Who are they? Yes, who are Giardini Di Mirò? An extraordinary band. Very little is known about them, in fact, I personally know practically nothing, but their music speaks to my heart from the first to the last note, and that is what matters to me... Their debut album was released by Homesleep in 2001; considered the most promising group of the Italian underground, they were signed by this small independent label. Their sound is indeed as "non-commercial" as it can be for a major: the album contains only two sung songs, the rest is entirely instrumental and the average duration of the tracks is around six and a half minutes.

The strings blend among themselves accompanied by the winds and softly supported by the classic trio of guitar, bass, and drums; at times, the sounds may remind one of Sigur Ros, but the constant flash of melody changes leads them towards a more typically Mediterranean taste and far from the repetitive Nordic echoes.
The desire to experiment with new forms and harmonic structures is surprising, as well as the class, creativity, and delicacy with which the plots of each individual song are carried out. The melodies are catchy but not repetitive, imaginative but not excessive, and this happens, incredibly, without having to emit, in most of the songs, even a vocal.

Often, such sophisticated records end up imploding in their meager sounds and content but, fortunately, this record escapes that rule, never spilling into that sea of boredom and disinterest that often swallows such ambitious and innovative works.

Wonderful. Light as a feather

Tracklist and Videos

01   A New Start (For Swinging Shoes) (06:28)

02   Pet Life Saver (06:00)

03   The Beauty Tape Rider (08:06)

04   Trompsø Is OK (04:10)

05   Pearl Harbor (07:33)

06   Little Victories (06:20)

07   Penguin Serenade (05:00)

08   Rise and Fall of Academic Drifting (09:40)

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By GregZ

 If this feeling were to materialize into sounds, one word: GIARDINI DI MIRÒ.

 An album that meant a lot to me, and remains one of the best records of 2001.