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Franco Battiato
| Biography |
Being based on little but important constants it generates them, which the cultured search and the experimentation of the all staff, in last the three decades Frank Battiato has published a great divaganti number of album in the piu' disparati fields, from the progressive ones rock to the vanguard, from classic music and sacred to the electronics, passing above all for an anomalous type of composition POP suspended between intellectual divagazioni and tendencies it trades them. Been born to Jonia (province of Catania, Sicily) in 1945, around the nineteen Battiato years is moved to Milan. After some year of gavetta it obtains first record contracts; between 1965 and 1969 publish five or six 45 turns not considerable happening. Draft of simplest and most commercial canzonette of love or infuence beat (between the other neanche written from he), according to the tradition followed from nearly the totality of Italian music of the period. The motivating force of the change releases during the edition of 1968 of "a Disc for the summer", celebre wireless manifestation canora of the age: Battiato notices of being of the all stranger to the context that encircles it and, with admirable courage, breaks off without contracted every hesitation that the alloy to that false and deplorable record world. It follows a short period of deep personal crisis, only exceeded with the aid of two new strong interests that they give lì in then will characterize its way to be and to conceive the musical art: the sufismo of the Middle Eastern mystics (to case the Arabic culture will not be the center of the university studies of the composer in the successive decade) and music electronic. On the end of the 60 one set offs in fact on the exploration of the sintetizzatori (was therefore the first one in Italy and between first in the old continent, at least for that it regards the simple within rock) and of contemporary concrete music. Completed before its innumerevoli transformations, that one that is from young person and mediocre singer to experimenter and radical leader of the newborn seppur poor Italian scene underground, Battiato gives to life between 1971 and the 1972 to its first 33 turns, the Fetus revolutionary, published between the other for one small record house alternative. Elettro-acoustic atmospheres, use sometimes violent and sconsiderato of synth the VCS3 and small movements of vanguard characterize this dark album; it had of sure be a matter itself vergognosamente of true and just a shock for the rear national light scene, already to leave from the cover image (impressive photo of a fetus). Between sad melodie from the Mediterranean sapore analogic electrons arranged with instruments ("a Cell", "Energy, Mutation"), surrealistic pieces (the wonderful "Fetus" and the pitiless "Cariocinesi") and crashs guitar-sintetizzatore with sampled contaminations ("Fenomenologia", "Anaphase" and the optimal "Mechanics"), the disc turn out to be a psichedelico travel with leaps from the microscopical one of the cell to the infinite of the space, inspired between other from "the New World" of Aldous Huxley (to which it is dedicated). Battiato delineates therefore concept a album in hybrid shape, suspended between sour song and "kosmische musik". The destruction of the format song has followed in according to Pollution (1973), true and just a job of "progressive rock of vanguard", suspended between interrogated existential and the issue to you of the pollution, than it is reflected musically with the "contamination" of matrix electronic. The album is opened with valzer the championship de "Hush Of the Noise" on which the voice reciting of ours is spread, meeting then in short and emblematic "31 December 1999 - Hours 9", with the battery to accompany guitar gashes electrical worker distorted and risen of organ, until the final war outbreaks. Perhaps the three brani that follow represent one of the apexes more originate them of sudeuropea music rock: "Areknames", with partitura and text distorted respective played and sung to the contrary, is spread between hard melodie for VCS3; in "Beta" apparently demential phrases and short vibrating effects encircle empty (the not that "cosmic one" of Schulze or Froese, but that "mental one" of Battiato), soon but overwhelmed from five sublime minuteren in which low, battery and plan (leak to you through the VCS2) intercross eterei vocal effects; in "Plancton" the antithetic fight sintetizzatore acoustic guitar vs. catches up its formal apex, before being broken from an elettro-ethnic end. The physics principles sing to you in the title-track and I plant of "You Six Never Asked Which Function You have" they close this jewel indiscusso of the rock experiences them. Strongly of the new international experiences that it is accumulateing in this period, like the concerts in support of Brian