Island
Tales is the first full length album by La Rua Catalana, a band
from Benevento formed in 2009. It was released in 2015 on the
independent label Octopus Records with a line up featuring Leonardo
De Stasio (vocals, guitars), Corrado Ciervo (violin, guitars,
keyboards, synth, backing vocals), Vittorio Coviello (flute, backing
vocals), Marco Coviello (drums, cajon, percussion, didgeridoo) and
Carlo Ciervo (bass). After two EP and a good live activity on the
local scene, the band had the chance to spend some time in the old
monastery of Zungoli, near Avellino, to work on their compositions
and the peaceful atmosphere and the good vibrations of this unusual
location contributed to shape the overall sound of the album,
influenced by bands such as The Beatles, Jethro Tull and many
others...
After
the pre-production, for the recording sessions in the studio they
were helped by some guest musicians such as Daniele Pescatore
(keyboards), Valentina Acca (backing vocals), Fabio Cesare (sax),
Luigi De Cicco (guitar) and a string quartet, the Arechi Quartet
featuring Lorenza Maio (violin), Federica Paduano (violin), Federica
Bibbo’ (viola) and Alessandra Ercolani (cello). The result of their
efforts is good, although at times I would have preferred they had
used their native language instead of English...
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| La Rua Catalana 2015 |
According
to the band, the title of the album, Island Tales, refers to a
metaphorical island, a kind of shelter from the storms of life where
time stands still and you can live your dreams. The music is not
overtly complex but always well refined and the simple melodies are
enhanced by intriguing parts of flute and strings. The opener,
“Moon's Joke” is a dynamic ballad dedicated to the people in
search for happiness that every now and again recalls Jethro Tull,
then comes the jazzy “The Island” that tells of lost dreams and
shining smiles opposed to a bleak reality...
The
caustic “The Colonel” was inspired by the fictional character of
Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz,
portrayed by Marlon Brando, while the following, bitter-sweet “The
clown” tells of a sad man who has to make people laugh for a
living. Then comes “Song For Jeff”, inspired by the death of Jeff
Buckley and musically a bit in debt with George Harrison…
The
swinging, careless “Dreamland” is about an escape from reality, a
visionary daydream where you can find an ideal world. Next come the
cover of a Tunng’s song, “Bullets”, and the melodic, light
“Escape! (Break!)”. The new romantic waves of the folksy ballad
“Goodbye” bring other dreams under the moonlight while the
following “Slow Down” is more complex and tells about the need to
take a pause from the daily grind.
The
nervous “And I'll Never Know” (about a difficult relationship)
and the delicate, melancholic “Gold And Silver Wings” (about a
solitary man who tries to escape from the gilded cage of his
routine) close an album full of interesting ideas and light melodies
that is worth listening to...
You
can listen to the complete album HERE
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