GIORGIO CICCARELLI - A luci spente

For roughly fifteen years he tied his name to that of Afterhours, an experience that alone places him among the small circle of the most pivotal Italian musicians of recent years. Besides contributing to the making of landmark albums by Manuel Agnelli's band – notably his input in writing "The Milanese kill off Saturday night" and "Padania" – Giorgio Ciccarelli has also been the guiding spirit behind other important projects on the independent scene, among which it's worth mentioning at least the irreverent Sux!, whom I happened to see live opening for Afterhours themselves, as well as his work as a collaborator with Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi's Carnival Of Fools and with Xabier Iriondo's Six Minute War Madness.

After leaving Afterhours in 2014, at the end of the tour supporting "Padania", Giorgio Ciccarelli has pursued a solo path of considerable quality, once again facing all the difficulties inherent in trying to carve out space within an increasingly saturated "alternative" music scene. "A luci spente", his fourth solo album, proves to be a mature, beautifully arranged work, halfway between his past output and a style of singer-songwriting that might recall the Fossati of "La disciplina della terra". With his trademark husky voice, he immediately delivers a track of sumptuous pace, "A luci spente", the title track, built on skillful piano-based textures.

Guitars take center stage on the following "Peccati", and throughout the rest of the record there's also room for numerous electronic touches, as in the closing section of "Nessuno è niente". Dark and menacing on "Dentro il vuoto", more radio-friendly on "Muori e sei vivo", inspired by Emidio Clementi on the raw "Difficile come ogni cosa", Ciccarelli proves he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, showing off great emotional intensity.

"A luci spente" is a candid, introspective album, entirely produced and played by Ciccarelli himself, who renews his collaboration with writer and screenwriter Tito Faraci, author of the lyrics, tracing a path that confronts painful themes but, in spite of everything and everyone, also points toward a possible way out.

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27/01/2026