I Blame Coco
The Constant

LA RECENSIONE

When dad - in this case - or mom lend a hand, the money and something else, the initial existential twists and turns of the various prodigal children with an inescapable creative and anti-academic streak turn into steep straights. And if this offspring of pseudo-rakish kids receives applause and the go-ahead for their projects from their parents, mostly in the form of fresh wire transfer money, the distances shorten considerably and the coveted destination is just a stone's throw from the greenery of their family estate. Specifically, Eliot Paulina Sumner, born in 1990, is doubly fortunate: firstly, she is a lively little English lady born under none other than the sculpted and leaning marble of Italian Pisa, daughter of a strange immigration to the beautiful country by throngs of celebrities seeking lush countryside, good food, vineyards, and healthy climate. The parents in question, Sting and Trudie Styler, thought it wise to gift Eliot Paulina "Coco" and themselves a sort of Mediterranean club far from the climatic oppressions of the gray City, and being good connoisseurs of chic Italian style, they opted for the luxurious Tuscany. Impeccable choice.

Inspired at a young age by punk and rock legends, Coco began composing songs at the age of fourteen and at seventeen put aside books and pens to dedicate herself exclusively to her music career. With a father who forged a significant piece of sound culture in the '70s and '80s and a DNA congenitally inclined toward such a destiny, Eliot could do nothing but settle into the colorful world of studios and stages. The result of this natural life choice is "I Blame Coco," a band for which the girl is the undisputed leader. Although it can boast only one album of original songs and a handful of singles partly ignored by commercialism, the I Blame Coco project has nonetheless defined its sound contours and choices, as well as started to take some timid steps among the hardships of the music biz. Coco's style partially recalls adolescent rocking aspirations, blending them in a rich fritter of synth-pop, indie, electronic, disco, new wave, and some sporadic punk hints. The Constant, released in 2010, is the perfect summation of this journey, a spicy and charming debut, without frills, rainbows, and sparkles, but with a dignified heap of tracks midway between the nostalgia of past decades, the cradle of Music par excellence, and the commemorative-celebrative aspirations of contemporary times.

The Constant opens with Selfmachine, the current most successful single in Europe, halfway between synth-rock and Eighties-like new wave; following, in order of mention, the tasty electro-pop revival of Caesar, presented alongside Swedish glitch-spangling Robyn, the substantial disco-funky inspirations of Only Love Can Break Your Heart, the better Eighties' frivolity for In Spirit Golden and the synthpunk games of Please Rewind. Also worth mentioning is the reggae-flavored No Smile, the electro-glam funk à la Goldfrapp in Party Bag, the classic ballad Summer Rain and the little indie-rock gem Playwrite Fate.

Enough of daddy's boys and girls, stop to the youngsters recommended by starlets, halt to the fake bold artists without talent. But not always: sometimes, at the threshold of the stormy music-biz, a true "child of art" emerges, or at least a close example, the worthy heir of parental success and talent. So why not raise the hard and iron bars of our stubbornness and our forced disenchantment to the exception?

I Blame Coco, The Constant

Selfmachine - In Spirit Golden - Quicker - Turn Your Back On Love - Please Rewind - Summer Rain - Playwrite Fate - The Constant - Party Bag - No Smile - Caesar - Only Love Can Break Your Heart - It's About To Get Worse.