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Rating: Double compilation available for free download (in mp3 or ogg) from Kathodik, an interesting webzine focused on the Italian independent scene for three years now; as the title suggests, this time the spotlight is on Marche (indeed Kathodik is "based" in Macerata), a region rich in high-level and innovative bands, and not only to be historically remembered for the Gang or the more recent Yuppie Flu from Ancona.
The first volume collects primarily rock sounds, heavy, flirting here with hardcore and metal, there with grunge and stoner, without neglecting noisy bursts and acid-lysergic sensations: the quality level is almost always high, noteworthy are the Falconara-based Lush Rimbaud, skillful in navigating through a myriad of genres without sticking to any of them, the Jesi-based Guinea Pig, creators of a skewed, sick, and alcoholic blues halfway between Jon Spencer and our own One Dimensional Man, the tightly syncopated and sharp hard rock of Raptus, the total and lysergic madness of Vel, and the refined emo of the Pesaro-based Sprinzi.
The second volume turns towards electronic and post-rock territories, less direct and impactful compared to the previous one, and with more expansive atmospheres... perhaps it is slightly less memorable than the other, but largely this is due to the genre of music itself, more demanding and difficult by nature: still, there are good discoveries here like the Pesaro-based Aerodynamics, the Senigallia-based M.A.Z.C.A. (Adriatic's own Mogwai), the danceable rhythms of the Macerata-based Diabolico Coupè (already appeared in the first volume of Loser, My Religion), but above all the Falconara-based Sedia, with their monolithic sound magma, noisy and obsessive, recently signed by the Milanese Wallace and already reviewed by major national outlets (e.g., Rumore).
In short, a good initiative for an overview of a very vast and composite scene, discovering new underground realities which often can’t find visibility otherwise, forced to remain in provincial anonymity despite often having a better quality level than bands that have been offering the same recipes for years, reassured by a famous name considered by many as false guarantees of quality.
Awaiting similar initiatives from other regions... www.kathodik.it
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