Medusa's Spite
Morning Doors

THE REVIEW

What would you say if you walked into a music store to buy "N.A.I.H" by REM, and you hear the owner playing an album in the background with music that grabs you immediately, so much so that you decide to buy the CD? Maybe they're a famous band and perhaps unknown to you, I ask him if they're English?, no, they're from Rome, he replies.

Even more intrigued, I rush home and put the CD in my old Technics, the band is called Medusa's Spite, the cover is beautiful with gorgeous photos inside, but Medusa's aren't photographers, they're musicians, they are the brothers Paolo and Stefano Daniele, with Axel Donnini on drums and Alessandro Nardis on drums, they all have other jobs in life and reinvest their earnings in music that, according to their statement, must remain pure.

Their music is, in my opinion, a high-class electrorock, seasoned, by their own admission, with inspiration from the sound effects of Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

The album is a concept album that tells the day of a boy from morning to evening, a splendid audio film, trapped in the everyday life (breakfast, metro, workplace) and in his fears. At the end of the record, thanks to Niky (a character in the album) and two tickets to "Skyland", a sort of rebirth.

I'm not going to list the tracks since it's a concept album, but I will say that I found the beginning surprising (a stunning female voice and a run through the woods) and noteworthy are "Life", "The Sun", "Niky", "Will Hunting" (there's a video on YouTube that also won an award) and "People".

The album was recorded between Rome and London (in the former Genesis studios) and mastered by Mike Marsh, of whom I've learned has worked with Depeche Mode, another band they seem to draw from according to me.

I liked it right away, I hope you do too.

P.S. I wanted to thank Zion for introducing me to Autechre.