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Rating:
THE REVIEW
It's difficult to approach the latest effort by Marlene Kuntz without being influenced by what the group from Cuneo has been able to give over the years in terms of expressive and compositional depth.
A rare example in our country of how music and lyrics can be excellently combined, Marlene has over the years attracted increasingly larger numbers of "devotees," fascinated by fundamental albums of Italian alternative rock such as "Catartica," "Il Vile," "Ho Ucciso Paranoia," "Che Cosa Vedi," and gradually smoothing out that sonic "roughness," reaching increasingly complex composition methods, aimed at seeking "pathos."
This experimentation, if with "Senza Peso" the band's penultimate album still gave depth to the sound without distorting it, with "Bianco Sporco," ends up influencing it a bit too much, in my opinion weighing down the sound and depriving it of that distinctive trademark typical of those familiar with the group. Orphaned by the original bassist (Dan Solo), excellently replaced by Gianni Maroccolo (CSi-Litfiba), the group in the 11 tracks that make up the CD alternates between an almost obsessive search for "lyricism," understood as care in the lyrics, and a general slowdown in terms of sonic impact, a result of the group's natural artistic maturity, which disorients listeners who have always appreciated the group for its ability to experiment with sound solutions with a solid "rock" base (Sonic youth).
If in some tracks, such as "Il Solitario," "Bellezza" or "Poeti," the experiment works very well creating rarefied and intense atmospheres, in others like the opening track "Amen," or "l'inganno," I had the impression that the group ventured into territories difficult to decode. "We seek beauty everywhere....," sings Cristiano in "Poeti," a wonderful song on the CD also due to its violin inserts, or in episodes like "Nel Peggio" which bring the group back to past distortions ("Ho ucciso Paranoia"), but these are too isolated episodes overall.
A beautiful, but transitional album.
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Summary by Bot
Bianco Sporco by Marlene Kuntz is a transitional album showcasing the band's lyrical depth and evolving sound. While some tracks deliver intense atmospheres and successful experimentation, others feel challenging to decode. With a new bassist and a matured style, the album balances between rock roots and slower sonic exploration, ultimately offering a beautiful but uneven listening experience.Tracklist Videos
Marlene Kuntz
Italian alternative rock band from Cuneo, fronted by Cristiano Godano; noted for the early albums Catartica and Il Vile and for intense live performances.52 Reviews
Other reviews
By Perez
"Poetry is definitely not lacking, and as always, it is narrated by Godano’s voice, whose hand is always a guarantee of wonderful and dreamlike lyrics."
"Marlene is there, she is dirty, but she is alive."
By pugliamix
We’re not whores, we can (and must) do what we want.
You can’t manipulate it too much, otherwise, you falsify it. And you don’t express a damn thing anymore.
By Enkriko
Pretending to be a poet doesn’t make Cristiano Godano a poet.
Italy, when it comes to rock, is in a horribly bad state, and also for this reason, it will forever have its yoke of various and terrifying festivals.
