Hardrock92

I don’t really like this album either. However, your argument, korrea, is wrong in my opinion. First of all, how old are you? I ask because yours might just be a problem of not being able to recognize yourself in what he sings and, as a consequence, only noticing the negative aspects of the project. Which do exist, it’s all true: it’s repetitive, and if you’re not looking at the track number on the stereo, you might think a song hasn’t ended and is still going on; he sings in a rather monotone way, at times exhausting. However, and maybe this is a personal issue, I have never seen anyone write lyrics like this; that "we" that you don’t like, I find absolutely perfect and representative. I believe he is the only singer-songwriter truly representing our generation; otherwise, who else is there? Dente? Moltheni? Benvegnù? I mean, come on… I agree with you about this album, it’s not the best, but "canzoni da spiaggia deturpata" is a masterpiece for me :D

I heard I'm wide awake, it's morning, really a great album, then I also tried lifted, which seemed to me much crazier, low fi and less conventional, I could really like that one too, but it needs to be explored (more). I know he has already dabbled in electronic music, you intrigue me, because I just can't picture him transitioning from folk to electro :D I'll listen.

Well, stoney, I really don't think that the "typical" metalhead (the one with long hair, studs, a Metallica or Iron Maiden shirt for reference) would go listen to an album like this (which I haven't heard, but based on the genres, I've more or less understood how it should sound); it would already be too detailed for them. Frankly, I don’t even believe that the average metalhead knows if a certain passage is jazz or something else and especially wouldn’t even notice if something is original or not. They wouldn't give a damn, also because originality is not what they are looking for in music. It makes no sense to talk about a metalhead in relation to this album (not the kind of metalhead that, I believe, you mean).

“Because in my opinion, either there’s an artistic need that compels you to use such different musical genres, or, as I believe, they just sit there and say, ‘let’s see what happens if we start with a funky piece and end up in black metal,’ just for the sake of it.” This argument is debatable, but I think that a large part of musical experimentation has stemmed from that ‘just for the sake of it’ approach, and ultimately it has brought about novelties. Just take Mr. Bungle (I’m not particularly crazy about them), who I believe are one of the best examples of musical eclecticism. It’s indeed a difficult topic, but I find there’s a difference between “if we mix this and this and that, let’s see what comes out” and “now let’s make a piece that’s prog + metal + jazz + classical + punk + Celtic + whatever you want, just to show we can play everything.” It all boils down to the same old cliché: the musician should play to please themselves, not the audience. The two things could also be pleasantly connected, eh. :D

I vote another day as one of the most fake songs ever...

A huge book, among my favorites.

I absolutely agree with azzo, I’m not crazy about Verdena at all and I’ve explained that in the other two reviews too. I’ve listened to this album twice, and well, it grabs me; I still need to dive into it and I really think I will... anyway, it honestly bothers me to see a band that has worked really hard on a double album, that has put in intense effort (and you can feel it), be told "the album is boring, if you had left 11 tracks it would have been better." Come on, it’s not like they included two discs just to round things off, that’s just the structure of the album. So, if you listen to it, you listen to it like this, in its entirety; otherwise, it’s better to skip it. I was irritated by what you said about Sandinista, which is one of my favorite albums and doesn’t have a single track that isn’t essential, not even one.

"Because, let's be honest, 'Sandinista!' may be a pivotal moment, but - honestly - it's an exaggerated drag, a heavy-handed affair, something that seems never-ending, frustrating compared to past experiences that were clearly more punk."

Let's say it's an experimentation limited to the "verdena" voice, not something total. Darkeve, strangely enough, I'm listening to it now, but I don't mind it; at times it feels a bit too pretentious and perhaps that's a good thing, since if they hadn't aimed high, they wouldn't have made a double album, and a lot of other bands wouldn't have become what they've become. I really appreciate the way the vocals are recorded, both because it gives more space to the instruments and because at least you can't really hear what is being said, so you avoid paying attention to the lyrics :D

Then I'll download this now, I'm curious to listen to it. Really.