Posted in Whathaveyou on February 27th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This week marks both the album release and the launch of the tour to support it for L’Ira del Baccano‘s new LP, Cosmic Evoked Potentials (review here). No, it’s not the longest string of tour dates you’ll ever see, but that’s the point; it’s a band getting out and doing what they can to spread the word about their new record. Pretty much the ideal of underground heavy in all its forms. The Italian instrumentalists will be out for nine shows in their home country and of course Germany, and whether it’s the only run they do or the beginning of a series of such sojourns, considering the work they’ve done on the album, I think it’s a good time to show up at a gig if you happen to be in their path or adjacent to it.
That’s pretty much the story here. The record is coming out through Subsound, and most of what I have to say about it is in the review linked above — these tour dates were also posted there, but I’m a big believer in supporting independent tours for cool albums — but if this nudge gets a few more ears on it or maybe a body out to a show, that’s enough of an excuse to me to repeat myself. This is the internet. Not like there isn’t room.
The video that was previously premiered for album opener “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” is below. By all means, dive in:
L’IRA DEL BACCANO COSMIC MARCH TOUR 2023 starts this week!
Italian instrumentalist heavy progressive rockers L’Ira del Baccano will release their new album, Cosmic Evoked Potentials, on March 3, through Subsound Records. Recorded live in 2021, the band count it as their fourth full-length behind 2017’s Paradox Hourglass (review here), 2014’s Terra 42 (review here) and 2013’s Si Non Sedes iS: Live MMVII (reissue review here), though the latter was a live album taken from the first show they played under the L’Ira del Baccano name; they’d previously been known as Loosin’ o’ Frequencies and before that as Dark Awake, the collaboration between guitarist Alessandro Drughito Santori and guitarist/synthesist Roberto Malerba going back to the mid-’90s doom scene in Rome. Completed by bassist Ivan Contini Bacchisio and drummer Gianluca Giannasso, the Roman four-piece reemerge post-pandemic with a 40-minute collection of thoughtfully executed tracks.
They put their two longest pieces, opener “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” (10:44) (video premiering below) and “Genziana (Improvisation 42)” (13:21) on side A while “The Electric Resolution” (6:37), “Cosmic Evoked Potentials” (6:38) and “Eclipse Omega…Old Sun Reprise” (2:50) highlight a more drifting psychedelic approach on side B, not without movement, but balancing its heft against a meditative patience and synth-laced far-out-ism, the title-track rooting its way into a nebular cloud of synth and drum atmospherics that feels broader in reach than the band were even just a few years ago. The general mission of L’Ira del Baccano hasn’t changed, in terms of bringing Santori‘s songs to life in a full, vibrant and engrossing fashion with marked chemistry all the more apparent for their commitment to live recording (which has obviously been there since the start), but as one might expect, they’ve grown firmer in their purposes, more mature, and more solidified even as they explore new avenues of their sound — and not at all just in the two longer tracks at the outset, though “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” and “Genziana (Improvisation 42)” do make for a particularly dive-right-in beginning on the longer first side of the platter.
Strangers neither to fluidity nor heft, L’Ira del Baccano launch Cosmic Evoked Potentials in immediate communion with the titular space. An introductory drone leads to a stretch of methodically building soft guitar before the drums enter, synth or guitar drone coinciding as the bass and the drums lock in the central groove. Over the next few minutes, they solidify around a procession that brings to mind My Sleeping Karma before seeming to find another level of heavy shortly before the five-minute mark. Tied together in some ways by its synth, “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” flows in its transitions and is hypnotic as it plays back and forth, one element rising in the dynamic mix before receding back, be it heavier guitar, the keyboard or some looped effects either from Santori or Malerba. A second (or third, depending on where you hear the divisions) movement to the track begins at around seven minutes, shifting into slower roll, with weightier low end and a distinct sense of punctuation in the snare as the guitars strum harder and the synth moves toward its eventual freakout apex, residual after the crash of the other instruments as a lead-in for “Genziana (Improvisation 42),” the 13 minutes of which were reportedly carved out of a 45-minute jam.
