Andrea Chimenti
Vietato morire

Metamorphosis.
This seems to be the keyword that has always marked Andrea Chimenti's career. A rich career, indeed, full of twists and characterized by a constant questioning of himself which over the years has led him from being a musical "case" of the early '80s (with a subsequent courtship by producers) to an icon of the Italian independent music scene twenty-five years later. The three groups that dominated the dark-new wave scene in the first half of the '80s were all from Florence: Litfiba, Diaframma, and Moda. Andrea Chimenti was the singer of the latter band, and his vocation as a person resistant to the trends of the moment and the allure of vile money led him to choose a solo career that would prove anything but "courageous," yet one that would see absolutely unforgettable peaks of quality, such as the duet with David Sylvian for the track "Ti ho aspettato (I have waited for you)".

"Vietato morire" now represents the seventh solo chapter of this singer of bygone times, so loved by his niche of loyal listeners and yet almost disdainfully ignored by the majors and the public.
After all, for those not inclined to dreams and without even a minimal familiarity with the musical staff, this work might prove too "challenging" due to the minimalism that breathes throughout its duration and the pauses in which it almost seems like the author wishes to allow the listener ample moments to feel how their own breath perfectly marries with the notes diffused like incense on a completely windless night.
A record that essentially talks about love, but in which it is not a teenager with plenty of gel in his hair talking about leopard-print thongs and gasolina, but rather a discreet gentleman almost middle-aged who seems to have truly seen all manner of things in his life, describing the disillusionment and living for the day typical - mind you - not of the defeated but of those who from day one chose to walk all their life on their own feet and who at 45 can say they owe thanks to no one.

A record also born in circumstances that have nothing to do with third millennium recording methods. Andrea Chimenti and his faithful companions Massimo Fantoni and Matteo Buzzanca chose a farmhouse away from civilization, in the midst of the province of Siena, and spent two months in genuine "cloister" during which the twelve tracks that compose "Vietato morire" were born. They received in turns the visits of musicians who collaborated on the creation of these tracks, one of them being Steve Jansen, former drummer of Japan and David Sylvian's blood brother; not to mention the performances of Gianni Maroccolo on bass and an ethereal Patrizia Laquidara.
Once the location was chosen, all the acoustic advantages that this farmhouse involuntarily offered were also exploited (a piano, for example, was placed in the middle of a staircase). It was almost inevitable that all the work would be surrounded by a magical aura that consistently exudes during listening.
To make this record even more distant from the charts (given the quality of what is heard around, this is increasingly a merit) is the choice of atypical instruments for today's Italian music (double bass, vibraphone, tabla, reeds, horn), which, on the contrary, make it even more unique.
Not much more to add, therefore. Simply a record that cannot be missing in the playlist of those who never believed that dreams are meant to remain such.
Minutes of music in which to lose oneself so as not to get lost.

Best track: Oceano.