Appino
Grande raccordo animale

"Grande raccordo animale," the second solo album by Appino.
Sounds very far from "Il testamento" and especially from the folk-punk sound of Zen Circus; the key role in this is to be found in Paolo Baldini, a producer specializing in dub sounds and the author of the reggae touch in the last two albums of Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti.
Returning to Appino, the album is very different also in its main themes, the war with the world, the cynical criticism and the derisive gnegne seem to be behind him, now it seems that another change has come, more introspective, as if wanting to shift the magnifying glass from "you/us/them" to "me" and the Pisan singer-songwriter does so with his typical disillusionment and bittersweet words, an example is "Rockstar":

"Dear bartender

I was once famous too

I had a band

I ate out every blessed day

and a girl that... people turned to look at her

I remember very little

I don't know how to pay for this beer"

However, the piece that in my opinion sums up the present Appino is the closing one, "Tropico del cancro":

"Ufo taught me this thing here

Never ever be found

Where everyone wants to expect you

But if you don’t find me

Who will come to my concerts?

Go to work, someone will say!

And what else could I say

If not to tell you all to go to hell

But I've done it already, and thank goodness

That maybe I can pay my mortgage with it"

"Ulisse" instead is the start-track and picks up one of the themes that will then be repeated throughout the rest of the about 40 minutes, that is, the journey not only physical but above all metaphorical in this case; nothing remains still and everything changes, and this also applies to oneself. The most peculiar song is "La volpe e l’elefante" even chosen as a single but interesting only for its almost funk traits, a nuance found only in this song.

Now enough with the usual schematized and boring review, when I first heard this album I thought that Ligabue had released a surprise Cd but making the usual rehashed and rehashed and rehashed songs... or that Appino had lost his mind making very banal and predictable pop songs, so it took me a while to try again listening to it with interest, and in the end, I'm not crazy about it.
It's not the album of a lifetime, it's just pseudo-pop with a touch of reggae-dub as needed.