Max Gazzè
Ognuno Fa Quello Che Gli Pare?

The mustachioed Roman singer-songwriter decides to leave behind the good work done with the three previous albums to find a new artistic direction even more surreal, personal, and challenging compared to the nonetheless lavish previous productions. Mind you, not that the raw self-titled debut, the fabulous "La Favola Di Adamo Ed Eva," or the balanced "Gadzilla" are albums that can be overlooked or poorly executed; quite the opposite.

The feeling that one gets in "Ognuno Fa Quello Che Gli Pare?" is that there is less room for single hits but the overall artistic project is denser. It's no coincidence that in the lineup of the album, aside from the always-present brother Francesco, co-author of all his lyrics, there are two ex-"C.S.I.": Ginevra Di Marco and Francesco Magnelli. In addition, collaborating are Paola Turci, Carmen Consoli, Stephan Eicher, and violinist Elena Magoni.

The work is truly consistent and enormously varied both instrumentally and in content. The opening track, as well as the first release, is "Non Era Previsto", a strange, catchy, rhythmic piece featuring in its intro the sound of a toy drum played by none other than his little son Samuele (…everyone does what they like and eats the fruits of experience, clothing the work of their craftsmanship, learning things only when necessary…). Followed by "Questo Forte Silenzio" from the start a bit in the style of the milder Battiato, which opens up on a fast, cheerful, and whirlwind refrain. It was supposed to be the album's first single, but the lyrics, based on jokingly claiming that Americans never went to the Moon, were not well received by the record label after the brutal tragedy of 9/11 at New York's Twin Towers took place a few weeks earlier (…I see the hallucinations of God that move the darkness a bit further where man's lies madly wander, all imprisoned in the same wrong orbit…). Precisely regarding this monstrous event, Gazzè managed to quickly compose and include in the album the poignant and melancholic "In Questo Anno Di Non Amore", where a sparse piano-violin soundscape is accompanied by the deliberately hoarse and subdued voice of the artist (…perhaps there was a secular spark in this sick year of no love…).

In "Niente Di Nuovo", certain themes that deal with some mechanisms that govern our lives return. Musically, the step is a clear symbol of the new arrangements sought by the author, more sumptuous and grandiose, rich and dense. In "Il Debole Fra I Due" in a duet with Paola Turci, we are presented with a piece featuring country-folk traits, with Ottavianelli's accordion in plain show and intentionally highlighted. A serene and flowing track that addresses the way love between two people transforms over time in an extremely cryptic manner (…before the abuse with wide elbows on your body that was perfect, you who now treat the appearance as a traitor…). In "Megabytes", reflections on solitude and incommunicability season an ad-lib jungle-rock for Gazzè, yet very forceful and decisive, occasionally softened by the Mediterranean sound of the mandolin. A courageous and contaminated core of ideas and thoughts that rightfully enters among the best pages of Max Gazzè's works (…that's why any angel can become evil if what makes them live almost always causes a scandal…). Ingenious and dreamy is "Eclissi Di Periferia", where the artist imagines seeing a gigantic Roman public housing (actually existing) flying away from a working-class neighborhood and landing, ironically, like a spaceship, precisely on the luxurious Parioli area of the same capital (…Corviale takes flight and holds onto the hat with hands next to a woman praying for a suburban eclipse…).

Excellent is also the collaboration with French artist Stephan Eicher in the expansive and serene "Il Dolce Della Vita", almost minimal in its sound layout (…I'm understanding how easy it is to suck out the sweetness of life between one person's opinion and another's view…). The melancholy returns in "Non è Più Come Prima", another mysterious reflection on love that no longer seems as passionate as in the early years (…if the house swallows us or sneezes us out of the rooms like colleagues in work, a love grows old…). Finally, the overwhelming, hard, and glittering hard-rock of the autobiographical and astute "Il Motore Degli Eventi", an extraordinary and engaging track sung and played with the voracious, in this case, Carmen Consoli. A healthy punch in the stomach, almost grunge in its pace (it somewhat recalls Soundgarden's repertoire) but also delivers a melodic and light interlude. Perhaps the rockiest piece ever created by the artist (…with the nose poorly matched to the eyes, I've made giant steps…).

Overall opinion is really high, as usual in these cases, it's an album lauded by critics but received very little commercial success, which has caused quite a few problems for the eclectic Gazzè.

Highly recommended.

(Precog)