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Rating: I wasn't particularly drawn to Elio's latest album, partly because of the title, and partly because that Vincere l'odio didn't convince me in Sanremo, especially compared to the great tracks from 2013.
When, under pressure from friends, I decided to listen to it, I was quite surprised.
It's a pretty danceable album: I would describe at least three tracks, Vacanza alternativa, China disco bar, and Il quinto ripensamento as direct descendants of Born to be Abramo and Discomusic. This makes me happy because I am a fan of more dance-oriented Elii. In particular, the dance vibe of Il quinto ripensamento saves at the last minute a track where the use of Beethoven's fifth and the male/female relationship theme was starting to emit a déjà vu smell. China disco bar, on the other hand, will simply stay in a loop in your cortex and find it hard to leave. Oh, also Inquisizione is a rock with very pleasant disco/funky nuances.
Musically satisfying is the fantastic Cameroon, where the Italian words seem specifically chosen to sound like African language choruses. There's Ritmo sbilenco, which follows the path of Plafone and Come gli Area, a truly remarkable prog-rock track where the 'regressive' genre, the nemesis of progressive, is studied and tackled. Then we have Bomba intelligente, a track written and sung by Francesco Di Giacomo, with lyrics that perhaps are not groundbreaking (I imagine I've heard too many variations on the smart bomb theme) but musically moving, thanks also to the beautiful final solo by Mauro Pagani on distorted violin (and also because Di Giacomo is dead. When I listen to old recordings of beautiful voices no longer alive, I get emotional).
The pop/lounge of She wants is pleasant, featuring a synthesized, virtuous, and (not too much) allusive Rocco Tanica, as well as the straightforward rock and roll of Rock della tangenziale, which gradually convinced me despite having to endure the presence of J-Ax. Also decent is Il primo giorno di scuola.
I found Il mistero dei bulli a bit sluggish, slow in the old Elio e le Storie Tese style (it recalls La follia della donna) where the lyrics aren't bright enough to energize the arrangement, and Parla come mangi is decidedly underwhelming (the theme of English term abuse is stale), and not very impactful is I delfini nuotano, I'd say.
In general, almost all the themes of the lyrics and linguistic gimmicks are quite predictable. In my opinion, it's an album where the musical aspect clearly prevails over the textual one, featuring two gems in the form of Faso (the bass is a delight in every track) and Paola Folli, who—I'll be a bit explicit—if she makes love as she sings, she's the woman of a lifetime (listen to Vacanza alternativa and Ritmo sbilenco).
Ultimately, a very pleasant album that shows Elii somewhat struggling in terms of ideas but sounding incredibly good.
Tracklist
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