It’s hard to imagine that full session won’t see release at some point in this age of infinite capacity to throw something out there to stream for interested fans, but there’s something to be said as well for the manner in which L’Ira del Baccano construct “Genziana (Improvisation 42)” — one also wonders if they actually keep count, and if so, if they have a hard drive somewhere containing this and the 41 other improv jams leading up to it — working off the spontaneous foundation and overdubbing synth and effects in ways that build out the ambient impression of what becomes a complete idea of a song, growing to some of Cosmic Evoked Potentials‘ heaviest moments rather than simply meandering through space, finding a progressive chug in its second half around which the band seem rally and collectively push forward, and while I know editing is a part of the art here, the musical conversation between players is nonetheless what makes “Genziana (Improvisation 42)” such a highlight, the way the turns are anticipated and fleshed out and all the more cohesive for the keyboard so crucial to its makeup.
“The Electric Resolution” finds itself more quickly directed into a winding but still riffy movement, some fuzz to the tone but a kind of distortion that would work as well for metal as it does for the ultimately still-languid purposes L’Ira del Baccano put it to as the backing for the midpoint lead on their side B leadoff. That solo legitimately soars, and the rhythm that reemerges after seems to carry all the more punch for its having been there, the two guitars finding a harmonized moment before splitting off for dual-channel solos and a stop that brings the keyboard to the forefront ahead of a complex but welcoming ending and direct turn into “Cosmic Evoked Potentials” itself, which is a mellower counterpoint to “The Electric Resolution.” The two feel purposefully paired even before one notes the similarity in runtime, and though the title-track gets plenty heavy and even works in a bit of shove to its ending, the abiding spirit is more subdued, not as hard-edged as the song prior, which is a turn well made in leading to “Eclipse Omega” and its synth/drone communion with “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” back at the start.
If the idea with “Eclipse Omega” was to underscore the journey that’s been unfolding as L’Ira del Baccano convey the ways in which creativity seems ether-born — the potentials evoked from the cosmos, they might say — and to look back and see the place they started as a small dot like the distant Earth as viewed from Saturn’s rocky, icy rings, then fair enough. What that doesn’t necessarily tell you is how well Cosmic Evoked Potentials functions as a distinct entirety in tone and performance. The molten vibes throughout and the manner in which the band create space and then work to fill them are a fitting manifestation of their style and evolution as a group (Giannasso, making his first appearance, fits right in and plays a large role in setting the mood), and they’ve yet to find the end point, it seems, as “Eclipse Omega” calls out to the void in the resonant long fade that caps the album. Considering these recordings are two years old — something not all that uncommon in the era of global wakeup — it’s entirely possible L’Ira del Baccano have already moved forward from where these songs find them, but the accomplishments here in atmosphere and expression aren’t to be ignored. It is a work to be engaged with which it is a pleasure to engage.
The video for “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” premieres below, followed by more info on the record from the PR wire, including some words from Santori on the subject.
Please enjoy:
L’Ira del Baccano, “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun” video premiere
Alessandro Santori on “The Strange Dream of My Old Sun”:
“The Strange Dream.. ” is a roller coaster, a trip about our expectations, on what and where the highs and lows of our lives will bring us.
L’IRA DEL BACCANO “COSMIC EVOKED POTENTIALS” pre order :
Doomdelic Instrumental Space Prog Rockers L’IRA DEL BACCANO are back with their official 4th album on Subsound Records ‘‘COSMIC EVOKED POTENTIALS’’. The album release will be preceded by a video for the single ‘‘The Strange Dream of My Old Sun’’.
Producer and guitarist Alessandro Santori says about the album: Cosmic Evoked Potentials is a rite of passage, the end of a circle and already blooming of another. Surely our most instinctive effort so far. We went back to our roots of live recording, this time instead of a stage we chose an old mansion from late ‘1700 outside Rome. The atmosphere there was so charming and stimulating that 13 minutes of a 45 min long improvisation ended up in the album. We wanted the dynamics and moods of the parts to be the most important thing, taking more time than our usual developing the “story” of the songs.
