Gatto Ciliegia Contro il Grande Freddo
Disco Giallo (#1)

THE REVIEW

Gattociliegia is an instrumental project by three musicians from Turin: Max Viale, Gianluca Della Torca, and Fabio Perugia. In 1999, they released their first album, untitled. No EP preceded their emergence. Thus, they arrive surprising yet not unexpected. They fit into that generic and rich musical territory called "post-rock." This album (later renamed "Disco Giallo" or "#1"), is a surprising revelation. A mix of acoustic and electric sounds (not electronic). You can already sense a very peculiar sound, the anticipation of the masterpiece that will be the next album ("Disco Blu #2").

The drums in "Disco Giallo" are almost always kick drum, low, not as bright as a tom. The cymbals are almost nonexistent. The guitars are two, one electric and distorted that would appeal to Glen Johnson of Piano Magic, the other classic and full-bodied that Nick Drake would like (if he played it tuning it in A). But Gattociliegia is none of this. They are something new, "something completely different."

The album seems divided into two. Diesus 99 (a 30-second intro anticipating Desert) and Attimi, are exercises in style and interpretations around an unspecified folk. Mexicat is the watershed. "Ok, this is what we could do, but this is what we want to do": Lisio Decadence begins the discourse. F is an interlude, a "flare-up" at the beginning of the album, but it's just a moment. Luglio 92 erupts like an Event. It is beautiful, moving and finally clearly denotes the identity of Gatto: the power of guitar distortion in the service of the firm will to convey intimacy, warmth. A struggle against the "Big Chill" Lawrence Kasdan talks about in the film of the same name.