ANELLI SOLI - Malomodo

Little Verdena are growing up.

Among the acknowledgements on this record are the names of Paul McCartney, The Beatles and John Bonham, but a single, massive thanks in capital letters could have been reserved for Alberto Ferrari.

Traces of the Bergamo chicken coop can be spotted just about everywhere on the debut of Anelli Soli, a Sicilian trio made up of Marco Anello (guitars and vocals), Luca Anello (drums) and Antonio Stella (keyboards and synths).

Original in their titles ("La classica scena in cui muoio", "Viaggio intorno al suo cranio") as well as in how the songs unfold, they have no qualms about playing with their cards face up, boldly displaying their influences and musical tastes, with a compositional attitude that is derivative yet refined.

There's no doubt that "Santaresa" and "Vagobendaggio" (a round of applause for the well-executed wordplay) could pass for outtakes from "Wow", but this doesn't diminish the quality of the material Anelli Soli offer, especially since being able to replicate certain sounds and such nuances is anything but simple.

Anyway, "Malomodo" holds more than that: see the Flaming Lips of "Youppi Du per bambole", the acoustic onslaughts of "Canzone per persone buone" and "Il cane stanco", the sturdy strumming of "Come Ernersto l'ombra", or the accommodating embroidery of the first single "Ina Ina" (another unmistakably Ferrari-esque moment).

"Malomodo" offers brilliant indie pop reworked in an alt-rock key, making it more appealing to discerning palates while steering clear of the cliché of the "too easy" song.

A few tracks come across as objectively less successful, or are deliberately left in demo form or close to it ("Acine mod"), but the record flows pleasantly and feels complete.

It will be interesting to see in the future where Anelli Soli's songwriting evolves: they cannot possibly keep following the Verdena trail forever.

And at that point, the evaluations may become more meaningful and (why not?) more rewarding.

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12/03/2012