SINFONICO HONOLULU
Thousands Souls of Revolution

SINFONICO HONOLULU - Thousands Souls of Revolution (Self-released)

The hilarious and highly successful version of "Oh Oh I Love Her So" by the Ramones alone would be enough to give this album a solid nine. Yes, because Sinfonico, with their ukulele orchestra, here as in the other 11 tracks of the album, reinvent the songs with 9 ukuleles in hand (plus modern beats and a voice that always does its job). Ukulele rhymes with Hawaii, but in this album, thanks to the orchestration skills of the orchestra, it doesn't feel out of place at all in the reinterpretation of these songs taken directly from the '80s, and particularly from the English wave scene. And so, for example, in the Ramones' song, the track magically takes on a fifties twist, like rock 'n' roll à la Billie Haley or Buddy Holly, which was indeed the starting point for the Ramones to arrive at noisy punk in alternative NYC. Even the beautiful and rich intertwining of ukulele arpeggios in "Killing Moon" bring back the psychedelic atmospheres of the famous Echo & The Bunnymen song. Or again in the already beautiful "Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers, the ukuleles create melodic lines that recall more baroque madrigals than the muffled wave of the "stranglers." And so on, throughout the album, the orchestra always gifts us interesting insights, always faithful to their beloved instrument.