Nada: L'amore è fortissimo e il corpo no (Storie di note, 2001)

There's a current which spawned through the Italian Nineties, corrupted most of their music and still drenches many contemporary productions with its fetishism for decadence and corporality. I'm talking about the "alternative rock" trend encompassing anything from Afterhours to Marlene Kuntz, such plagues as Giorgio Canali, Cesare Basile, and other of their fellow sulkers.
One of the very few good good outcomes of that scourge is Nada's "L'amore è fortissimo e il corpo no". It's not an orthodox representative of the trend, but it's a very good album indeed, and the influence of straighter "alternative" styles is evident. Basically, it's a singer/songwriter work, with very mature and raw lyrics depicting problematic lives and destitute conditions. More than narrating or describing, the songs "furnish" the space with sounds and scattered images, making you perceive the very mood of the situations.
Nada's voice is stark and livid, but shows an adultness which completely sets it apart from the "poser" attitude of the stereotypical late-Nineties "loser". The sound mixes sombre jazz/blues atmospheres, acoustic timbres, and hints at some trip-hop solutions. Someway, it reminds of the extraordinary ambience of Serge Gainsbourg's "L'histoire de Melodie Nelson". There are many harsher "rock" grafts though, right with the alternation of coarse sounds and effected "psychedelic" passages which is typical of Italian alternative rock. A couple of tracks are a bit brighter nevertheless, and even feature some reggae influences or musical box sounds.

Nada Malanima was born in 1953 in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). She debuted when she was just sixteen, and crossed four decades with a high-quality career marked by important artistic partnerships (Piero Ciampi, Paolo Conte, Goblin, Avion Travel...). During the Nineties she approached to songwriting, and "L'amore è fortissimo e il corpo no" is her third album as an author.

Tracklist:

1. Gesù
2. Giulia
3. Meraviglioso
4. L'amore è fortissimo
5. In generale
6. Grazie
7. La musica antica
8. Suonano alla porta
9. Questa donna

Download (192 kbps)


Similar music on the blog:
La Crus: omonimo (1995)
Fiorella Mannoia: Certe piccole voci (Harpo, 1999)

Radiodervish: In acustico (Cosmasola, 2001)

A duo composed by Ligurian multi-instrumentist Michele Lobaccaro and Palestinian-born singer Nabil Salameh, Radiodervish were formed (originally as Al Darwish) in the late Eighties in Bari and took their name from the one of Sufi Muslim ascetics.
"In acustico" is their first live album, with songs taken from their first three LPs. While the studio works relied on electronica and quasi trip-hop atmospheres, the same songs are here stripped down to their acoustic roots. All of the tracks are intimate, suspended ballads with a dreamlike pop vein and very strong Mediterranean nuances reflecting both on the harmonies and the melodic style - the latter alternating Italian and Arabian language vocals with wordless melisms. Minimal piano and string arrangements and coruscating acoustic strumming make the mood even more delicate, charming and melancholic.


Tracklist:

1. Bahia
2. Taci, il nemico ti ascolta
3. Radiodervish
4. Gaza
5. Rosa di Turi
6. New Partisan
7. Due Soli
8. Belzebù

Download (192 kbps)

24 Grana: K Album (La canzonetta, 2001)

24 Grana are one of the most original Italian bands to come out of the late Nineties. Starting for their first album "Loop" back in 1997, they fused dub and trip-hop tendencies with Neapolitan language. Ska/hip-hop influences and their relation with the Centri Sociali anarco-leftist area put them near Almamegretta and 99 Posse as the main representatives of a new "Southern" trend in Italian alternative music. A mild psychedelic mood in their first albums, a decisive rock attitude and a less ideologically-charged stance contributed in distinguishing them firmly nonetheless.

Their third studio album, "K album", marked a shift towards a more lucid pop-rock formula. The sound forsook many of its reggae-drawn elements and took a far-seeing indie electronic direction probably inspired by "Kid A" and Radiohead's new course.
The songs of the album alternate Italian and Neapolitan languages and though their sound had now become very "English" their Mediterranean roots are always present in their harmonies and melodies. The frequent use of melodic minor scales higlights both their link to the Neapolitan tradition and the lead guitarist's appreciation of Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood's style.
Besides all comparisons, "K album" is an impressive collection of perfectly accomplished pop songs. Essential, though deep in their sound. Extremely varied, though always recognizable in style. Intensely inspired, nervous, urban and melancoholic.


Tracklist:

1. Pikkola kanzone per K
2. 'E kose ka spakkano
3. Kanzone doce
4. Kanzoneanarkika
5. Kanzone su un detenuto politico
6. Kanzone su Londra
7. Kanzone del pisello
8. Kevlar
9. Kanzone del fumo

Download (192 kbps)