Sofista

The point of no return for Alice's career and for Layne Staley's life, a singer consumed by drug abuse and consciously destined to be a hopeless victim of it. Dark, tormented, and painful like never before, this self-titled album from 1995 presents itself where every note and every lyric leaves no glimmers of hope, but appears as omens of death. An album that I love to madness and alas, I still can’t bear the all too premature end of good Layne, always and forever my favorite.
"You're right as rain/ but you're all to blame/ agreed my crime's the same/ my sins I'll claim/ give you back shed pain/ go find a place for own shame"

These young lads are still immature, paradoxically because they are too "inspired" by the old Led. "From The Fires" is still a pleasant EP; it doesn't scream miracle, but it is definitely enjoyable and pairs well with my little car trips. Everything else is just chatter.. "Everyone knows that's there's talking on the streets."

Words are not enough to define this album, which embodies not only an important chapter in the music scene of the '90s but also, and above all, an attempt at rebirth for us, determined to close that 'crazy season' marked by drug abuse. A descent into the abyss that offers no escape, told with bitter awareness through the voice and words of Layne Staley, accompanied on this journey by the wonderful Mike McCready, John Baker Saunders, and Barrett Martin. An essential listen; just uttering 'Long gone day' sends chills down my spine.

A masterful album that tiptoes into each song before exploding; "the calm before the storm" is perhaps the expression that best represents "Origin of Symmetry," in my humble opinion, the best work of Muse. Inspired, refined, a classy piece that at the same time roars with its guitar bursts and Bellamy's excellent vocal performance. One of the must-haves in the collection among post-2000 albums. My favorites are Bliss and Citizen Erased, capable of both cradling and overwhelming you. SUBLIME

The early Verve played as if they were from another dimension. Rarefied atmospheres, almost underwater and dreamlike. McCabe's guitar weaves melodies from the depths of the ocean, and Ashcroft's voice, submerged by his companion's guitar textures and distant echoes, guides us through this hallucinatory trip that is 'A Storm in Heaven.'

The Verve in their early days. The furthest thing one can imagine from the acclaimed Bittersweet Symphony and, together with 'A Storm in Heaven', the peak of the Wigan band's musical career. An exuberant McCabe, weaving guitar melodies that are sometimes delicate and sometimes roaring; hallucinatory lyrics, sung by Ashcroft's dreamlike voice. Each song is a gem of rare beauty and genius.