L’Ira Del Baccano will start promoting “Cosmic Evoked Potentials” live in March 2023: COSMIC MARCH TOUR 2023 03-03 MANTOVA IT – Arci Tom 04-03 ROSENHEIM DE – Asta Rosenheim 05-03 WURZBURG DE – Immerhin 06-03 NUREMBERG DE – Kunstverein Hintere 07-03 WEIMAR DE – C. Keller 08-03 HILDBURGHAUSEN DE – Molle 09-03 MANNHEIM DE – Altes Volksbad 10-03 ULM DE – Hexenhaus Ulm 11-03 KAUFBEUREN DE- Roundhouse 12-03 TBA
Tracklisting: 1. The Strange Dream of my Old Sun 10:44 2. Genziana (Improvisation 42)* 13:21 3. The Electric Resolution 06:36 4. Cosmic Evoked Potentials 06:37 5. Eclipse Omega…Old Sun Reprise 02:50
(* Genziana is an improvisation extract from a 45 minutes live session with post overdubs)
L’Ira del Baccano: Alessandro Drughito Santori: Guitars, Loops , Production Roberto Malerba: Lead Guitar, Guitar FX, Synth, Loops Gianluca Giannasso: Drums Ivan Contini: Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 22nd, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Sardinian solo unit Sarram — also stylized all-caps with spaces between the letters: S A R R A M, thereby throwing caution to the wind as regards line breaks — will release its fourth full-length, Albero, in less than a month’s time. You can stream the track “Midnight” from it now and it’s easy enough to imagine that Valerio Marras (hey that’s Sarram backwards!), also of Charun, composed the track late some evening, on his own, headphones on, dug into the exploratory moment as it unfolded. The record as a whole is a vibe likewise worthy of titling a song “Diving Deep,” as rich immersion in headphone-ready drones and soundscapes comes across from opener “Heavy Sleep” onward, the evocative nature of Marras‘ work giving rise to any number of narratives for those willing to engage.
Will that be everyone? Nope. Never is, and I’m sure by the time of his fourth record, Marras doesn’t need to be told that. But, those seeking something textural and escapist might find room for themselves within the open spaces of “The Sound of a Needle” or the brief but consuming “Fading Sunlight,” the album’s eight-song course playing out over a still-accessible 39-minutes with a significant weight of atmosphere.
Info and the track stream came down the PR wire:
SARRAM – New album ‘Albero’ Out May 14th on Subsound Records
S A R R A M is the solo project of Sardinian multi-instrumentalist Valerio Marras, combining elements of drone/ambient, post-rock, doom and electronica. Also guitar player of post-rock oriented trio Thank U For Smoking and post-metal foursome Charun, Valerio Marras played extensively in Europe, with appearances at the KME, Schwarzer Herbst in Germany, Whoneedslyrics?! in Slovakia, Johanneskirche in Lobau, The Academy of fine Arts in Munich, Spazio Musica Project and Signal Fest in Cagliari, Dunk!Festival in Belgium and Young Team in France. He also collaborated with MAN and Ciusa Museum in Nuoro, Mua Museum in Sinnai, Nubifilm, Animamundi and naturalistic photographer Bobore Frau.
His fourth album ‘Albero’ presents a balanced and enigmatic mix of drone and ambient soundscapes, walls of guitar and hypnotic loops, while incorporating electronic and warm whispers. It’s a deep and intense journey, a dark ceremony of frequencies. It was recorded and mixed at ACME Studio at Cagliari, Sardinia by Nicola Olla and mastered by James Plotkin. Artwork was designed by Animamundi.
‘Albero’ will be released on May 14th via Subsound Records.
TRACK LISTING: 1. Heavy Sleep 2. The Sound Of A Needle 3. Scraps Of Paper 4. Sinking Shadows 5. Diving Deep 6. Fading Sunlight 7. Midnight 7. The Far Side Of The Moon
S A R R A M is Valerio Marras — Guitar/fx, synth, glockenspiel, mandolin, kalimba
Posted in Reviews on December 17th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Seaward is the fourth album from Cecina, Italy’s Mr. Bison, and unquestionably the most progressive. Issued through Subsound Records and Ripple Music, the seven-track/39-minute collection brings together songs based around the a narrative of the sea itself, drawing on mythology about the creation of the Tuscan Archipelago as seven pearls broken off a necklace by Aphrodite — those love goddesses, so clumsy — falling into the water and making the islands. Good fun, and a nice linkup for a record from the Italian coast with seven songs on it, but Seaward reaches broader in terms of its actual subject matter and storytelling, as the three-piece of guitarist/vocalists Matteo Barsacchi and Matteo Sciocchetto and drummer/noisemaker/vocalist Matteo D’Ignazi engage not only myths and ancient stories — “Oudeis” translating to “no one” or “nobody” from Greek, but referring also to Odysseus — but look out over the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the opening title-track, “I’m the Storm” and the penultimate “Underwater.”
