Overock
Warp It

The first listen of "Warp It" surprises with its inherent paradox: it's as if an indie rock band ventures into metal territories without denying their background, and vice versa. And perhaps more than anything, this is the characteristic, along with the beautiful voice with a decidedly "new wave" edge, that kept me from taking the CD out of the stereo for several days.
I got to know this band this summer during their opening for a Verdena concert. The excellent live performance I attended pushed me to buy the CD at the end of the evening and see if things worked just as well on "track"... and the surprise arrived: a CD that literally stuck to me, either because of musical affinity or because of the underlying sensibility in which I find myself as a person...

Warp It opens with a track that is already a statement from the title: "The Thin Shape Of A Dawn": a splendid and spatial melody that recalls the best works of the 30 Seconds to Mars we like to remember, when Leto wasn't yet the TRL idol for teenage girls. Everything proceeds extremely tightly until the middle of the track, leaving space for a second part that is extremely rarefied, remotely recalling some "emo" episodes (especially At The Drive-In), bringing the level of pathos to a splendid crescendo until the final climax. No time to breathe, and you fall into the testosterone punk-funk delirium of "Acid Behaviour", where a powerful and dry drum beats a simple and effective 4/4 time. The double guitar riff is what I'd like to hear on a Saturday night at any rock nightclub. 3 minutes of groove where Overock manages to be themselves, a strange concentrate of post-punk, crossover, new wave, and electronics. "Driveless" surprises with its rarefaction: a slow, acoustic, and delicate piece for solo guitar and synthetic sounds where a whispered voice in the ear makes everything intimate and evocative. Again, a progressive crescendo in the verse-chorus alternation (very much like Incubus) leads to a powerful and extremely emotional finale, where you can get lost. The voice, lacerating and screamed, recalls Robert Smith of "Pornography". Background noise, "white noise," as recited in the lyrics: and then an intro from the perfect indie entrance manual: "Damp", with lyrics anything but cheerful and - I suppose - highly biographical. A dry and minimal drum'n'base cadence for another track that intelligently mixes a series of influences so disparate and absorbed that they are barely recognizable.

The second part of Warp It changes tone, darkens the atmospheres, echoes of Deftones and A Perfect Circle emerge, along with the inevitable The Cure. "02" is a succession of dissonant guitars, disco times, psychedelic passages for a finale that reminded me of some avant-rock by Roxy Music, with a piano that rests crookedly on a nighttime sea far from calm. The peak of so much darkness is "Generations In A Pool Of Grey", with wonderful lyrics quoting Christiane F. and the "his" children of the Berlin Zoo. Almost 7 minutes of pure emotion, alternating whispered voids and resounding choruses with the epicness of Deftones or the best Muse, for another adrenaline-fueled finale. Next is "Perfect Puddle", 3 minutes of anger and electro-rock tempos where certain punk reminiscences emerge, and "Unforgettable", a beautiful simple track with those melodies that sneak annoyingly into your head and you find yourself humming them in the car when you least expect it.

With the album almost over, it's time to reshuffle the deck again; "The Wrong Place" takes care of it, a fast-paced turn into typical '90s electro-industrial territories with echoes of Underworld and Ministry (the filtered final voice seems to come out of the best works of Jurgensen's band), and "Base16 [warped]", the final track, hermetic and fascinating, which deconstructs the classic song form in favor of a freer flow: the beginning and the oriental-like succession leave room for a splendid final instrumental where you can lose yourself, like a catharsis from so much darkness, in a sweet dawn (with a subtle edge?) made of silences, ambient sounds, and background noise. "What you've heard, is what I lost; now please, erase.". And it is precisely on the last whisper that Warp It ends. To start immediately to be listened to again.

Turin reaffirms itself as a magical city, far from the desolate plains where I find myself writing, the birthplace of highly respectable musicians. Last but not least: the booklet reveals that all the artwork was designed by the band themselves, creating a complete, closed, and personal work. An excellent surprise for 2007 and a recommendation for everyone to see them live when they pass by your area!