Duster
Stratosphere

Everyone wonders what sound infinity might have. Perhaps it's that of a bell, perhaps it's the looming apocalypse with its emissaries, or better yet, it's simply a note, a simple musical drop that gets lost in space. In the atmosphere. In this case, the drop is this band, playing what I would define as Space Rock, or instrumental Post Rock. A rather limiting definition that doesn't fully express the immense artistic potential of these musicians.

It's not easy to describe an emotion, especially those that belong to a particularly intimate sphere, dear only to those who know what a specific reaction is connected to. It is indeed quite difficult to provoke emotions in the listener, who in most cases, risks falling asleep and not appreciating the work. This risk is essentially eliminated by this band, which with a recording that borders on poor (the sound seems very rough) manages to convey much more than what a Major, with its sophisticated recorders, could ever do. The voice of the soul is difficult to awaken, and therefore every time, every moment we manage to awaken it, it's worth it to enjoy it, basking in one's emotions, taking them as human, and clearly not being ashamed of them, as most of this miserable humanity that surrounds us does. A reference to the album title is therefore necessary, which in Italian can be translated as a simple "Stratosfera". The spiritual elevation that listening to this CD causes us is almost like a metaphysical astral journey, where the boundaries of one's self are diminished, and one's vision is particularly enhanced and leads us to analyze with extreme precision a condition often underestimated, that of being human.

I would avoid the Track by Track review, both because of the high number of songs on this CD, namely 17, and because who said that analyzing music means pedantically analyzing every single note of a song? I prefer to highlight what I consider to be the gems of the album. First and foremost, I would mention "Heading for the door", which is track number 2.  Its duration (3:08) is slightly above the average of the CD, but it is undoubtedly its structure that strikes. If the introductory "Moon age" had the task of introducing us and guiding us at the start, this song is instead the very essence of Duster. A song that, in my opinion, is particularly explanatory of their concept of music. As I mentioned earlier, it is not a particularly explosive song, but it is simply a catchy piece yes, but with that extra quid, provided perhaps by the background voice or perhaps by the incisive simplicity of the notes, which leave aside frills to aim at the bare and raw, the essential journey that Stratosphere wants to make us undertake. No less beautiful is "Shadows of Planes", short in duration with an enigmatic and interesting title. To conclude (I've gone on for too long), the Triad of opinions I include would highlight "Reed to Hillsborough", characterized by what I would call the main riff of the entire album.

To conclude the review, I would like to simply express this. A record does not necessarily have to be hard or "soft." It is the essence of the music that counts, and Duster, ethereal and simple, are the type of group that will never be important on a global level, nor will they revolutionize the world of music. But their career will not be useless because giving emotions is the true success.