Sometimes things return
If some of you happened to have missed the last few blog entries on some of the hottest Italian bands on the scene for one reason or another this time there are no excuses..
Bancale have returned and they are wilder and meaner than ever before.
The invasive sounds that enter your head, industrial melodies than travel up and down your skin while explosive lyrics pound in your ears. It is a trip into a parallel dimension where light continues to fade to black with every note that is played.
No negotiations: this Italian trio knows that they don’t present “easy listening material but that’s the way they like it..
And it’s thanks to their iron clad determination Bancale are able to show off the magic of their music even by causing the listener to have to follow strong emotions that penetrate the heart and leave a message imprinted on the soul.
“Randagio” is only a small morsel to taste, “Calalzio” takes your breath away thanks to subtle yet effective sound. “Megattera” will simply floor you without a doubt.
A journey into hell with, as Bancale describe , avant blues.. three tracks are needed to understand the greatness of the group and whether you want to reserve a return ticket back home.
Let yourself be contaminated.
Bancale's link
Jacopo Ravagnan
English translation by Karin Andrea Halliwell
Artists permanently and randomly on air at present date
The Good Musician
What makes an artist want to take risks?
What secret power hides a musician's shyness and insecurities, helping him or her to perform in front of an audience?
Sometimes I wonder how it's possible for a person to express intimate feelings in their music and lyrics with people who are willing to listen.
Like many musicians who tend not to be in the limelight (drummers like myself, always moving in the shadows), I always find those singers—who are able to take to the stage with pride and send a message to the audience—simply amazing.
This level of interaction with the public is my own personal way to separate the standard groups from the great groups, or a good musician from a great musician. Those who are capable of sharing personal concerns and worries that we all keep hidden inside day after day which, through their music, is set free.
Try and listen to Dillo and tell me if you don’t hear something magical. Listen closely to Resisiti and be moved by the sounds and voice that hit a note deep in your soul.
Stellanova finishes up the music by transmitting sensations and impressions from the heart.
I could say that Veronica Marchi is a refined musician and singer but would be be doing her an injustice.
If you haven’t yet understood the difference between musicians and excellent musicians, then Veronica Marchi is probably not for you.
http://www.veronicamarchi.it
Jacopo Ravagnan
English translation by Karin Andrea Halliwell
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Mine!: Catalan Rock & Roll for the New Millennium!
The word “utopic” can be used as a synonym to say that something is “far away” or even “out of reach.” Maybe it's for this reason that until now the bands I've had the pleasure to present as a Barcelona-based correspondent for Utopic Music Blog have been bands that come from the distant land of Spain but sing in English. The protagonists of this article are a welcome exception to this rule because there is a Catalan musician who seeks to reach wider audiences, singing in Catalan, rather than choosing to sing in the much more widespread Spanish language.
The group Mine! have decided to follow this direction, thanks to their feeling of devotion to their roots, although they don’t feel obliged to propose a traditional/folk repertoire. In fact, their sound is more appropriate for the dance floor than for of a folk festival. Their most recent album "Un Brindis pel Nen Androide" presents an original and quick rock & roll style that reveals, after careful listening, a great deal of imagination and a professional technical level of the quartet.
Their style can be remotely compared to bands like Franz Ferdinand. Each of the four musicians are excellent singers creating remarkable vocal harmonies as well as a good dose of irony recalling certain features of the refined pop music of the 60s-70s like The Beatles or Queen, to cite a few.
A special mention must be given to the promotional photos of the CD, with the whole band dressed in a ballet tutus or in renaissance clothing: a funny picture that makes us appreciate the sense of humor and the purpose of Mine!.
http://www.myspace.com/minetheband
Franco Rigato
Thanx to Karin Andrea Halliwell
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Three Snake Whispers
For those of you that don’t have a favourite musical group raise your hand. A band that could improvise an album of experimental indie punk rock by playing the ukulele and banjo holding a note for at least 5 minutes and you could judge it anyway amazing .
For those of you that raised a hand it is clear that you haven’t found a group(s) that speaks directly to your soul and not only to your ears. It is an essential condition because music must be able to bypass the sense of hearing to be able to send a spark to called emotions.
For those of you who have understood what I am trying to say will be able to comprehend my difficulty when I speak about a group like the Three in One Gentleman Suit. A band that always manages to surprise me while at the same transporting me with emotions.
This group from the Emilia area is never afraid to fully face the lessons of post -rock revisited and even though they remain steadfast regarding the musical coordinates that they move. They are able to interpret their music on an extremely personal level without ever falling into the traps of banality and are even able to incorporate other types of music to enhance their own sound.
Three tracks are included here, one for every member of the trio. These should get you started on a trip that I hope amazes you as much as it amazed me. The only set back is having to wait for next release of Three in One Gentleman Suit. You just can’t seem to get enough.
Jacopo Ravagnan
English translation by Karin Andrea Halliwell
http://www.tiogs.com/
http://youtu.be/eOsnoMyKiO0
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