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Twenty-five years have passed; half of my life.
It was April of 1993 and I saw Cell in concert at the "Temple of nineties alternative music" which, for me, was the Bloom of Mezzago.
I bought the EP in question from the hands of leader Jerry DiRienzo himself; he was kind enough to put his autograph inside the booklet. The signature is faded by time, but you can still, with some difficulty, read it.
Cell was one of those great meteors that emerged from the endless cauldron of the early nineties; hailing from New York.
Only two albums published; a few scattered EPs and singles.
Their inclusion in the foggy Seattle scene, with many doubts on my part, but they were much closer to sounds belonging to the Big Apple.
Like Sonic Youth, for the screeching of the two guitars, they forcefully head towards the Television of Mr. Tom Verlaine (thanks in particular to a series of "ascending" solos that abound in the four songs present in this short work).
And it is one of those very rare cases where I always start listening from the last track: a noisy, torrential, explosive cover of "Free Money" by Patti Smith. With Jerry's voice so gritty and pained that it closely resembles that of Guy Kyser of the unforgettable Thin White Rope; a crescendo, a continuous ascent; a "armed" push of all instruments. An extraordinary ride to savor at disturbing volume.
And the three songs written by the band are certainly not any less impressive, where the six-string arrangements remain protagonists; and so they dive headlong into the frenetic execution of "So Cool," where the points of reference lean towards that very inspired Power-Pop which links them to the final works of a trio that in the eighties laid the foundations for all Alternative and Indie Rock. Bob, Grant, and Greg were their names, and they came from Minneapolis.
But how many great names I have mentioned!!
Because Cell was a great band; lasting just five years. It's a pity...CHINA LATINA...
If I haven't been convincing up to this point, listen to the finale of the title track: you will finally agree with me, I am certain.
Ad Maiora.
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