Should it be any surprise that the album flows? That it’s immersive? No. It’s about water. It damn well better flow and be immersive. But the scope of Seaward is a considerable shift from where the trio could be found in terms of aesthetics even two years ago. Their 2018 offering, Holy Oak (review here), certainly had its proggier moments, but carried them amid a tonal warmth born of heavy psychedelic impulse, and their roots in playing more straight-ahead, uptempo, post-Truckfighters heavy rock on their first two records, 2016’s Asteroid and 2012’s We’ll Be Brief, were still evident in some of the material. Seaward is a rock album, to be sure, but as the band showed earlier in 2020 on their split with Spacetrucker (review here), they are pushing toward a cleaner-toned flourish, perhaps less driven directly toward warmth of tone but distinctly broader in melody and more accomplished-sounding on the whole. Since Barsacchi — the lone remaining founder of the band — brought in Sciocchetto and D’Ignazi on Asteroid, the band would seem to have been pushing in this direction, but there’s little mistaking the proggy intent in these tracks.
Certainly, Mr. Bison aren’t the only group who’ve embarked on more complex structures and methods over the last few years — heavy rock as a whole has moved in this direction, fueled in no small part by the work of Elder and a few others — but there’s an underlying classic sensibility too in Seaward, and “Seaward,” the song, still opens with a mighty roller of a riff once it kicks in from the quiet introduction. The title-track may or may not have been composed for the purpose of leading off the LP, but it’s definitely suited for it, hitting into its verse before the three-minute mark as Mr. Bison find nuance between the ’70s style of heavy prog — Captain Beyond, et al — and modern heavy execution. But it’s the focus on melody that’s most striking, and the fact that while individual songs have gotten longer on the whole — Holy Oak had two tracks over seven minutes and Seaward has one in “I’m the Storm” (7:40), but that’s the longest song the band have made and the average of the surrounding cuts is higher — the band have managed to keep their songwriting sensibility intact.
Second cut “From the Abyss” emphasizes this, fluidly picking up from the end of “Seaward” with a shorter, more straightforward run on a short linear course, with a memorable chorus and instrumental thrust, giving way to vocals and lush guitar deceptive in its nuance for how peaceful it sounds. The final surge feels a bit manic in comparison, but they still manage to bring it down in time to end the song for a smooth transition into “I’m the Storm,” which brings a thicker chug as it might be expected to do, but coats it too in melody, pushing the distortion lower in the mix so that it’s part of the overall affect rather than entirely consuming, though the final echoing shout of the title line brings to mind Stoned Jesus‘ “I’m the Mountain” just the same. The residual drift marks the end of side A, and “I’m the Storm” is no less suited in its place than was “Seaward” at the outset, but the 6:45 “Oudeis,” introduced by organ in the spirit of Celeste and other classic Italian prog, is a special advent as the centerpiece of the tracklisting as well.
Scorching guitar, high-energy lead vocals that shift into harmony as the song moves into its midsection, and a proggy shuffle to accompany, “Oudeis” is clearly intended as a focal point example of Mr. Bison‘s sonic evolution — a show-piece, if there were shows — and it leads into side B with the sense that not only have the band taken on this sonic growth, but they’ve brought it to bear with the necessary control and mastery. As with “From the Abyss,” “The Sacrifice” follows “Oudeis” with a more forward motion, but the multiple layers of vocals, continued organ line and tension in the guitar and drums builds toward what’s arguably Seaward‘s most satisfying payoff. It’s ironic that it should come on the shortest track, but the vitality on display speaks for itself. With the subtle shift of an atmospheric intro, “Underwater” returns to more patient fare, but remains somewhat angular in its groove, coming apart later as its core strum leads the way out toward closer “The Curse.”