Eno, Magma, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, John Cale and Nico and others, and above all based on the lessons fattegli privately from the master and friend Karlheinz Stockhausen, already from same the 1973 Battiato it is converted to a vanguard shape even more intellectual and intimista. Towards ending of the public year one of its maximum jobs, On the Ropes Di Aries. They converge incredibly in this new one, most serious job the repetitive experimentation, somewhat sophisticated electronics and above all one particular shape of acoustic music that rifà remarkablly to the Arabic tradition. Joined E' the time "to construct something of new", and Battiato ago eliminating guitars, bottoms and battery in favour of breaths, Oboe, violoncello, I send it, calimba and slowly prepared. The sixteen minuteren of the suite "Sequences and Frequencies" never more dictate the parameters of the new style (resumed in some other album): two lines of sintetizzatore rapiscono the senses of the listener bundling up itself skillfully between they, until the superimposition of the voice of the author delineating images of indescrivibile beauty. The continuous piece then with the thirteen (longest ones!) minuteren of musical ecstasy, during which the rhythms color to you but ipnoticamente repetitive of the more traditional instruments and the percussions they join to continuous background of programming electronic one. The sound seems more times to vanish and to conclude themselves, but in truth its march does not have aim; music becomes instrument of dissolution of the ego and mental new exploration dimension. The instrumental "wonderful Aries" and the two "Air Di Rivoluzione" and "From East To the West" complete the disc, riproponenti in small the structure of base of the first piece. To follow, with one new Battiato, radical change of direction gives life to the quarter and probably last capolavoro of its first discografia they, the alarming Clic (1974 experiments), totally dedicated to the person and the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Abandoned definitively the requests from pure musician of art rock, Battiato sforna seven short ones and inusuali compositions nearly all orchestrate them of electronics experience them. Atmospheres suspended between tetro and the ultramundane one ("Cancel Of the Memory", "the Market Of Of i", "In the Yard Of an Infancy"), electronic movements ("Not U Turn", "Propiedad Prohibida") and collage rumoristico-sonorous in style John Cage ("Rien Of it Go Plus: Andante "," Ethika Fon Ethica") characterizes this small every work cured in particular from its author, than alternate to the plan, the organ, the electronic instruments and the effettistica. No piece is risen more of the others, but to cite they are above all the saddest one "Not u turn", only sung brano also, in which a part recorded to the contrary and one normal is between embedded they, and "Propiedad Prohibida", where one small orchestra of electronic instruments in style "cosmic music" is taken advantage of in order extraordinarily to create a course chasing until converging in final being involved assolo of violino. From trasformista which it is, Battiato set offs however to abandon nearly of the all electronics. It completes short tour for tastierista southern Italy as of the Magnetic Chassis (a group formed for the occasion with some friends of the scene alternative of the peninsula) from whose recordings a album will come published twenty years after (1995) live (draft of improvisations from the vaguely cosmic sapore). Of the same period "Gladiator" (1975 is the M.elle disc), inferior however to the standards of the composer. Approximately ten minuteren of samplings and hard and disarmonici sovraincisioni (but a lot piu' of those of "Clic"), that they then make place to approximately twenty discontinuous minuteren of organ sounds, it records to you in the cathedral of Monreale. It is not comprised to full load if M.lle the Gladiator represents a large and pretenziosa badly succeeded idea, or if to the contrary it is simply a made disc of "fillings experiences them" faces to mask, if not the lack of ideas, at least the transitory phase of the author. Passed then from the small label of vanguard Bla Bla large to the Memories (than paradoxicalally it seems dargli even greater musical freedom!), this mysterious artist known from hardly a thousand of persons dedication, at least for two or three years, to the composition cultured classic-avantegarde artist. He passes the days closed in house in front of the pianoforte in the attempt to give life to new sonorous shapes and above all attends musicians of classic (the pianista Antonio Tall story teller, executor of the recordings on disc of the compositions of Battiato of this period, and Just Devout, its master of violino and collaborating future to the agreements of the album of music POP from 1979 until 1991). He turns out you of such musical search are documents to you in the album