Mi arriva in soccorso in questa prima metà di aprile il misterioso balsamo di cura e di empatia contenuto in Gold – il secondo disco di Alabaster DePlume per la International Anthem di Chicago (uscito in Europa per Lost Map) – arriva in una scatola magica come il genio della lampada e si consegna alle nostre anime affaticate dal lungo inverno e dal cielo grigio che tarda a rischiarare. Poco più di un’ora di poesia e improvvisazione che ricordano l’amor proprio, I remember my ex’s email address, But I forget I’m precious, e suggeriscono di affrontare la paura senza nasconderla, la vergogna senza il giudizio, fino a sentirsi fragili, sensibili e creativi.
Italian-born Marta Del Grandi is an eclectic singer songwriter gathering influences from near and far to create a unique genre-splicing style, a jazz vocalist originally, now travelling her own unique and unchartered path. Marta studied Jazz Vocals at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, she visited China, then Nepal where she taught at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, before returning to Italy where she unpacked the influences and inspirations she’d soaked up. Re-connecting with old sparring partners and collaborators along the way, she met new like-minded souls and developed a plan that had first been ignited in Kathmandu’s rarefied air where she re-imagined her relationship with music and its with her. From there, songs became soundtracks, patterns emerged, vocals drifted over electronic synths, classical structures and ambient soundwaves ran abreast; strange nuances of texture evolved. Her vocal style matured; became folky, West Coast, ethereal, pronounced, enveloped, exotic, explorative, a chameleon-like presence counter-balancing her music. Marta Del Grandi has studied the fine art of songwriting, drawing from the wonderment of life, she weaves stories of marine fossils at the peak of the Himalayas, myths around precious stones and species on the brink of extinction. Morricone-esque in structure, with a hint of David Lynch, her music is playful and evocative. Signed to Fire Records, she released her debut album for the label, Until We Fossilize, on November 5th, 2021.
Uno dei miei primissimi ricordi di musica “altra” ha a che vedere con un paio di videoclip (così si chiamavano all’epoca), probabilmente trasmessi su Videomusic nell’inverno del 1984 o all’inizio del 1985, il cui protagonista era un tipo buffo, con occhiali smisurati e un aspetto decisamente lontano da quello delle popstar del momento (c’erano i Duran Duran, gli Spandau Ballet, gli Wham, tutti belloni di cui le ragazzine erano innamorate). Le canzoni mi erano sembrate secondarie, in quel momento, come una specie di contorno alle gag travolgenti del cantante occhialuto, un commento sonoro che mi pareva, allora, divertente ma trascurabile.
L’incantevole grazia dell’universo sonoro di Anne Garner non rappresenta certamente una novità per chi ne ha seguito negli anni l’itinerario artistico che in Lost Play del 2018 sembrava aver raggiunto un apice difficilmente ripetibile. Fortunatamente la possibilità di sbagliarsi esiste sempre e a quattro anni di distanza ci ritroviamo di fronte ad un nuovo lavoro che ponendosi in piena continuità col precedente propone una formalizzazione ancor più efficace e curata di quell’ammaliante intarsio musicale.
Poet and songwriter Jenny Berkel’s forthcoming new album, These Are the Sounds Left from Leaving is set for release on May 13th via Outside Music. Each song is set in the micro-world of a keen feeling observer, trying to parse a mindful moment in a setting where it feels impossible to drop a truth anchor – a post-Trump, heavily gaslit world where perceptions of reality remain distorted. “I wrote the album in a tiny apartment, at a time when everything felt big and overwhelming,” says Berkel about her new album. “The songs themselves are a study of proximity, bringing big fears into small spaces,” says Jenny, reflecting on the album. “They’re intimate examinations of a world that often overwhelms.” The album features contributions from critically acclaimed folk duo Kacy & Clayton, and string arrangements by Colin Nealis (Andy Shauf)—and for the first time, Jenny took on a production role, co-producing alongside Dan Edmonds and Ryan Boldt (The Deep Dark Woods). “I wanted the songs to feel like living creations that capture a living moment,” says Jenny about envisioning the recording process. “I wanted that theme of big fears in small spaces to be heard and felt as a coexistence of intimacy and menacing permeability.” Jenny Berkel released so far two records (and an EP) and a chapbook, Grease Dogs, with Baseline Press.
