Cisco
Fuori i secondi

Third solo album for Stefano "Cisco" Bellotti (former Modena City Ramblers), who continues his solitary journey, which began with "La lunga notte". "Fuori i secondi" confirms the artist's new musical philosophy. Indeed, we are no longer talking about the Cisco with raised fist who sings of historic revolutions and dances on stage praising the lower classes, but of a more calm, introspective man who poses as a singer-songwriter and looks at the world with the eyes of a sad poet.

An orchestral intro followed by an instant drum solo and a lively mandolin introduce "La dolce vita", which despite its sweet title reveals a negative view of contemporary society, and in the opening lines exposes a thin and painful reference to Fellini's famous film. The song is sung by a tired, resigned, almost depressed Cisco; although the rhythms manage to deliver some bursts of energy, which then turns into a confident dose of adrenaline when a new drum solo introduces "Golfo mistico", a country ride with an ironic and vaguely polemical text. In "Lunatico", the tones become more melancholy. A ballad introduced by a piano solo and a sweet music box, to which violins are added in the second verse. The lyrics speak of a moon hiding from humanity because it's tired of being the eternal witness to an unpleasant world. A text that instills unhappiness, but also some small glimpses of hope when the author reveals he has begun to search to convince the moon to return.

The rhythms take on a folk flavor in "I tempi siamo noi" and "Credo", tracks that portray a Cisco who still believes in progress and the improvement of human society. Phrases like "I tempi siamo noi, inventiamo altri tempi" and "Io credo in quell'uomo qualunque/ che in un giorno qualunque/ prende il libro e si volta pagina" are clear examples of the message conveyed by these songs. The mirages emerging in this part of the album become a moment of absolute serenity in the tale "Una terra di latte e miele", a sweet ballad that begins with an enchanting duet between piano and xylophone. There's also space for a playful moment: "Il gigante" is an irresistible swing piece that praises culture and the infinite meanders of knowledge. "Gente sono un gigante e mi piace mangiare e bere/ Mi piace imparare, leggere e ascoltare/ Se anche fossi stato ancora più gigante/ Non riuscirei a imparare tutto quello che vorrei." We also have two melancholic tributes: "Augusto" (Daolio, former singer of the Nomadi) and "Ligabue" (Antonio, the famous painter). Both pieces convey strong emotions to the listener. In "Dorando", Pietri is mentioned, in the famous episode of the 1908 London marathon, when the athlete was disqualified after crossing the finish line supported by the race officials. A country-flavored song, sung in Modenese dialect. There is also room for "Gagarin", in a praise with soft and experimental tones. The nocturnal atmosphere of the piece plus Bellotti's overshadowed voice really give the idea of what the cosmonaut should have felt when circumnavigating our planet.

The last one is called "Emilia", which from a lyrical point of view seems like a remake of Guccini's famous "Bologna", with the only difference being that, in writing this blaming song, Bellotti simply decided to "widen the boundaries". The music presents a mournful waltz, a nostalgic symbol of a world that no longer exists. The phrase "hai svenduto una storia gloriosa per l'ennesimo centro commerciale" is just one of the many critiques coming from an album that, in more than one place, denounces a modernity increasingly softened, which tends to discredit tradition and culture.

"Di secoli e secoli, di storia non vi è memoria

un piccolo presente li nasconde, la spazzatura incombe

in un paese che ha scordato la bellezza, cosa ci resta?

Un reality per fare successo. Povera patria! Povero me

stesso!"

Federico "Dragonstar" Passarella