Battiato (1977). The brano "Za" only gives nineteen minuteren of ossessiva and hardest music in order pianoforte, with effects of acoustic amplification and the slowest variations. E' the same author to supply one short description of the piece in the cover of the Lp: "Apparently poor. Nearly completely formed from an agreement. Intentionally percussivo (it never does not come to you used the right pedal). It divides and it embezzles resonances with one technical of release. It needs of I listen to that I would define goal-analytical, in favor of one non-spazialità to-thunderstorm." The B side of the disc introduces raffinatissimo collage of "Cafe' -Table-Musik" (the name drawn from the "Coffee-table-books", expression with which Proust it defined its books). The song of soprano Salvetta Maria and some short recited deliveries is spaced out to gentle pianistici fragments. Of smaller importance the album Juke Box (1978), conceived like sonorous column of an Italian film tv of the period but then refused from the authors of the same one. Draft of six brani for plan, violini, soprano and chorus. Nothing of extraordinary, but a lot amusing is the closing piece "Telegraphs", in which violino only of Just Devout comes "blinked" in way than more heartbreaking for beyond six minuteren and means, until the mental exhaustion of the ill-fated listener. The pianistiche lessons of "Za" are capacities to the apex from the two long parts that compose the last true album properly experience them of Battiato, from the title it Egypt Before Sands (1978). In title-track (the brano winner of the international prize Karlheinz Stockhausen of that same year), a same fast "phrase" of pianoforte is repeated tens and tens of times to the infinto without some variation, unless in the length of the pauses; the maximum example of the ability to Battiato is probably this to create ipnotiche and in a marked manner meditative atmospheres. The long second piece "South Afternoon" puts instead in prominence the remarkablly percussiva member, nearly maniacale, of the sound of the pianoforte. But without warning Battiato puts in action perhaps one of the greatest changes than style and of kind that the history of music memories. The difference that passes between Egypt Before Sands and the successive job is to say little amazing. Those de It Were Of the Wild boar White man (1979), published for EMI, are true and own orecchiabilissime songs POP! But that POP! Abandoned of an all vanguard, Battiato transfers the own experimentation picked in the within of the format song, discovering itself therefore perfect intellectual cantautore. In the good or the evil the kind coined from the sicialian - and carried ahead, seppur in continuous phase of change, the successive decade - fuses in way most personal music for many and music for little; that but has not turned out of one mere mediation: paradoxicalally it sforna pleasant songs to the ear like never if they were felt some, but at the same time more intellectuals than how much never had felt themselves. Something could perhaps be found in the rest of the history of music that is similar that vaguely, but in Italy the "Battiato style" was and still e' something of inarrivabile (the existence very little "students" is today to demonstrate it). Orecchiabili compositions are proposed with rich agreements in the sign of the contamination and the originalita'. Nevertheless they are the witnesses to turn out strongly impressive: evidencing in short a new approach with the hard Italian language, Battiato delineates a shape of "pseudo-psichedelia" reflecting; pieces draft essentially suspended between philosophical meditation and esoterismo, often accompanies from continuous citations "too much" high end to you and from "strafings" of evocative images, sometimes evidently d3connectered between they. The apex of such shape song is found just in the first Lp of the new course. He was Of the Wild boar White man is one scato it POP that gives the impression to stretch more points, from the jazz-rock to sacred music, but that (the particularitity is this) always remains and only music POP. The tittle-track it joins riff of guitar electrical worker and violino to an incessant heartbeat of battery, even if to touch the listener it is just the voice in falsetto of the author, than leaving from the empty one she extends to paint a "virtual East" (as just Battiato has then defined it). E' in effects the same "evoked East" in the pretendedone of "Roads Of the East", while "Magic Shop" is a hard reflection on the commercialization of art, culture and above all religion. After the classicheggiante course of the instrumental "Indiana Moon", the meditativa part of the work arrives. "the King Of the World" (title it from writing of Guénon) is the capolavoro of the disc: low, battery, keyboards, pianoforte and violino accompany this visionario and melancholic piece skillfully (epochal the start of before strofa: "Strange like the