Traks Magazine #1

interview
pioneer of Italian ragamuffin
Papa Ricky. With producer
and bassist Ezra Alessio “Alessiomanna”
Argenteri (both
already in the ranks of Casino
Royale) she is then landed to
a solo career with the albums
Shape of Fear and Bravery
(2009) and One Is A Crowd
(2013).
What differentiates the work in
"Lacework" from your earlier
records?
Besides the fact that "Lacework"
is the first of my disks
that is born from a piano, in
this third album has seen the
work only of Ezra and me,
excluding the mastering of the
tracks for which we have entrusted
to Joseph Ielasi.
You chose to use for the first
time the piano. Can you
explain why?
The piano was actually used to
compose, with the intention
to rearrange everything later
with synthesizers and machines,
but in some parts it sounded
so good that we decided
to keep it. There was no premeditation
in fact.
You wrote lyrics in Thailand,
Brixton and Bologna: what did
you found in those locations?
In Koh Tao I found the quiet and
time to think, meditate, read. Brixton,
and London in general, have
certainly enriched my English
vocabulary and Bologna finally gave
me what gives me every day, that is
the ability to receive many stimulations
that come from suffering of
mine or my friends’. In short, my
town is the primary source of the
stories that are mentioned in the
songs of the disc.
How did you write "King of Fools"?
King of Fools comes from the observation
of some people close to me,
alas, unable to live in the present and
see the beauty in things. They are
looking at the earth from a distant
island unattainable in the sea.
Can you tell the main instruments
you used?
Quite simply my instrument is the
voice, but I imagine this is not the
answer you need, then I will tell you
that after writing the frames of the
songs on the piano, an old
grinding wheel of the early '900
played amiably by Ezra, the whole
thing was rearranged in an electronic
key. For rhythms Ezra used an
old Akai sampler and a synth for the
Teenage Engineering OP-1 and a
Kawai sx 240, also working a lot on
the effects to try to make sounds deeper
and dilated.
LACEWORK
THE REVIEW
The first track is Billie, and immediately
it presents the new sound of this
record: the piano. The song has a high
pace and a catchy good harmony. Richer
in effects but also in some ways more minimalist
Pure Rapture, with odd beat and
some new wave impressions. King of Fools
softens the tone, although a mock organ
gives to listeners a bit of concern. The
Abacist, strong and dark, has a step once
again underlined by the piano. Wall of
Mist pursues the road of heavy percussion.
Sensual ethnic moves characterize the following
Wide Blue Yonder, giving feelings
that may call into question Massive Attack
or smooth pop music of 80s. Anthemusa
arises quite differently from the rest of the
record, with the voice of Suz that stands
statuesque right from the start. Dramatic
piano lines shore the notes of Lethe, where
is apparent a certain amount of resentment.
Testing of Gold also sounds very
dark, as if towards the end of the album
the lights tends to fade, and negative feelings
got the upper hand. Neither the mood
improves with Still Water, which again
hinges on percussion and combines the
contrasts. There is a consistent rhythmic
speech innervating all the pieces of Lacework
and building the structure on which
the voice of Suz now lies, now stands.
A hard and polished elegance that does
confirm the good that it was already known
about the singer from Bologna.
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