Saving room for one last push, Mr. Bison bring their watery proceedings to a close with “The Curse,” and in so doing offer one final linear build, perhaps the album’s most direct up to that point. A layer of guitar solo floats airily over the central riff, giving ambience to an earlier chug complementary to that of “I’m the Storm,” and the song’s ending, cut after a verse, feels somewhat sudden but leaves little more one might ask that isn’t delivered. The same is true of Seaward as a whole. Mr. Bison bring vitality to sonic progressivism in such a way as to distinguish themselves from their many peers of similar intent, and it is the energy of their material, as well as the theme, that allows them to tie together heavy rock and progadelia with such grace and class. Where their course might ultimately bring them has only become more of a mystery with this turn, but they’re only more exciting an act for that, and for the richness of craft they harness here.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 20th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
For all I know, Arrested Development never even aired in Italy, but I don’t think I’ve seen the word ‘seaward’ since then without thinking of Michael Bluth going “Get rid of the ‘Seaward,'” meaning a boat, and having his mother respond, “I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.” Get it? c-word? seaward? It was a very cleverly written show.
And again, one that I have no idea if the members of Mr. Bison have ever seen it. Just because the Italian heavy psych rockers make one pop-cultural reference — their moniker — doesn’t mean they’re doing so all the time. And their quote in the PR wire below seems to be deeper dug into coming from somewhere else anyhow that, even if they have seen it, the association is still different. Yes folks, they’re talking about the sea.
Opening title-track is streaming now, so have at it at the bottom here. Preorders are up through Subsound Records and Ripple Music:
Heavy Psych Rockers, MR. BISON, reveal album details and share first single from upcoming record!
“Seaward” to be released October 16th via Subsound Records and Ripple Music
Heavy Psych and Blues Rock trio, MR. BISON, has announced the upcoming release of their brand new, full length album titled “Seaward”, which will be seeing the light of day on October 16th via Subsound Records and Ripple Music. Being influenced by acts such as Captain Beyond, Jimi Hendrix and the more recent Motorpsycho, the band from Cecina, Italy, creates a wild trip and unique musical journey, packed with psychedelia and virtuosic fuzz deliriums. Following their critically acclaimed recent record, “Holy Oak” (2018), “Seaward” will see MR. BISON to continue their path of expressive melodies and high- voltage grooves that you cannot escape.
Today, MR. BISON have unleashed a first appetizer before their highly anticipated, new album will be served this Fall! Listen to “Seaward”, the first single and title track taken from the upcoming output, streaming now via the band’s Bandcamp at THIS LOCATION
Furthermore and with the following words, the band gives a deep insight about what their new record is all about:
“Curious to explore the world of progressive, and the vocal harmonic solutions of the Golden Era like Crosby Still Nash, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, we decided to forge the new album ‘SEAWARD’. It’s a CONCEPT album that draws inspiration from the sea and from the legend of the 7 pearls of the Tyrrhenian Sea and as an imaginary horizon. It’s developed in 7 songs as a reference to the 7 pearls of the Tyrrhenian, arrating myths closely related to the sea, from the magic of the Sirens and the sacrifice of Andromeda to the heroic adventures of Ulysses and the ruthless curse of Scylla. 7 like Aphrodite’s pearls and the number of days in each moon phase, which affects the tides and the mood of each individual who, during magical moments of solitude and reflection, finds refuge in the horizon and in the wonderful echo of the vibrations of this majestic expanse of water.”
Tracklist reads as follows:
1. Seaward 2. From The Abyss 3. I’m The Storm 4. Oudeis 5. The Sacrifice 6. Underwater 7. The Curse
“Seaward” is the culmination of a full year’s hard labor and was recorded by Matteo Barsacchi and mixed/mastered at “Audio Design Recordings” by producer Jordan Andreen (Earthless, Sacri Monti). This record is arguably the most blazing, powerful and eclectic album by MR. BISON yet.