rumble of the fighter aircrafts a time stonasse with the rhythm of the plants to the sun on the balconies."). "Passover Etiope" is one prayer POP in Latin and Greek centralized on melodia for Oboe. It closes "Stranizza D' Amuri" that, beyond to the particularitity of being in dialetto sicialian, is perhaps the only simple song of love (in the tight and pure sense of the term) that it can be attributed to the sconfinata work of the musician. Successive Patriots (1980), also in its originality, is remarkablly inferior. Music becomes orecchiabile, to the limits of the canzonetta wireless; the less gentle but equally complex agreements, with a marked use than guitars electronic electrical workers and sounds. The witnesses make more ironici strangely, but not forgiveness their evocativo character. The only piece of effective relief is however the brilliant social critic of "Up Patriots To Arms", where the voice in falsetto of Battiato sings with rassegnato tone the stupidity of the people, supported from a perfect accompanyment, from the ritmica section until the keyboards in foundation. Although from a pair of years it has already abandoned the pure experimentation, it is alone in 1982 that Battiato passes from the state of musician underground to that one of popstar, with the album the Voice Of Master (1981). Seven practically perfect and intelligent songs and, what do not give little, even dance orecchiabili and. All the papers in rule (someone more picked would say "plans of reading") for appeal to to anyone, insomma. Musically the disc is introduced like "POP", but riaggiornato with sprayed of what the musical scene of the previous years had produced, from the punk to the electronics, from the new wave until found "classicheggianti" the due in great part to the collaboration tightened with master Devout Giusto, author of musics with to the same Battiato. The witnesses are brilliant pastiche of literature, music, publicity, politics, philosophy, religione.e she is not given to us to know until that pure point features of nonsense or sages approaches. Sure it is that Battiato does not have fear of mischiare citazionismo ups and downs: you give "Minim moralia" of I adorn (than in "Flag white woman" Sons become "Immoralia") ai "delle stars" of Alan Sorrenti, dal "Sing to me or diva" to "the world is gray the world is blue", of Nicholas di Bari. The social critic is pitiless and some witnesses, beds today, anticipate lucidamente and clamorously years 80, so-called of "riflusso", with the rampantismo, the crisis of the ideologies and the run-up to the money and the well-being ("Are sons of stars greats-granddaughter of its maestà the money"): however sventolio of the flag the white woman of omonima the song (anch' it a citation, from "Hears to Venice" of Arnaldo Fusinato, of 1849) is not other that a sign of yield from part of the cantautore in the comparisons of the society, something of similar to the metaphor of the return of the "wild boar white man" of a pair of front album. They do not lack not even the social denunciation, seppur veiled of irony ("quei demential programs with electoral tribunes", "How many squallide figures that cross the Com' country are poor the life of the abuses of being able") and the pinpricks, also in this case sarcastiche that convinced, towards music ("To Beethoven and Sinatra I prefer insalata/ To Vivaldi the grape passes above all that it gives more calories to me", "e submergeeed from musical immondizie", "sopporto the Russian choruses music pretended rock new wave Italian the free jazz punk English neanche the black African"). E' thanks to this mix that Battiato scale the classifiche, but convinces also the critic, even if in the album, beyond to the three brani ones more celebrates and still indimenticati ("Flag white woman", "Cuccurucucù" and "I try a center of permanent gravity"), are present some songs more refined and little giocose, as "the birds", elegant and poetica description of the flight, "Mark them of life", reflection on the time and the space that anticipates very of the Battiato that will come, and "Sentimiento nuevo", atypical piece of its repertorio, practically a hymn to the physical love, seppur scattered of classic citations. Better it will go subsequently (as an example with Caffé De the Paix and the ambush), with discs but more cervellotici that will appeal to more to the critic who to the public: The Voice Of the Master remains only example a nearly, in the Italian discografia, of album that is successful to put of agreement all. More than POP tending to being picked, that one of the trilogy "Cinghiale/Patriots/Padrone" is similar cultured music that traveste perfectly from musichetta POP. Battiato has stravinto its greater challenge: to make "intentionally" the most commercial music without but losing the cultural dignity of just operated, indeed if not strengthening it. In such sense, just the Voice Of the Master can be considered the better successful