Verdena
Wow

Talking about an album like "Wow" is something difficult. Announced already a year ago, the album seems to have gone through endless troubles before seeing the light: children born, broken hard disks, and surely much more that hasn't been told to us. And then the side projects of the Ferrari brothers with the "Betoschi," the collaboration with the eclectic Jennifer Jentle, the electro-pop of MGMT.

That there is a lot of work behind "Wow," many hours spent in the Bergamasque Prealps, closed in their Henhouse Studio, becomes evident from the first glance; a double album, powerful and thick. 27 tracks that Verdena reached after a process of selection and reduction, just to give an idea of how prolific Alberto has been lately.

"Razzi arpia inferno e fiamme" is the single that opened the album's launch and from the very first notes, one perceives to be truly facing a new elaboration of the band's style. Sounds with a Beatles flavor, melodious and straightforward. The scratched and distorted sounds that ran through previous works, are present less and less. In this track, as in many others, choirs on the vocal parts have been introduced, something new compared to the other albums. Furthermore, a large part of the composition is given by the piano, a significant instrument for "Wow" that sees a fourth member on tour, the keyboardist Omid Jazi. An excursus through the tracks might seem limiting and wouldn't fully return the organic nature of the whole. Certainly, "Wow" is something colossal but not for this cumbersome. The tracks flow smoothly in succession without frames given by dragged and repeated introductions and conclusions. The attacks are instantaneous, the track average settles at three minutes, a breath if you think that the previous "Requiem" contained pieces of eleven and twelve minutes. And perhaps it's no coincidence that some of the shortest pieces ("Lui gareggia," "Sul ciglio") are those with the most primordial sounds, from "Demo Tape," a nostalgic cameo to the first dirty and almost off-key grunge.

An album of quotes and tributes; "Mi coltivo" explicitly recalls King Crimson, the choirs of "Razzi arpia inferno" are clearly influenced by the sounds of the Beach Boys, an Italian Battisti finds his place in "E' solo lunedì." Notable too is the homage made to MGMT, for whom Verdena were supporting act with "Requiem," contained in "Miglioramento." The writing softens considerably, the lyrics are devoted to talking about loss and detachment. It happens that the phrase "chlorophyll on my troubles" becomes already a classic of their discography, interpretable and effective like the lyrics of "Valvonauta." The album communicates a sense of tranquility almost as if the three, whom we have learned to know as shy, frowning, and bewildered by their own skill, have found their dimension, their corner of serenity. The carefree nature now derives from the pure act of playing and experimenting. The soundscapes, built by the games of piano and synth, give the pieces the right emotional charge, accompanying Alberto's voice in a new way, truly allowing an original listening to the group, not completely attributable to their past (and what is expected from it).

"Wow" is a bold and courageous record, for certain anti-fans, but made so fascinating by this reluctance.