It's Immaterial
Life's hard and then you die

LA RECENSIONE

Unknown masterpieces? Hard-to-find albums? Here's one!
One of the most unknown meteorites on earth and, paradoxically, the most underrated.
This duo (I believe they're Scottish) made a mark back in '86 with a simple little song, "Driving Away From Home." The success was so incredible that the song even made its way onto the playlists of Ibiza's clubs (suitably remixed...).
But few remember the "other" songs present on this now untraceable album. Already from the title ("Life's Hard and Then You Die"), you can glimpse a taste for understatement, for a bitter irony that will permeate all the tracks.

Music with a clear British origin: very simple, well-structured songs that used functional arrangements, sometimes acoustic, with a skillful and delicate use of keyboards, drum machines, and voices.
The songs vary from one genre to another, without ever losing a very... British identity: from the speed-folk of "Driving...", to the ballad in pure "pub" style ("Rope"), to the delicate bossa of "The Better Idea".
"Space" is somewhat influenced by the pop stylistics of the time, but the album quickly recovers with two fast ballads, "Festival Time" and "Ed's Funky Dinner".
Adorned with choruses from the future Cristians, the album is, all in all, very enjoyable. Joyful moments alternate with introspective reflections, filled with that bitter irony that permeates a bit all the songs. Stylistically, many cues and citations can be found here.

Unfortunately, the duo It's Immaterial subsequently produced only one more album, "Songs", before disappearing into the general oblivion that characterized many artists of those years...