experiment of the sicialian composer, a nearly inimitabile work. To case in the jobs succeeded it will not only make the things to you better when he will try various ways somewhat. In fact, the album immediately happened, that they try to maintain a part to you of the formula, introduces turns out more mediocre to you. Arca Di Noè (1982) is short rising of concept pessimistic album, in some points apocalyptic, where the easy melodie persist, but the agreements variega you of the previous disc are replaced from a uniformita' sonorous tending to ritmica but soothed electronics. "Warsaw Radio", "the Exodus", "New Frontiers" and above all "I want To see to you To dance" represent the apex of a album little shining, but at least pleasant. "the Season Of the Love" is instead the song that door to happened the disc Lost Horizons (1983), perhaps more "cantautorale" and, seppur in its intellectual invective, trades them. The merits of this period of the career of Battiato probably go only search to you in the computer introduction and rising technologies in the creation of songs of mass consumption, in the opposition to the musical oppression of the Anglo-Saxon market, beyond that to little others found more bizzarre, as as an example the use of a chorus of madrigalisti in within POP (see as an example the Voice Of the Master and Di Noè Arches It). Pregi and above all limits of the sort return definitively in the Farthest Worlds (1985). Suspended between cues fantascientifici ("NoTime Not Space", "Milky Way"), moments of intimismo ("the Animal"), pieces from cantautore ("Awakening Di Primavera", "the Trains Di Tozeur"), elettro-POP ("Chanson Egocentrique") and similar, Battiato sforna a album of songs that enter as nothing was in the ear of the listeners, also of that they do not comprise any always elevated cultural divagazioni. With the album in Spanish language Ecos De Danza Sufies (1985) and Nomadas (1987), Battiato begins while is introduced also in South America and the Iberian peninsula (a lot that in years Ninety will be forced riproporre in Castilian great part of its discs), while the correspondent in English Echoes Of Sufi Dances (1985) will have succeeded minor. Master Stockhausen had pointed out it some year before that he could not continue to make the singer beyond the 40 years. To case just to that Battiato age he does not give to beginning to a career parallel of cultured composer (that from artist POP it he is not, the difference is not that now it tries sometimes to escape from the format song). The occasion in order to inaugurate it is originates it them classic work in three actions Genesis (1986), in truth characterized in great part from sonorità synthetic and electronic. The return to the song is hour tutt' other that they trades: Fisiognomica (1988) opens a disc series of the sicialian cantautore influences to you from classic music and supported from new an increasing desire of spiritualità, a lot that the musician will be destined to evolversi in first years 90 in adverse cantautore-philosopher to the mass consent. The album has many remarkable cues (type the danced ones "and I come To try" and "According to Imbrunire", that they fuse song of philosophical-existential love and thematic, or the agreement to You variopinto de "the Myth Of the Love", than part from sequences for keyboard in order to sink in pianistici passages, powerful lyric choruses and final with assolo of guitar electrical worker and organ from church), but the apex is in the final brano "the Ocean Of Hush", that it joins keyboards and orchestra in the calmest and ipnotico course, and that it already anticipates magical the sonorità of the successive album Like a Camel In One Grondaia. Before two record escapes would go but cited others: the double quantity live Giubbe Red (1989), that it seems to close the period definitively trades them of the author, and Cellini Welcome - One Life Scellerata (1990), most negligible sonorous column of an Italian film-tv of that year. Like a Camel In a Grondaia (1991), recorded to the Abbey Road, it is one risen of stilistica revolution. Abandoned the variety of music and witnesses who had rendered it famous, Battiato gives to hour vent to the own religiosità and incessant intellectual desire in simple way, elegiaco. It turns out some but a difficult album, where the song is accompanied from melancholy of the pianoforte, beyond that from rare and imperceptible agreements of keyboard that they meet in continuous and ipnotico proceeding of the national orchestra of London. There are four lieder classics (Wagner, Martin, Brahms, Beethoven) that they hardly serve to make number, and as many new brani of the cantautore. In "Poor Native land" and the title-track, the tranquillity of music in is antite with how much never explicit expressed political and social invectives. Pieces worthier than famous are but the two sublime mystical and religious brani: the reflection de "Sacred the Sinfonie Of the