La Cantina di Ermete are a progressive folk band from Ospitaletto, a
town in the province of Brescia. Their roots date back to 1977 when
they started as a simple folk group proposing original compositions
in Eastern Lombard dialect. Along the years the line up went through many
changes and the band had a good live activity but, except for some MC
demos and some sparse pieces released in compilation albums with
other artists, for a long time there wasn’t any official release
with their own music available. In fact, De rìder e de piànzer (There
is to laugh and to cry), is their first official album to date I’m
aware of and was digitally self-released in 2021 with a line up
featuring Annalisa Alborghetti (vocals, percussion, bodhran), Roberto
Viesi (bass, bouzouki, percussion, mandoloncello), Sergio Minelli
(guitar, vocals), Gianfranco Serra (flute, sax), Giovanna Baroni
(flute), Gianni Binetti (vocals, bandoneon, piano), Lorenzo Palmoso
(guitar, bouzouki, mandoloncello) and Andrea Abeni (guitar). The
album in some way summarizes their career and I’m sure that fans of
bands such as Malicorne will appreciate it...
The joyful opener “Follestrocca” is a crazy nursery rhyme that
brings back to life childhood memories of roundabouts and witches
stories while the following “Ballo in 6/4 - Preghiera delle
zitelle” blends folksy dances and sarcasm giving voice to a mocking
spinster’s prayer. Then comes the calm, reflective ballad “Ghè
'n momènt” (There’s a moment) that could recall slightly early
Clannad or Pentangle with its beautiful female vocals and nostalgic
mood...
The dreamy “Falìa d'istàt” is a short instrumental track for
acoustic guitar and flute that precedes “Paneroni Giovanni,
astronomo”, an acoustic ballad inspired by the historic character
of Giovanni Paneroni (1871-1950), a peculiar ice-cream man and
pseudo-scientist from Rudiano, Brescia. Eccentric self-taught
astronomer and flat Earth believer, he never managed to be accepted
by the official scientistic world, although he tried hard...
“Salìda” conjures up spectacular mountain views and pure air to
breathe while travelling on steep paths through thick Alpine woods. Then it’s the turn of the evocative instrumental “Aprile” with
its careless pace and spring atmosphere.
“E pense a te” is a delicate acoustic ballad that could recall
Lucio Battisti and where personal thoughts and reflections unfold
during a walk at dawn while the following “Mama so ulòta!” is a
lively dance with strong folkloric colours. Next comes “Malmaridàda”,
a funny piece featuring male and female vocals and lyrics about the
troubles of a poisonous marriage between a violent man and a dangerous Dame
Lombarde...
The nocturnal “Creder ai 'nsòme” tells about foggy feelings
under the moonlight and of a hope in a change for the better that
comes from the dreams you have to follow to stay alive and to forget
the pains of the daily routine. Then it’s the turn of the funny
“Ghera 'na olta 'na siura” (Once upon a time there was a lady),
about a lady who used to spend a lot of time to dress and make up
just to go to the village to buy vegetables...
The haunting ballad “Quan che saltàe i fòs per long” is a
beautiful track whose title literally means “when jumping over the
river to the long side” and refers to an idiomatic expression in
Brescian dialect to define an impossible human act. Eventually, the
evocative, colourful instrumental “Sentieri blu cobalto” closes
the album with its relaxed, dreamy atmosphere.
On the whole, a very interesting album that deserves a try!
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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