“Seaward” will be coming out on October 16th via Subsound Records and Ripple Music and is now available for pre-order RIGHT HERE
The project is realized with the support of MiBACT and SIAE, as part of the initiative “Per Chi Crea”
Posted in audiObelisk on November 9th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
You know how it is. A lot of bands make a show of recording live in the studio in an attempt to capture their natural sound or give their listeners some glimpse of what they sound like on stage. Nothing against it. In making their first full-length, L’Ira del Baccano went one further and just actually made a live album. Si Non Sedes Is: Live MMVII celebrates its 11th anniversary in 2018 with a reissue/remaster via Subsound Records that’s pressed to CD and gatefold 2LP to make it physically available for the first time. And indeed, it’s the Roma-based instrumentalist outfit, as they were 11 years ago, showing off progressive heavy rock textures in a stage setting. I don’t know what methods were used to capture it, how many mics, etc., but especially without vocals, there isn’t much ‘tell’ to give it away as live on stage as opposed to live in the studio — which isn’t to take away from the energy of the four-piece’s delivery, just to note the overarching clarity of the recording — and if it were a bootleg you were finding in a bin at some record show, it would have a little round sticker on the front cover (which would probably be a huge pain in the ass to peel off) grading the sound as A+. And so it is.
Then comprised of guitarists Alessandro “Drughito” Santori (also engineering) and Roberto “Malerba” (also synth, lead, noise), bassist/synthesist Massimo “Miss” Siravo and Alessandro “Fred” Salvi on drums, L’Ira del Baccano impress quickly on the nine-minute opener “Doomdance,” which unfurls with a patience and instrumental chemistry that undercuts the idea of just how new they were at the time. The subsequent “Sussuri di Nascita Celeste/Grateful to Jerry” dips into metal-tone riffing and proggy synth work at the same time, creating an interesting dynamic that will continue to be a theme. Their turns are sharp, their stops precise, and their material fluid. They roll through the early going of “875” and into an effects-topped jam in its midsection smoothly, and move into more straightforward riff-led fare on “Don Bastiano” before rounding out the original album with the 18-minute “Tempus Inane Flago Requiem Spatiumque Furori,” which bookends a sprawling cosmic exploration with crunchier riffing and caps Si Non Sedes Is — caps the set, really — with an apex that stands up to both its own breadth and that of the entire outing before it.
Two bonus tracks follow, one of which builds on “Sussuri di Nascita Celeste/Grateful to Jerry” for another live jam, and one of which is a remix of “Doomdance,” and with those, that pushes the reissue to a comprehensive seven tracks/71 minutes. That’s well into the kind of runtime I’d generally consider unmanageable, and indeed, it’s a good chunk of time, but after 11 years and this being the first physical pressing one can hardly hold wanting to make the most of it against the L’Ira del Baccano, whose work proves immersive and full in its spaces and tones and able to conjure a variety of moods and vibes in a sans-pretense vision of heavy that runs between prog metal, heavy rock and psych without giving itself over entirely to any of them. I’ll admit, I was kind of hoping “Doomdance (Apocalypse ’80 Mix)” would be new wave, and it’s not, but a synthy redux all the same makes it easy enough to get over that.
There must have been a moment at which the members of L’Ira del Baccano were talking about recording their debut album and they made the decision to put out Si Non Sedes Is: Live MVII instead. Obviously they knew they’d recorded the show, but I have no idea if they knew it would be their album at the time or if that decision was made after. That’s a brave choice for a new band to make, essentially putting the rawest form of their work out as their opening statement. Some bands never do a live record because they’d rather not let their audience experience their live sound outside the context of an actual show. L’Ira del Baccano make the right call at that point and have continued to build stylistically on the parameters these songs put forth. In other words, it’s worth digging into the record, both on its own and in context of what the band have gone on to do with their sound. Fortunate then that it’s streaming in full below.
L’Ira del Baccano‘s Si Non Sedes Is: Live MVII is officially released on Nov. 16 through Subsound Records. You’ll find it on the player here, and Santori offers some comment after about the record and this release in particular.
Please enjoy:
Alessandro “Drughito” Santori on Si Non Sedes Is: Live MMVII:
I am very glad to see finally a proper release for the recording that signed for us a new “birth” as band back in 2007. Si non Sedes iS was recorded during the first two concerts in three years for LOOSIN’ o ‘ FREQUENCIES, a name we had since 1996, and those were also the very first “officially instrumental” gigs for us. We actually decided to change the name of the band to L’IRA DEL BACCANO only after the mix was ready and some friends suggested to open a page on MySpace. We are still very proud of these recordings and we definitely have to say thank you to some people we “met” on the web back in those days, people who showed interest for our vision and musical path; all things that gave us the confidence to proceed on our journey as musicians.
