, it is a yes.
Tracklist
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Other reviews
By zaireeka
It’s simply full of beautiful songs, like that.
In short, these Amor Fou are good.
By alia76
"100GDO is certainly an album that tends to disorient by moving (too?) broadly across musical styles, sounds, and quite elaborate writing levels."
"You'll surely find your piece. This, in conclusion, is the secret of a highly successful pop album."
By Taurus
Gone are the singer-songwriter approach and sometimes melancholic atmospheres... presenting them in 2012 as more electronic, more danceable.
You can have fun with a basic and accessible album, if it’s made with the mind and not with a wallet in hand.
