AA.VV. - C16 – Pure Italian Gems
2016 (Lady sometimes records)
alt-rock, shoegaze
7.5
Lady Sometimes is a small new label from Rome trying to make a name for itself as a voice for a niche corner of the Italian indie underground, focusing in particular on shoegaze and noise, very 90s sounds that continue to be explored by countless budding musicians in their difficult search for some essential breathing room.
In 1986 the New Musical Express, the famous British music magazine, released a little cassette called "C86", containing 22 tracks, among which stood out the names of Primal Scream, Pastels and Wedding Present, united by a decisive lo-fi attitude that would go on to set a trend, ushering in the golden age of the very first wave of English indie-pop.
Exactly thirty years later, Lady Sometimes has chosen 14 songs that declare their love for distorted guitars and analogue synths, banning radio-network standardization and hyper-polished chart productions, focusing instead on do it yourself as a means of spreading their sounds and ideas. The result is a mixtape whose declared aim is to promote not only the label's own output, but a genuinely representative segment of today's national independent scene.
We've already written, and favorably, about Flying Vaginas, Weird and Big Cream in recent months, and we'll do the same for Human Colonies in the coming days; Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger!, who open the compilation, are increasingly talked about as one of our country's most credible next big things, but for "C16" some currently "smaller" acts were also selected, largely unknown to most, with attention paid to a range of different visions and styles.
The result is a fine compilation, with We Melt Chocolate blending alt-pop attitude with dreamy touches, How Piano intent on sketching psychedelic scenarios, Tirrenian ready to contribute on the acoustic side wrapping things in nocturnal sweetness and folk swagger; Diverting Duo bet on electronic beats, Dull Company Myself, Paisley Reich and Klam open themselves up to wave influences, Blauss push toward catchier solutions, while My Invisible Friend remain closest to the sounds so dear to the label itself, building a wall of guitars clearly inspired by the lessons of My Bloody Valentine.
"C16", initially released exclusively as a 30-minutes-per-side cassette in a run of about a hundred copies, sold out quickly, but will soon be available again; in the meantime it can be streamed and downloaded (for free or for a donation, as you want) from the Lady Sometimes Records Bandcamp page.
Who knows whether in the future it will remain a cult item for collectors, or whether it will become a CD, as happened with the NME's "C86". We're not England, but even here at home there are fine musical realities that deserve far greater visibility: small projects like this one provide no small help, and today they have become absolutely indispensable.
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12/01/2017
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Lancia, 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.
Tracklist
- 1. Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! – The Smell
- 2. Weird – Forever Floating Feels
- 3. We Melt Chocolate – Space Girl
- 4. Big Cream – What A Mess
- 5. How Piano – Pandas Eat Eucalyptus
- 6. Tirrenian – Odaiba
- 7. Flying Vaginas – Coherence Riot
- 8. Dull Company Myself – Language
- 9. Diverting Duo – Your Brightest Day
- 10. Human Colonies – Falling Deeper
- 11. Paisley Reich – Nowhere
- 12. Blauss – A While Ago
- 13. Klam – Klamydia
- 14. My Invisible Friend - Eyes
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