L’IRA DEL BACCANO & SUBSOUND RECORDS presents the FIRST TIME EVER official release in Double Gatefold Vinyl and DIgipak of the band instrumental first album from 2007 ” SI NON SEDES IS…LIVE MMVII(originally and until today only available in digital download)
After the last two critically acclaimed studio albums : “TERRA 42 (2014)” & ” PARADOX HOURGLASS (2017)” The Doomdelic Instrumental Space Rockers L’IRA DEL BACCANO decided that was time for their very first instrumental effort to have a physical release after 11 years. All these 2018 versions had Spectral & Balance correction by Pisi Mastering Studio.
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 2nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan
For those disinclined toward Roman numerals, MMVII is 2007. For those disinclined toward Latin, the title Si Non Sedes Is is something about ‘if you’re not sitting’ or something like that. Put the two together and you get Si Non Sedes Is: Live MMVII, the until-now digital-only debut from Rome-based heavy rockers L’Ira del Baccano, which is set for release as a CD and 2LP this November through Subsound Records. The trip back to their origins follows the four-piece’s 2017 album, Paradox Hourglass (review here), which came out on the same label, and can be streamed in its instrumentalist entirety at the bottom of this post. There are bonus tracks with the LP editions however, including an “’80s mix” of the song “Doomdance Apocalypse,” the delightful weirdness of which previously featured on a 2010 split with the awesomely-named Watermelon Time.
L’Ira del Baccano have some live dates booked in order to promote the reissue. All info was posted as follows:
L’IRA DEL BACCANO & Subsound Records are proud to announce the first time release of the band instrumental first album from 2007:” SI NON SEDES IS…LIVE MMVII” (until today only available in digital download)
*****PRE SALES STARTS : OCTOBER 5th ***** *****OFFICIAL RELEASE : NOVEMBER 16th *****
-Available in : DIGIPAK / DOUBLE GATEFOLD “Black” / DOUBLE GATEFOLD “Special” coloured VINYL / DIGITAL ( Both Vinyl versions will have 2 Bonus Tracks for a total of +16:38 minutes!!!)
-The album was recorded live in concert when the band’s name was still LOOSIN’o’FREQUENCIES (formed in 1996,with a mcd produced by the Guru of Doom Paul Chain) and marked the official change of the band in “instrumental”. The Italians then decided to change name after the mix was ready and right before opening their “MySpace” page. During 2008 the album started to circulate in the underground with enthusiastic reviews.
-Tracklist ( tracks 6 & 7 are VINYL ONLY Bonus ): 01 Doomdance -09:21 02 Sussurri Di Nascita Celeste/Grateful to Jerry -8:29 03 875 -10:51 04 Don Bastiano -7:42 05 Tempus Inane Flago Requiem Spatiumque Furori -18:32 06 Live Jam on “Sussurri Theme* 7.55 (INEDIT VINYL ONLY bonus track) -7:55 07 Doomdance Apocalypse ’80 mix (VINYL ONLY bonus track;from ” Split 2010 ” digital ep) -8:43
Artwork by Fabio Listranii Produced & Mixed by Alessandro Drughito Santori
SI NON SEDES…TOUR 2018 : -07 Nov IT TBA -08 Nov WÜRZBURG – IMMERHIN -09 Nov MAGDEBURG – TONNE27 -10 Nov BERLIN – ZUKUNFTt AM OSTKREUZ ( w/ Samsara Blues Experiment) -11 Nov OSNABRUCK – DIRTY+DANCING -12 Nov HAMBURG – HAFENKLANG (w/ Samsara Blues Experiment) -13 Nov WEIMAR – C-KELLER -14 Nov NUREMBERG – Z-BAU -15 Nov STRASBOURG – L’ELASTIC BAR (w/ Bull Terrier) -16 Nov FREIBURG – WHITE RABBIT -17 Nov SALZBURG – ROCKHOUSE
[Click here to stream Holy Oak by Mr. Bison in full. Album is out May 25 on Subsound Records.]
