Dolcenera
Evoluzione della specie

Tuesday, February 14, 2012. Valentine's Day? Maybe, but we don't care. First evening of the Sanremo Festival, yet another one. This time of year, I often think I don't listen to enough Italian music, then I watch Sanremo and realize it's not my fault... This year, however, was different. The first to sing is Dolcenera herself: I still had Com'è straordinaria la vita in mind and thought that once again she would offer us a song in that style, sugary and pseudo-philosophical, but no less beautiful for that. And instead, no, she surprised me, presenting Ci vediamo a casa (which is included in the reissue of the album), a midtempo dominated by strings. The chorus sticks in your head for weeks. I decided: I have to listen to the album.

"Evoluzione della Specie" presents itself as an album that totally diverges from the author's previous works, abandoning Italian songwriting to broaden the horizons towards a more European sound, with a style very reminiscent of the Phoenix. Dolcenera has completely changed her way of writing songs: whereas she used to sit at the piano and write, for this album she wrote her songs starting from drum loops. What strikes you when listening to the album are the masterful arrangements of each song, meticulously detailed in every aspect, giving the songs strong rock and electronic nuances, to the point where pop, with its versatility, completely merges with these two genres creating something truly interesting. The characteristic feature of each arrangement on the album is the "crescendo": if at the beginning of the song the music is rather sparse, new instruments gradually come in to reach a peak in the last refrain, where all the instruments explode for a few seconds, only to return to "normality." The peak of this crescendo is something perfect, sublime: synthesizers, processed guitars, and drum loops create a perfect harmony among themselves, culminating in a perfect explosion of sounds that corresponds to a vocal explosion, during which Dolcenera uses her formidable voice. From a musical standpoint, the album is superb.

Another strong point is the choruses, which are incredibly powerful and catchy at the same time: the songs on the album are entirely based on choruses, which are therefore well-crafted and appear as the central parts of the tracks, even from a lyrical standpoint. Each song is perfect for being a potential single.

A sore point, indeed THE sore point of the album, is the lyrics, which appear completely lacking in syntax: the verses are almost always made up of standalone sentences not connected to each other, making it difficult to comprehend the entire song. Very often the subjects are not expressed, which doesn't help in understanding the lyrics. The choruses, as mentioned before, are the only "sensible" parts of the songs, thus bearing the entire meaning of the song, however cryptic and indecipherable. This weakness of the album can also be seen as a strength, as it allows everyone to interpret the songs as they wish. For example, in the song A un passo dalla felicità the chorus goes: Ah, when it arrives it will be your dreams. But who? Love, a child, the new vacuum cleaner? Any interpretation is possible, which makes the songs "customizable."

The last consideration I want to make before moving on to the track-by-track analysis is that the album is very feminist: in several songs, this pink side emerges, which values women (Dagli occhi di una donna) and demeans men (Evoluzione della specie "Uomo").

The first track coincides with the first single, Il sole di domenica, which presents a somewhat rock aspect: the first part of the first verse is electric guitar/vocals, to which the bass is added; then the track slips into distinctly electronic atmospheres, and the electric guitar loses its rock aspect to assume a rhythmic one, especially in the chorus, dominated by synthesizers and sound effects. Dolcenera's voice in this track is very determined, giving an air of challenge towards a man whose plans didn't go as he wanted... at least as I interpret it.

Evoluzione della specie "Uomo", a wild song that, I must confess, embarrasses me as a male: Dolcenera describes men with the phrase "zero one zero one gives it to me gives it to me": binary code, the simplest, and the constant thought of sex. Wow! The singer's voice goes wild, exhibiting its full range, especially in the last part. Overall, it's a very liberating rock track, featuring an invective against melodic singers (the word love used as cortisone by lovesick singers).

The third track is Viva, a decidedly pop track in the verses, but rock in the chorus. In the verses, an effect-treated piano arpeggio dominates, while the guitars dominate the choruses. In this track, the "crescendo" effect I described earlier is particularly evident: in the last chorus, an orchestra of synthesizers and guitars creates a perfect harmony. Sublime. The singer's voice in this song is particularly gritty.

The fourth track, and second single, is L'amore è un gioco, with one of the most powerful choruses ever: a melancholic love song that speaks of distance ("I'd do anything to reach you") and remorse, of words never spoken. It turns out to be a beautiful description of love, "a game of alchemies that doesn't give weight to lies." From a musical perspective, the drums open the track and take center stage. Musically, the piano in the chorus and the synthesizer solo in the special are beautiful.

Nel regime delle belle apparenze is the fifth track, a pop-rock track, that puts you in a decidedly good mood. Musically there's nothing specific to highlight, but I find the lyrics very interesting. "In the regime of beautiful appearances, you shine like a diamond in the mud" is a very significant compliment to make to a person: telling them they are different, they stand out, shine among all the people who only care about their outward appearance, wanting only to appear and not to be.

A un passo dalla felicità is the sixth track, opening with piano played percussively. The track is pop-rock, and it also puts you in a good mood, perhaps also thanks to the naivety of the song itself: it feels like it's being sung by a child faced with an indescribable feeling because it's too big ("Oh mama mama, is it worth suffering?). The effected guitars in the last part are truly suggestive. As for the meaning, I've already mentioned it before...

The following tracks are Nel cuore e nella mente, a very intimate song that opens with a bed of organs; Il tempo di pretendere, a pop-rock track that opens with an interesting piano arpeggio that dominates the song; La preghiera di Virginia, in my opinion, the worst track on the album; I colori dell'arcobaleno, a pop track with an ever-echoing acoustic guitar and a very melancholic chorus. I don't talk much about these songs because they don't present particular innovations or continue the style of the first six.

The last track is Dagli occhi di una donna, an acoustic piece dedicated to all women: acoustic guitars accompany Dolcenera's voice singing this poem as a hymn to women. And with applause, the album concludes.

Wow, I wrote a lot! Evidently, there was a lot to say...

In conclusion, the album "Evoluzione della specie" is a predominantly pop album, which, however, merges in some songs with rock, in others with electronics. Dolcenera doesn't change the theme, which almost always remains love, but completely changes her approach towards music, leading to the creation of songs totally new to her style. The strengths are the wonderful arrangements and powerful choruses, the main weakness is the difficulty in understanding the lyrics.

Recommended to all skeptics (like me...) 4/5