Cluster
Cement

Yes, come on, let's talk about the Clusters, but not Moebius and Roedelius, oh no, instead a VOCAL Group that came out of X FACTOR 2008 (HORRIBLEEEEE!)....

So, five guys from Genoa, to be precise two girls, Letizia Poltini (soprano), Liwen Magnatta (alto), and three boys, Erik Bosio (baritone), Luca Moretti (bass), and Nicola Nastos (tenor), music teachers full of a desire to experiment and with a well-deserved appearance at the opening of Umbria Jazz 2008. And excuse me if that’s not much.

What I'm about to review is their first album, "Cement," which, although dated 2006, has yet to make an appearance on DeB, and it is, in my opinion, a shame. Moreover, I understand that their second album has finally been released these days, so well, maybe we'll hear from each other again...

But now let's talk about "Cement" - which shot to the top of iTunes right after the group’s exit from X Factor (and here we go again!), which is an excellent start.

Preamble: "Cement" is a VOCAL ALBUM, so we have 5 voices and 5 microphones at our disposal. Period.

The only original track is "Cement" the title-track - which is beautiful and is my favorite piece. The rest is truly a "cluster," meaning a grouping, a 360-degree musical potpourri rearranged by voices that meld together sublimely.

The Clusters put everything on the line, they are as they are, curious, explorers of sounds and voices, without any barrier; indeed, it takes courage to place "SOS" by Abba (with a phenomenal arrangement) on an album where "Giant Steps" by Coltrane or "Nobody's Wife" by Anouk appears near "Ducktales Theme Song" which is the theme song of the Donald Duck cartoons!

But on the other hand, the group's motto is: IS IT OK?... THEN THROW IT IN THERE!

Leaving aside the controversy over whether someone appears on TV and blah blah blah, and the controversy that in Italy so-called vocal groups are not liked and do not sell and blah blah blah, here we have in front of us a beautiful young, modern, HUMBLE, and very cohesive group with excellent potential that LIVE ROCKS like crazy!

Live, and I've seen them, the Clusters truly offer a show (yes, a show!) that is refined but also (self)ironic and fun. It ranges from Stevie Wonder to TV show themes (at the end), passing through "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen and Depeche Mode... Fantastic!