Marlene Kuntz
Ho ucciso paranoia + Spore

"I took paranoia, my stubborn concubine/and I killed it/I swear, as if suddenly...".

A statement of intent? Not really: although some songs decidedly lean towards softer sounds (L'abitudine, Una canzone arresa, Infinità), paranoia, the absolute protagonist of the two previous albums, dominates this work as well, apart from a few solitary rays of sunshine (the sublime sweetness of Infinità).

On their third effort, M.K. immediately demonstrate (L'odio migliore) that they have not lost the brilliance of Il vile; indeed, now having reached maturity, they deliver a well-balanced album between fast and rough tracks (with those wonderful guitar "chords" they have accustomed us to) and more "calm" tracks, with a slow but violent beat: see Ineluttabile, L'abitudine, Un sollievo.
The discomfort of existence in its most unbearable occurrences is cathartically relived in every single composition. Few in Italy explore the unfathomable so effectively while conveying deeply profound feelings to the listener; very few have come so close to perfection in artistic-musical expression.
It's easy to succumb to listening to this homogeneous and perfect work.

The Spore deserve a separate discussion, not compositions refined and studied at the table, but rather improvised in the studio (M.K. often indulge in this even live, between tracks) in which one can trace the genesis of M.K.'s songs. Maybe for two minutes, the group members chase each other without finding one another, maybe they harmonize right away: in any case, when the right alchemy is established, it's worth being there (and enjoying it fully).
They are a special testament to M.K.'s creative process: they might make some frown, but between having them and not having them, the first option is preferable.

In detail, I would give 5 stars to Ho ucciso paranoia and 3 to the Spore, the overall rating is the average between the two.