If music has the ability to be both simultaneously menacing
and beautiful, Andrea Belfi’s “Natura Morta” has the formula down pat. Separated into 6 “movements” that bend and
fold into one another, the Italian drummer displays an aptitude for the
unsettling. Piercing, treated guitars
and synths ride atop the clattering percussion and tension is built and released
through repetition. There is little of
the melody that Belfi displays with the Mike Watt-led il Sogno del Marinaio,
and for a drummer the album relies less on his percussion than you would
think….which is a GOOD thing! This is a
mood piece, and the album is reminiscent of composer William Basinski or some
of the more challenging instrumental works of Mike Patton - all creaks, squeals, buzzes and darkened
rumbles. The songs can be claustrophobic
at times (probably intentionally so), so when Belfi’s cymbals suddenly crash
halfway through “forme creano orgetti” it is welcome light piercing through the
clouds. “Natura Morta” is not the easiest
listen, but it is a formidable work and a welcome insight into an exciting
composer.
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