The number of dudes in Mr. Bison? Three. The number of those same dudes named Matteo? Three. The number album their new one, Holy Oak is in their discography? Three. The number of bassists who appear on that same record? None. Number of times you’re going to be responsible for knowing these numbers? Zero, because by the time the Pisa-based sans-bass three-piece of guitarist/vocalists Matteo Barsacchi, Matteo Sciocchetto and drummer/vocalist Matteo D’Ignazi are about two songs in — to the total nine; because numbers — the sweet fuzz, classic style fuzz and periodic excursions into psychedelic space are going to melt the math away anyhow.
Mr. Bison, who release Holy Oak as their second offering through Subsound Records behind 2016’s Asteroid, hone in on the pivotal spirit of modern desert rock. There’s some element of push in songs like “Heavy Rain,” but they’re just as likely to spend their time spreading out an open atmosphere. Consider European acts of lore like Sgt. Sunshine and Lowrider, fellow Italians OJM, or American bands like Solace for a cut like “Earth Breath,” or even up and coming practitioners like Steak. Mr. Bison belong to this category of purveyors. Their third album is mature and aware of the moves it’s making between louder, more driving material and its more subdued places, and the Matteos effectively play different sides off each other both within songs — the 7:30 centerpiece title-track walks by and waves — and in the transition between them as well.
Like many acts who operate without a bass, their claim is that the guitar tones make up for it. And true enough, any band can tune lower to make up for the lacking thicker strings if they’re so inclined, but to think of the legacy of great heavy rock loadbearers — from Geezer Butler through Scott Reeder and so on — and it would seem to be not even so much the tone as the dynamic they’re denying themselves. They compensate by weaving different guitar parts in and around each other, and in so doing craft something that, admittedly, is more their own than it would be if they were a simple guitar/bass/drum configuration. Some of it is a familiar lead/rhythm dynamic, but “The Bark” operates tonally like a battle of dueling Hendrixes, and the results make for a legitimately exciting listen.
This is something that a band three records in can do much more effectively than a band making their debut, but it’s admirable nonetheless, and from the mid-paced groove of opener “Roots” and the blown-out shuffle swagger of “Sacred Deal” — there may not be any bass, but I’d swear I hear an organ — onward, Mr. Bison retain fervent control over their transitions and the fluidity of Holy Oak as a whole. At 46 minutes, it does not feel like a minor undertaking, but neither is it redundant, as “Heavy Rain” breathes ambient life into the initial salvo and “Earth Breath” contrasts with more straightforward edge and riffing. The appropriate metaphor would be to say these two sides are doing battle, but it’s more like they’re both fighting toward the same end than fighting each other. In the post-Black Rainbows sphere of Italian heavy, Mr. Bison make a place for themselves alongside acts like Tuna de Tierra, who take the established tenets of various forms of heavy and pull them together in varying balances in order to best serve their songwriting.
True, one could easily argue that “Red Sun,” from name, to riff, to its forward punkish rhythm, is probably direct Kyuss tribute, but consider that it arrives after the Golden Void-esque “The Bark” and the boogie-laden “The Wave” and the context becomes a bit broader than a band from Italy trying to sound like a band from California. It also precedes seven-minute closer “Beyond the Edge,” and where one might expect Mr. Bison to simply switch back into the psychedelia-as-primary modus of the earlier title-track, they instead hold to a blend of funkified start-stop fuzz and scorching lead, a gritty, Radio Moscow-style blues vocal laid overtop that leads to an extended but still mostly earthbound jam.
That is to say, the band doesn’t just have a couple of set methods of songwriting and swap one out for the other. Of course this works to the benefit overall of Holy Oak, which caps with a repetitive and duly hypnotic progression while also bringing back vocals to keep the song grounded even at its most “out there” moment, which is a pretty fair analog to the entirety of the record. I’m not sure I’d call myself 100 percent on board with the zero-bass philosophy, but there’s no question that for Mr. Bison, the numbers add up. Their sound is fluid and engaging and their songwriting is varied enough that indeed they leave nothing wanting for dynamic. Many elements of what they do will be familiar to those experienced with the genre, but it’s in how they’re melded that Mr. Bison make their statement, and they make it loudly.
