Edda
Odio i vivi

As they say: the world is beautiful because it's spoiled.

October 2011: I find myself at the presentation of the album of a guy who, in the meantime, is doing well. Among the attendees, I spot Edda Rampoldi. With him is his collaborator Walter Somà. They briefly approach Gionata Mirai of Teatro degli Orrori, who is there as a special guest of the aforementioned guy. The three exchange iPods, saying to each other "listen to how we did it" (I imagine they were referring to "Gionata").

The rest is today: "Odio i Vivi," the second solo album from the former Ritmo Tribale member. And it is a spoiled album, disturbing, disorienting, in one word, beautiful. Starting with the visceral, non-vulgar cover, the sequel to Semper Biot is a non-sexy, non-appealing album, anything but vulgar. "Odio i vivi" is a spit lasting 39 minutes. It hits from a distance even those who might struggle to get into the threads of an album that is a knife twisting its blade deep. Each track advances making noise, tearing, ripping deep down. And it hurts quite a bit. From the orchestral, romantic opening of "Emma," to the skin-breaking tear of "Anna" following the forbidden love of "Marika" and ending in the sweetest and bitterest surrender ever of "Tania".

Love turns to shit after two weeks: this is the essence of an album that Edda, together with Taketo Gohara in production, recorded for himself. A catharsis. With many women's voices around. Perhaps a dedication. Like a true artist who has something real moving inside and tries to explain it with words and his guitar. Like a gut confession, not always clear in intentions. However, here there's art in abundance, there's a man nearing fifty who doesn't care if you don't understand and who hates the living because he has his reasons. Edda says things of uncomfortable love poetry. He does it with that immense, volcanic voice of his. Gohara, meanwhile, builds him a rich but not at all complacent sound system, still very Italian (listen to the orchestrations of Tania).

And the rest is you. Because never more than in this case, the album relies on the empathetic force it generates in the listener. As if to say: if you don't understand it, it’s only your problem. Because "Odio i Vivi" is an album with such big balls. And Edda you either love, or you don't love.