Federico Sirianni
Dal Basso Dei Cieli

Federico Sirianni, known as "The Cook," describes himself as a "Bandautore". Originally from Genoa, now residing in Turin, he has released his second album: "Dal basso dei cieli". A strong and warm glow in the stifling Italian scene; a pearl, unknown as usual to most.

As is often the case, for those not endorsed by majors et similia, this instance too has barely any media buzz: no TV appearances, no radio highlights, a few newspaper reviews, and a constant touring and playing in venues, pubs, and increasingly elite and talent-breeding basements. Here, the work relies on word of mouth, now the exclusive, sole, and valid tool to bring substantial figures out of anonymity. Rarely had I come across song lyrics, separate from the music, to find them brimming with fresh poetry, imaginative verses, never predictable, or only serving musical metrics; rarely had I enjoyed dithyrambs of existential journeys, with connotations of raw realism on musical notation, like these.

Fifteen incredible and intoxicating tracks of an overwhelming journey among borderlines, asylum seekers waiting for permits, fireflies, vultures, city districts full of mud puddles invisible on postcards, banlieues and peripheries everywhere and of every latitude, loves endured between failures imbued with gin, pastis, rum, bicerin, and siachet<<"[missing accent: è]";... and sudden, alluring rebirths: "WHEN LOVE COMES/ IT WASHES THE CLOUDS, DEFROSTS THE SOUL/ SANDBLASTS THE HULLS, SWELLS IN THE VEINS/ ENCOURAGES THE SOWING/ WHEN LOVE COMES/ IT RINSES THE EYELIDS OF ARIDITY/ CREATING AN INVENTORY OF A NEW IMAGINARY THAT WILL PERPETUATE".

The music of "The Cook" inevitably reflects his personal experiences between the tangled maritime alleys and the rational Savoy geometries. Do you know Via Prè in Genoa or the "Balùn" in Porta Palazzo in Turin? Not just markets, where everything is sold; from guns to vibrators, drugs to prostitutes, amidst varied humanity of every physical and mental geography. Federico's music is a stunning patchanka, a phantasmagoric promiscuity of styles and genres. Like a secondhand dealer, or a sound junk dealer, he has gathered everything, creating a musical fusion never cloying, slapdash, or excessive. Balkans, mariachi, klezmer, waltzes, and polkas, and an attitude of gypsy melodies. Gypsies and cowboys elbow each other here. East and West, and a certain frontier America, mark the boundaries of this operation. Federico plucks his guitar strings as if he had incorporated a digital camera filming a journey from altar to dust, entering truck stops and bypasses, focusing on outcasts, losers, and characters from "Confraternite Fantiane del Chianti", crossing and overcoming the boundaries of prejudice. Violent, sanguine but real colors, never a hint or wink to sycophancy or rhyme contrived to surrender to the "power of the banal" of Adornian memory.

A beautiful and highly recommended album, odd, disenchanted, with the acrid smell of gyros; a work dripping with true stories sung and narrated like film frames; a spicy, stuffed, and tasty CD like a kebab. Want me to find a flaw? Here it is; at first glance, Sirianni's voice and music evoke Vinicio Capossela; it really seems like a clone. But repeated listening dispels this sensation because "The Cook" has his own unmistakable musical personality. I believe in this guy (38 years old) very much and thank Gianni Mura for introducing him to me and letting me appreciate him. So Debaserian friends? Do you want to miss this journey on the fifteen cars of the "Sirianni Express" departing from Genoa Brignole (with a long stop in Turin Lingotto) and heading towards the east and the south of nowhere north? Hop on board; let's go!! ....."A BICYCLE RUNS LOSEWORDS/ WHILE THE SUNSET DIMS THE SKY OF COLOR/ UNDER THE VOLCANO BETWEEN TEQUILA AND GUACAMOLE/ AHI NO SE PUEDE VIVIR SIN AMOR..".

Do you like the scent and the tanned color of leather? Can you identify and capture the aftertaste of a "Barbaresco"? Are you attracted to "Road Movies"? Are you intrigued by the wild and the exotic? Do you sympathize with losers, scoundrels, and outcasts? Don't the tex-mex sounds disturb you? Does real, pulsing literature fascinate you and do you detest "acclaimed poets"? Have you read and enjoyed "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"? Do Sergio Leone's movies make you dream? Are you captivated by stories of ordinary madness? Do you find the "Tour de France" epic and captivating? Do you know and appreciate Peppo Parolini, Pedro Pietri, and Dino Campana? Belìn, diofauss!!!! Then this is the album for you; don't miss it!

Goodbye, smiles from unknown distances! Enjoy listening! Your PoetaRainer! Revived deRecensore

PS To learn more about the character, there are some videos (of poor quality) on YouTube. His blog "Onde clandestine" is very interesting.