Time" and the prayer directly turned to God de "the Shadow Of the Light". Spacing out cultured songs and jobs more classics, Battiato reaches second the esoteric work Gilgamesh (1992), less electronically leaked of the previous "Genesis", but sure somewhat pretenziosa. After by now the historical "concert of Baghdad" with the national orchestra irachena (transmitted in mondovisione and still reperibile in Vhs), the author returns in Italy being strange of new all with one of the best jobs of its career: De coffee Paix (1993), that it optimally resumes the innovations of Battiato POP of years 80, filtering them but with the misticismo vortices that attack it in this period. Battery, bottom, guitars, keyboards and computer, definitively reintegra you, go to intercross the instruments sometimes classics and even those traditional Arabs, forming therefore one extraordinary example of world music in format song. To the by now usual nearly arrhythmic tastieristico-orchestrali expansions with mystical text ("On the Garden Of Preesistenza", "Search On the Third party", "Haiku") spaces out a danced series of most effective variously arranged, between tradition and modernity. Beyond to the Arabic classic "Fogh in Nakhal", the Paix ", than draft of the reincarnation (true creed of the cantautore) and the new religious overhong of" Praise To the Inviolato "are the colored" De Coffee, with chasing course. The capolavori of the disc are but nearly the grandiloquent "Atlantis", fort of chasing ritmiche and regurgitations of electronics, and apparently the quieter "Delenda Carthago". Of live the successive year they are little the important Unprotected (1994), whose mediocrity is reorganized solo from the optimal one chosen of the brani presents, and new Put classic Archaic (1994), composition religious for single, chorus and orchestra, capacity in turn for the churches (not only catholic) of Italy, and not negligible succeeding. In the same year, in occasion of ennesima the work "the Knight of the Intelletto" (never published), is born the collaboration with old sicialian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro, than from that moment in then the witnesses of Battiato will be author nearly all. Eclectic phase of the sicialian cantautore begins therefore one new, full of true and own "pindarici flights" as far as the kinds undertaken. Bizzarra the collaboration has beginning nearly for case with the album the Umbrella and the Sewing machine (1995). In it the philosophical-delirious witnesses of Sgalambro - than in composing she resumes the stilemi intellettualistici tests you from Battiato, sometimes in even more emphatic way - are associated to heaviest atmospheres elaborated from the musician, having come to form a disc homogenous boring. Apocalyptic the better pieces are however "the Pub Small", "Short I invite to send back the Suicide" and the title-track. The poetico and aulic way is strange instead electronic incedere of "Tao" and above all to describe sexual desire in "Fornicazione". Passed to the Polygram after 16 years near EMI, Battiato it resumes in hand the guitar electrical worker and beginning from it delineates the album that definitively ridona the contemporary support not only of critic, but also of public: Ambush (1996) intercrosses the best tradition than cantautore intellectual of Battiato with the use of the guitars electrical workers. Remarkable also the support of Sgalambro, with its witnesses in high Italian who graze but English, French, portuguese, German the plurilinguismo (). However great part of the songs with difficulty makes from simple frame little pieces really very resolutions. "Of Passage" it is a reflection on the "panta guilty ones" of Eraclito that is spread on long riff of guitar electrical worker. "the Cure", an other of smash hit trades them, is one wonderful and aulic confession of love suspended between intellectual utopy and search of the own essence; but it is also the piece better orchestrated between all. The rock of "Strange Days" it joins the sour chitarristiche escapes of Battiato and David Rhodes (gia' to the service of Peter Gabriel) to two various lines of song, one in Italian, the other in English. For the rest only sophisticated they are danced, but with some unexpected cue a po' more it originates them (type the alternate course of "Serial Killer" and the pianistiche and vocal digressioni in "Ein Tag Aus Dem Leben DES Kleinen Johannes"). While continuous Battiato the exploration of the guitars electrical workers and, adopting of the more sour member, delineates an other most remarkable album, Gommalacca (1998), than of it it represents one of the succeeded maximums of sale, but at the same time paradoxicalally one of more you burn experiments. Rich of hard sounds electrical worker centralizes to you on the grandiloquence of the guitar, electronic contaminations, distortions and sovraincisioni, but also always in the most common limits of the song, Battiato coins