•
Rating: The fluid electronics, the full-bodied bass, the delicate voice. A nocturnal urban landscape. In a few words, this is what you will find in this beautiful album by Gianluca Lo Presti, an artist with a rather varied resume (from collaborating with Milingo - yes, the monsignor - to an album together with Blaine Reininger of Tuxedomoon) and who, for this work, set out with the declared intention of rejuvenating Italian singer-songwriter music. An objective fully met, with songs all well-written and rich in suggestions, each of which offers something to the listener.
Self-produced in 2007 and with "carbonara" distribution by Audiocoop, the album unfolds over 10 tracks all born from an indie-electronic origin, with sounds that might initially remind one of The Postal Service, but much more diluted, more discreet, and far less sunny. Here, too, the guitar is almost entirely absent, replaced by keyboards, synthesizers, and especially an ever-prominent, often distorted bass.
The album opens with "Nevica su quattropuntozero": a muffled reflection on turning forty, where a martial drum machine gradually gives way to a more skittish electronic base, which overall reminds me of a certain '80s synth wave. The track sets the mood coordinates for the work: a series of calm reflections on the state of things, very emotional and especially very introspective, without chasing any intellectualism, but with clear images, snapshots that bring epiphanies.
This is the classic album for which one might end up doing a track-by-track, so I'll just throw out a few hints and invite you to listen to the material available on the artist's website.
In general, the sound is that of a certain well-dressed dark new wave with electronics, stripping away the tragic and obsessive veil to make room for something more reflective.
"Le teste di Modì" is beautiful, rising slowly, with a vague psychedelic aftertaste, only to become skewed right at the final seconds. Echoes of Battiato in "Piccoli Meccanismi Sincronizzati", but always with the right measure of electronics, never too invasive. Then there's the prominent new wave sound of "Se mi tocchi tu", one of the most driven pieces on the album, which reminded me of early The Cure, those of the Trilogy, again with a wise use of electronics and more classic instrumentation. The work concludes with the ballad "Debole", with the delicate chords of acoustic guitar counterpointed by echoes of electronics.
In conclusion, a really well-crafted album, which combines, as mentioned, many seemingly distant ingredients and that, if you've ever been charmed by certain groups from the '80s, "sounds" really good. I recommend seeing the artist perform live, with the tracks losing little of their beauty, gaining in immediacy.
Loading comments slowly
