Massimo Volume: Lungo i bordi (Mescal, 1995)

Now here we have one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian rock. The second album by Bolognese quartet Massimo Volume is extraordinary both from a purely historical/stylistic point of view and emotionally.

Massimo Volume's unique style revolves around vocalist/bass player Emidio Clementi's spoken word rants. Decadent, intimate and detached, grave, literate, extremely self-conscious. Clementi surgically outlines leaden, hopeless metropolitan life sceneries. One of the few "songwriters" of his generation who can actually bear his own writing tone.
The music more than supports Clementi's recitations, but it's probably the need to secondate them that makes their noise-rock basis shapeshift into dilated, nervous noise-jazz soundtracks which may be seen as the Italian way to the Louisville sound of Slint and June of 44.

"Lungo i bordi" is practically the first Italian post-rock album, and surely one of the most original of its decade. One of the most accomplished fusions of music and words to be ever carried out by Italian rock.


Tracklist:

1. Il primo dio
2. Il tempo scorre lungo i bordi
3. Inverno '85
4. Frammento 1
5. La notte dell'11 ottobre
6. Fuoco fatuo
7. Per farcela
8. Meglio di uno specchio
9. Pizza express
10. Da qui
11. Nessun ricordo
12. Ravenna

Download (192 kbps)