one risen of "techno hard-rock intellectual", sure of remarkable impact, seppur perhaps leggermente manieristico. In the complex the disc is not unitarally beautiful, and various pieces could be of all even discard to you (to favor of the three contained unknown bonds in single "the Dance Of the Power" of the same year). But, taken singularly, various compositions make an impression in more points. As an example the reflection with accompanyment "metallaro" de "the Cape and the Ear", or the apparently gentle "Chaste Diva", in which "acute" of guitar electrical worker they accompany the acute ones samples you of Callas Maria, without to forget "Car From Fe'", centralized on the interaction between the same guitar electrical worker and the sintetizzatore. The true jewels of the disc, but, are "the Dance Of the Power" and "Shock In My Town". Before it joins percussions of tribale course with impressive choruses samples, hidden melodie, and evocation to you stronger of the usual, decreasing but the all in an atmosphere between the futuristico and light redundant one. The other is instead the maximum example of the enormous abilities of agreement of the Italian cantautore: to a riff of guitar in foundation an avalanche of sounds and distortions are overlapped, from the orchestra to the spectral choruses, from the optimal line of bottom to the electronic cues; the text, instead, is true and just "a travel with mescaline", between dark visions and avalanches of images; it is the snervante but refined to city chaos of Battiato, synthetized in the false distorted rhyme that it crosses and percuote periodically the entire brano: "shock in my town..Velvet Underground.". To testify the varieta' of styles that the author - by now ultra cinquantenne - knows to undertake in unconstrained way there is the passage from the synth and guitars electrical workers of single Gommalacca to pianoforte and the quartet of it arches that they accompany it in Fleurs (1999), refined "concept cover composed album" (beyond that from two unknown ones) from ten songs of other people's, above all going back love to years 50 and 60, and exactly arranged for ensemble from room. This curious disc is therefore musically much unitarian, although it contains the brani not always nearest between they, as the classic "Was De May" of the Neapolitan poet Salvatore Di Giacomo and "Ruby Tuesday" of the Rolling Stones (in truth, the aim of Battiato seems just that one makes to discover the vicinities us between such songs). For the greater part draft however of I hardly pay to a pair of Italian authors of the past (the defunct Fabrizio De André and Sergio Endrigo) and to some French correspondents (Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel etc.). But the surprise does not seem to end, since with a new blow of Battiato tail the format escapes once again song and on a commission basis of the Theatre of the Musical May Fiorentino it records for the Sony the seven movements experiences them that they compose hardest Magnetic Fields (2000). E' a momentary return to the tendencies avantegarde artist of the first 70, hour but filtered from the experience of 25 years of musical scorrazzamenti and from the use of the modern analogic technology. In a succeeding high period of popular, Battiato gives life sottovoce to its inascoltabile job. They are met in it continues electronic flows, driven crazy samplings, hundred of notes "shot" in little second ones, unexpected attacks of percussions, languidi recorded lyric and pianistici, recited parts that they deal of science, hidden melodie, and therefore via in one crash between "primordiali sounds" and courses from bizzarra but most serious computerized music. However, the best one of the seven movements is "The Age Of Ermafrodites", what in effects mainly it evidences the contrast between orecchiabilità appearances and inascoltabile music. The album is in the end only an example of the ecletticità of the author more than one new total adhesion to the vanguard, since the immediately successive banns are tending to the normal light song. Wrought iron (2001), that it sees hosts Natacha Atlas in a pair of brani and Jim Kerr of the Simple Minds to the choruses of the opening piece, seems to converge more points without but dealing of nobody as it must, turning out therefore somewhat disappointing. There e' the usual high POP ("Bist Du Beautiful most acceptable Mir" and "the Interminable Way"), the usual intimiste reflections ("Quiet After a Goodbye" or "the Distances D' Azzurro" from one poetry of Schopenhauer) and some "musical joke", type the cover slowed down of "Hey Joe" (homage but to Jimi Hendrix and not to the song) or the jazzate atmospheres of "Joke In Minor" and those electronic ones of the long one ghost-track. Fleurs 3 (2002) little represents the inspired continuation of omonimo of the three years before (draft of an anomalous "forced trilogy", |
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