•
Rating: “Topoallucinazione”, “Il mio cane con tre zampe”, “Parlami per sempre”.
About 10 years ago, while browsing through the YouTube-library, I stumbled upon these songs and at first listen, I thought to myself: “these remind me of Prozac+”.
Let's say that Sick Tamburo “are” Prozac-1, because Gian Maria Accusani (Mr. Man), charismatic leader, guitarist, singer, and especially composer, and Elisabetta Imelio (Boom Girl) remained together, while the subtraction is linked to the name of Eva Poles (solo career and a cameo with Rezophonic).
The remaining members of the group hide behind black balaclavas, but searching throughout the web, I couldn't give them a name and a face, so the bassist String Face and the drummer Doctor Eye are the first two to join the ex-Prozac, then, in pursuit, Miss Understanding (vocals and guitar) and Frog Man (guitar) sneak into the “accusani” music.
The Sick Tamburo project has reached the fifth album from 2007 to today. A band you would have gladly found in the era of thriving MySpace: intelligent punk, alternative rock, hypnotic singer-songwriter style.
“Fear and Love,” comes after the very pleasant “A New Day,” an album that also contains the track “The End of Chemo” (also made with Manuel Agnelli, Meg, Samuel, Pierpaolo Capovilla, Elisa, Lo Stato Sociale, and Jovanotti), a track linked to the illness that, unfortunately, returned for the second time to Betta Imelio.
In the latest album, we return to talking about other people's stories and the autobiographical component is less present. The life of an orphaned girl is told in “Lisa is 16 Years Old.” A full Sick Tamburo style chorus, of only 5 words, repeated like a mantra. The piano component is interesting, rarely used by Accusani, and the discordance obtained through a semitone riff is pleasantly disturbing.
We are told about Andrea, “A Special Boy,” an autistic boy, with simple and direct words, representing in a single track the difficulties and riches of a condition that varies from person to person.
“Agnese Doesn't Fit In,” because her life was heavily marked by violence suffered in childhood, and the musical ensemble leads us to a mixed sense of anger-fear that alone, in the evening, alone, forces her to tremble showing a fragility, but resolved.
The punk “Baby Blue,” the ballad-like “You Still Can” (first single released, with a nagging chorus) precede a particular track where the use of electronics is almost an absolute novelty for the Pordenone band's works. The peculiarities lie in a complex metric, a fun rhythmic interlock, and a gutturalness in the singing that recalls Sardinian chants, which unfold in a very popular claphands and in a theme treated naturally like prostitution. The title mainly derives from the rumor that the protagonist of Tim Burton's cinematic adaptation of “Sleeping Beauty” (never realized) was supposed to deal with a student who prostituted herself.
The track “Impermanente,” I don't know why, immediately reminded me of a young and nostalgic Celentano, while “My Father Doesn't Forgive,” a reflection on parents' ambitions on their children, frustrations included, seems like a track from the late '60s in construction, except for the stylistic touch, which is clearly in a '90s punk-rock key.
The album closes with a minimalist and ironic “The Richest in the Cemetery,” which leaves you almost baptized by the rawness and truthfulness of the writing.
The beauty of Sick Tamburo is that they remained in the '90s and are simultaneously in 2019, a double role that I like, amuses me, and attracts me in a disenchanted way, for a pleasant listen, without excessive commitment. You can slam dance, but always with a smile. You can listen, but with a constant and measured headbanging. Listening to this album can be a rewarding experience, continuing the beautiful musical journey of the Friulian band.
Loading comments slowly
