antoniodeste

I would say that I have received enough "food for thought" both from Probe and Socrates, whom I thank. We shall see Wilson's "progress" in the immediate and mid-term future. His brain seems to be in a constant state of boiling. One can only hope that no burnouts are in sight; despite everything, he still knows how to create beautiful things. However, he is not exactly young anymore (in every sense) either. Best regards to you.

I arrive, evidently, a bit late but I am pleased that, despite the group being "snubbed" by the mass media, this review has "piqued" curiosity 1167 times. I have been following the group for about 8 years (and, alongside, No-Man and Opeth, though I am not a fan of metal in this case) and I welcomed Deadwing with the usual excitement that accompanies their releases. Recently, I experienced the group live for the second time in three years during their recent tour; I have the impression that in the (usual) British quest for American success, Wilson is subtracting or simplifying a bit too much. When I think of "Sky Moves..." or "Signify," the sound had a different density. It doesn't matter if the psychedelic aspect has faded over the years; I’m talking about "purity" or intentions. Even "In Absentia" (which is a great work) seemed designed to create an initial breakthrough in the American market; when I then hear "Lazarus," I feel the unpleasant sensation of believing I am at the "delle Vittorie" (is that what it's called?) of Sanremo. Yes, Socrates, undoubtedly the Porcupine still holds strong; "Arriving Somewhere," "Open Car," "Deadwing" leave their mark but it seems that something of the initial coherence has cracked. I have listened to, and I believe you have too, the beautiful (and very romantic) work with Aviv Geffen "Blackfield" and there, Mr. Wilson shows more compactness, inspiration, and sense of direction. Isn’t all this flurry of groups and productions just a stubborn and repeated attempt (or need) to break through and become a canonical and traditional pop star of the 2000s? Best regards and happy listening.

For beautiful babe: "And the stripes"? Mind you: stripes, not "tracks."

You make me feel terribly guilty... come to me, now, to cry. Why on earth did I do what I did? Oh poor me! Oh wretched me, oh me-n.

I've already voted, boy. One last observation for the detractors: it cannot be overlooked, despite their dissent bordering on nonsense, that as I write this, this post has been visited 249 times. 249 times in two days. Now, I want to clarify that numbers don't mean much to me; rankings even less, and statistics bore me to death; but this guy has been read 249 times in just over 48 hours on an album that's almost 35 years old. Personally, I wasn't thrilled (my lukewarm evaluation is expressed) but one cannot ignore these (besides my) elements. What could it mean if not that the "thing" has sparked interest? Is there jealousy around? Is there poison that someone doesn't know where to pour? Anger and destructive fury towards healthy youthful enthusiasm? Well, I think that if I had had the chance at 16 or 17 to review this album on a computer (science fiction stuff back then), I probably wouldn't have done any better; and if someone had even "torpedoed" me, I would have been depressed for a couple of days... but if that's the goal, then I'll borrow a famous phrase from Nanni Moretti: "let's continue to hurt ourselves..."

My grandmother used to say, "Every day a cucco is born...blessed is he who gets it." I suppose it’s not that hard to understand the meaning of the dialect expression "cucco".....

Observations and clarifications more than correct, Gabri. I acknowledge you on all fronts, including the legitimate doubts you express. I might prefer to skip over the alleged "professionalism" of myself, but overall, I must say that I align with your stance. To clarify my position a step further, when I believe that a friend (even a musician) is wrong or could do better at something or that I don’t like what he’s doing (and this is, mind you, my position), I promptly let him know, precisely because I am his friend and I don’t want to indulge him just (or only) because he is a friend. If I did, I wouldn’t really care for him. Then, if it can be done, indeed, it must be discussed. In this case, let’s say that, unlike other nice interventions by Gabbox, I did not appreciate the style and was somewhat irritated by the approach, even culturally. But I repeat, this does not want and must not have an objectively and presumptively universal value. Perhaps it would have been better to handle the matter "privately."

I did this (in good spirit) because you don't need to graduate, nor impress with your stars and some pretty girl. With those, you need something else. Please, don't cry.

As for Mr. Nobody, I will simply say that my frequency of posting on these pages is proportional (as one can easily imagine) to the commitments and "troubles" that life throws at me. I must also note, in this sense, that Hal has been rather quiet for a somewhat suspicious and/or worrying period of time. A shout-out to JohnOfPatmos, whom I always read with a smile. Bye. PS: What do you think of the duets between Bill Evans and Jim Hall?

For Stellina: sorry, is the adjective "grandeeeee" referring to height? Do you like "singer-songwriters" who are tall? And... good-looking? And... talented?