Purpulan

No, the discourse is not applicable only to Joy Division... but this is one of those records (there are others, and not even that few) that either you like unconditionally or you just can’t digest (and those who are in the middle often do so for superficial reasons and not out of real belief, given that the work has nonetheless acquired "clara fama" and it’s better not to speak ill of it, but that’s not your case;). However, you certainly can't do this with just any record (and it can only be applied retroactively, or a posteriori). Personally, for example (but I've already said this), I just can't get into Nick Drake and (with a few exceptions that could compromise the essence of the argument) Elliot Smith; this is precisely due to my lack of connection with their "sensitivity" (and I’m intentionally avoiding the term "poetics"). P.S.: the Freudian discourse was not related to the analytical precepts of "Closer" but solely to its process of "assimilation." P.P.S.: the case regarding Smith was valid since the days of "Either/Or," just to say that it has nothing to do with the fact that the "artist" in question has passed on to "miglor/peggior/o meglio nessuna" life; )

Yes, Hypno, however, regarding the voice, I was referring to the fact that the change has been rather sudden (and generally, past a certain age, one should have already stabilized their "big voice," I believe): on the three "pop" singles from the 1982/1983 period, he already begins to thicken and round it out, but it seems like he does it on purpose (and that makes sense, for script requirements), but in "The Top," just two years later, even the more energetic and aggressive tracks ("Shake Dog Shake" and "Give Me It," of course) he already sings with the "timbre" that will from then on be the one most recognized by many.

@ Howdy: I saw them too in '97, they played last and before them Tiamat performed, if I remember correctly (and the comparison, strangely, wasn't even that absurd ;)... then, due to exam sessions in Bologna, I never went back to Beach Bum, but a roommate of mine had the poster from the first edition (1995) and the Ozric were already on the list... so, at least 3 times they showed up around those parts (and the jokes about them getting a taste for "zingareggiare" in Jesolo were abundant among the locals).

They were regular guests at the Beach Bum festival in Jesolo during the five years it was held regularly, at the end of the 90s. I remember that the first time I stumbled upon them, with my crew, we smoked the impossible as an appetizer to their show; well, I was used to the practice and immune to any side effects, or at least I thought so, because after 5 minutes we all started laughing, cracking up like onanistic baboons... they were just too ridiculous... the mix between the urticaria-induced outpouring from the flautist and the endless guitar scales from the leader was the most over-the-top thing I had ever heard (some sort of cross between Ian Anderson and Eddie Van Halen), but the various percussionists were no joke either when it came to hypertrophy/schizophrenia. I also remember that in the most dub-synthetic-narcoleptic moments (as Memento aptly highlights), they made quite an impression (the rhythm section of bass and drums, with the aid of the technocratic keyboardist, when the others toned it down just right, would even lay out exhilarating drum & bass-like solutions), too bad they were really nothing compared to the constant prillar/titillare of flute and six strings. I doubt I'll feel the urge to dig them up again unless my jaw muscles atrophy in the future ; )

I don't vote for them because I listened to Placebo, with a certain interest, only during the time of their eponymous debut. Then I also saw them live (and they actually looked rather pathetic), but I only caught their subsequent albums in bits and pieces on my friends' car radios. However, it seems that their discography is missing "Sleeping With Ghosts," which is perhaps their most famous album, at least judging by the number of copies I've noticed in the vehicles of acquaintances... great review and the parallel analyses, by the way.

I agree with Hypno about Smith's voice; on the album, he manages to perfectly blend it with the "mood" of the various tracks, remaining instantly recognizable, but without the need for steel-guitar virtuosity. However, I have never heard him hit a wrong note live (forgetting the lyrics to a song, yes, often and willingly, but off-key, never). Just listen to "Prayers for Rain," straight from "Entreat," to understand how "virtuoso" he can be when necessary (I also remember an even more stunning "vocal climb" in "Shiver and Shake," at Sonoria in 1995, but I might have been too young and impressionable). The strange thing, considering the previous review, is that no one, or almost no one, mentions the change in "tone" post-"Pornography," and, to be fair, I kind of miss that drier and sharper voice, almost sterile. "Adonais" and "It Use(d?) To Be Me"... I have never understood why they were relegated to B-sides (for an album like "Wild Mood Swings," no less); many other bands would "kill" to have them in their repertoire! Rating: 4.5 because after the "Pornography Tour," this does sound a bit off.

And instead, it’s really a matter of usability, but not in a merely musical sense. It is about a feeling and not just listening. Discussions on the a priori analysis of individual compositions make little sense in this case. Here, Freud's notion of "the work of mourning" (not necessarily linked to a concrete loss, of course) truly has reason to exist and function: either you assimilate it in a rather "subconscious" way to elaborate it slowly, progressively, and "automatically," on a subcutaneous level, merging it with your personal experiential accumulation, or it simply doesn’t work, in which case I could say, blessed are you, the fact that it doesn’t take root is certainly not a mark of discredit!

Sorry Hypno, it seems like you weren't addressing me, anyway there was no polemical intent on my part: regarding Biagi, my post was spontaneous, after reading the epitaph I struggled a bit to think of which "underground" author he had left us, and once I realized it was the well-known Enzo, the whole thing seemed a bit diminishing to me (my searching for obscure references, I mean), that’s why I "lowered myself"; about the album, I own the CD and, as for that format, I don’t know if there are different versions (if I remember correctly, there are 2 homonymous vinyls but also tagged as "Pt.1" and "Pt.2", referring among other things to the 2 different dates; furthermore, a friend of mine also owned the double "Live at Olympia"). Lastly, the issue with "Forever" was not meant as a critique of your review, but rather a general correction; even in my track-list it's listed under that title, it’s just that, as I already mentioned, the performed track is "All Mine" and not "Forever". Best regards and I renew my expression of esteem.

Hey, wait... I don't have "A Strange Day" in my track list (but I do have "At Night," "Splintered In Her Head," and "10.15 Saturday Night"), could it be the vinyl version?!

Cool, cool, cool! The only bootleg I have (kept), and the best live performance by the Cure (better than any official release). Who cares if the sound is imperfect, and if the band was a bit out of sorts, the tensions, not even too latent, are magnificently expressed here, and the tight versions of "M," "A Short Term Effect," and "Primary" are spectacular. "The Drowning Man," heavily affected, is shoegaze avant la lettre. Just to clarify: the final piece is an exhausting (but beautiful) version of "All Mine," mistakenly confused (probably due to its length) with "Forever"! Hypno, though, if you wrote these lines specifically to dedicate them to Biagi, I'm a bit let down!!