reviews / 2008

ABBA ZABBA - Hollenbackinfakie/ Today

2008 (Centre of wood)
songwriter
by Michele Saran
6.5

A native of Trieste, the young singer-songwriter behind the moniker Abba Zabba started out early on, strumming guitar for local bands with a punk bent. He then went solo to record two EPs, later collected in this release.

The first EP, “Hollenbackinfakie” (self-released, 2005), opens with the psychedelic motto of “Blue”, worthy of Pearls Before Swine, and also includes the lyrical whisper of “Tchoulii” (over dissonant radio static and trance-like guitar), the gentle sway of “May”, the broad folk sketch of “Ghosts” (which then accelerates into a true chamber sonata), and the instrumental sketch of “Thay Touch”.

“Today” (self-released, 2008), less intoxicated by psychedelia and more played-in, offers the crystalline “A Boy”, the hi-fi Banhart touch of “Moonback” and the spurious Van Morrison of the double “Begin/End”, alongside the nervy, suspended raga of “Wonderland”.

He has no aim for elaborate songcraft, but he does have the right touch, along with a tendency toward black-and-white rhetoric and even tear-jerking sentimentality. The voice (wandering, but never mawkish) blends it all with dedication, landing a few strong moments. Released and curated by Centre Of Wood, an old-school Roman indie label that loves and respects anyone who loves nature and lives “respecting animals, emotional music, handmade objects” etc.

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18/12/2008

This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Michele Saran, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition

Tracklist

  1. 1. Blue
  2. 2. May
  3. 3. Ghosts
  4. 4. The Thay Touch
  5. 5. Tchoulii
  6. 6. A Boy
  7. 7. Moonback
  8. 8. Wonderland
  9. 9. Begin/End

ABBA ZABBA on the web

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Abba Zabba on OndaRock

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06-10-2014
Preview: Abba Zabba – “Sereno EP” [STREAMING]
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