No Strange
Cristalli sognanti

LA RECENSIONE

No Strange is undoubtedly the Italian group that has best embodied the meaning of the word psychedelia in its musical and philosophical aspects: throughout their career, they have been characterized by a profound and non-trivial approach to music that has made them a sort of cult. The main members of the group are Salvatore D’Urso “Ursus” and Alberto Ezzu: the former studied graphic design and is the author of the colorful and psychedelic sixties-oriented covers of No Strange records. Ursus is also a lover of '60s and '70s sounds and a great expert on Italian beat. Ezzu, on the other hand, studied electronic music and is, in a sense, the musical soul of the group: his particular approach, as he himself admitted, is similar to that of Brian Eno. The end result of their sound is, in any case, unique and recognizable and is a child of the Cosmic Couriers, the Pink Floyd of A Saucerful Of Secrets, and Italian psychedelia. Perhaps their best album, although a little naive and not without flaws, is still the first No Strange (1985), which contained the incredible extended suite “Trasparenze e suoni” which, at the time, in the '80s, must have sounded very strange and out of this world. Unfortunately, no one has yet decided, for incomprehensible reasons, to reissue this gem on CD. After a long period of inactivity, the No Strange returned in 2011 with the album Cristalli Sognanti (title inspired by a masterpiece novel by the great science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon) which comes with a beautiful cover artwork by Ursus. This is an important album in their musical history as it demonstrates how the No Strange have always been a true entity beyond any trend. Compared to the past, there is a greater maturity and use of better technology, although their style has not changed at all: in phantasmagorical tracks like “Riscopro i colori,” “Il sudore dei pianeti,” and “Cristalli sognanti,” we can thus hear their typical liquid and mystical sound. The music was largely composed by Ursus and Alberto Ezzu, although there are tracks by former "nostrangular" members like Pino Molinari and Tony D’Urso. Among the vocals, we also find Rosalba Guastella. The album was released both on vinyl by Psych-Out Records of Cosimino Pecere - a label specialized in psychedelia - and on CD by Area Pirata of Tiziano Rimonti.