• Voto:
Ci sono molti gruppi interessanti della scena indie (o post-wave) primi anni 90 fatalmente e ingenerosamente relegati in un circuito di nicchia nella madre patria Gran Bretagna: tra di loro, sicuramente, i Catherine Wheel.
Nati nel 1990, grazie a Brian Futter (chitarra), Rob Dickinson (voce e chitarra), Dave Howes (basso) e Neil Sims (batteria), i Catherine Wheel, il cui nome è dovuto probabilmente a "Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel" nel celeberrimo "New Gold Dreams" dei Simple Minds, furono molto apprezzati dai cultori di rock alternativo negli Stati Uniti, in cui si rifugiarono, demoralizzati dall'ondata di brit-pop facile e senz'anima e perchè decisamente superati in popolarità da band pregevoli come i Verve e dai fuoriclasse Radiohead. Curiosamente, i gruppi di Ashcroft e Yorke iniziarono proprio come supporters dei Catherine Wheel, i quali, per una sorta di ironia beffarda, finirono con subire l'umiliazione di vedere questa situazione completamente ribaltata a loro sfavore.
Quest'album del 1992, "Ferment", è un collage di dark, di shoegaze, di influenze new wave della prima ora, di dream pop e psychedelia e di tutto ciò che c'è stato di buono del decennio precedente, grazie anche ad artisti come Echo & The Bunnymen e Pixies, considerati da molti come i principali modelli di riferimento dei Catherine Wheel. Il risultato di tutto ciò dà vita a un lavoro dall'archittettura stilistica e strumentale di invidiabile perizia e genuinità, di enorme pathos, di atmosfere cupe e orgasmiche, di ricche e corpose sonorità. Futter e la sua chitarra si destreggiano in armonie passionali e visionarie, coadiuvati da una sezione ritmica prorompente e incontenibile e dalla voce di Dickinson, profonda e trasognata.
Brani come "Flower to Hide", "Tumbledown" e "Salt" sono un crescendo di ardente cacofonia psichedelica, come del resto l'allucinata "Texture"e le ammalianti "She's my Friend" e " Black Metallic" . Con "I Want to Touch You" e "Tumbledown" la bravura di Brian Futter si fa ancora più prepotente, impegnata in arabeschi di dissonanza lisergica ed esplosiva, come il riff iniziale di "Indigo Is Blue". Leggero e soave è il brano omonimo dell'album, dai sussurri delicati e melodie rasserenanti, alternate da improvvise schitarrate violente; favoloso il brano di chiusura "Ballons" dal ritornello travolgente e simile a una spensierata filastrocca.
Ascoltando "Ferment" si ha la sensazione di addentrarsi in un sentiero circondato da specchi deformanti; l'impressione che lascia è quella di aver udito dei suoni che prendono corpo e vita, una corporeità a volte eterea, seducente e appena percettibile, a volte impetuosa e tangibilmente devastante. Questa è l'opera prima di una band, ingiustamente relegata a un ruolo di secondo piano, degna di essere ricordata come uno dei capitoli più felici di un'epoca che oggi sta ritrovando una seconda giovinezza, la cui ricercatezza degli arrangiamenti e lo straordinario impatto emozionale rasentano la perfezione.
Genere: indie-rock/noise/shoegaze
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Texture (04:19)
Safe on the shore I've been sleeping
Faced by the thoughts I've been keeping
To break down the door of my life
I need more texture
You need to give me more texture, texture, texture
You need to give me more texture
So deep inside I've been dreaming
In a space too confined, too concealing
It's a race to remind you of days I can't find
You need to give me more texture, texture, texture
You need to give me more
To break down the door of my life
I need more texture
You need to give me more
You need to give me more
Texture, texture, texture
You need to give me more texture, texture
02 I Want to Touch You (04:40)
I always thought the way you talked was neat
And I dreamed that when you speak, you speak to me
But you're always out of reach
And I can't control my speech
And I'm scared that when we meet, I'll want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
You're the only soul inside that makes me shake
And the crazy senseless things you make me take
It would really make my day
If you'd only move away
'Cause I'm scared that if you stay, I'll want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
But you're always out of reach
And I can't control my speech
And I'm scared that when we meet
I'm fermenting, can't you see
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
I want to touch you
Touch you, touch you, touch you, touch you, touch you
03 Black Metallic (07:18)
I've never seen you when you're smiling
It really gets under my skin
You say it's easy when it's faster
I still can't guess what you're after
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
I think of you when you're sleeping
Of all the secrets that you're keeping
You can't stay all day under the covers
'Cause under there you'll discover
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
You're turning black metallic...
It's the colour of your skin
It's the colour of your skin...
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
You're turning black metallic
It's the colour of your skin
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
Your skin is black metallic
05 She's My Friend (04:16)
I'm only waiting, 'cause she won't care
Shivers, shakes, and shallow
Hide the taste that's always there
I can say she makes no sense
My dreams are not drawn on much
'Cause she's my friend
'Cause she's my friend
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend
I found you in a garden in my sleep
But I'm walking over gravel
Forming blisters on my feet
You give me all the reasons that make no sense
I only choose to be here
'Cause she's my friend
'Cause she's my friend
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh
'Cause she's my friend
Oh, oh, oh, oh...
'Cause she's my friend - oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause she's my friend - oh, oh, oh
06 Shallow (03:28)
You're wasting time
Time to shake and throw down
But I can't fight
You are the one to say goodbye
And when you shout my mouth is dry
Only when you try
Is your shallow water running high
You know what's inside
So glad to see
You take my hand between your knees
And once inside
I'll only take the things that shine
You always said those things were mine
You only said goodbye
When your shallow water got too high
You know what's inside
Only when you try
Because your shallow water growing high
You know what's inside
You know what's inside
You know what's inside
07 Ferment (05:10)
Sugar in the heart is burning Sweet on lips and eyes are glowing All the things you take are spinning 'round Such a waste but you can't taste What's coming down All the time you save You can turn this movie around Needle stings and blisters breaking Swinging moods and conscious fading All the things you dream while spinning 'round Always it seems to bring you, bring you down All the time you save You can turn this movie around You can turn this movie around Ferment Ferment Ferment Ferment Judy's always fading sugar voices when the sweetness is fermented Ferment Fermenting, fermenting, fermenting, oh Light, your fading light Ferment your life Your fading light Ferment your life Fermenting, fermenting, fermenting
08 Flower to Hide (04:43)
So make it shine
No need to fade
I'll make it hard on you
I'll make it glow
No need to show you this time
I'll make it easy
And I know
The sunlight bleaches you
It colours everything you do
And I know
A flower's fading far too soon
So think of a time
It's something to cling to
Imagine a life
That never escapes you
Conceal it behind
The colour and perfume
A flower to hide
A violet surprise
And I know
The sunlight bleaches you
It colours everything you do
And I know
A flower's fading far too soon
And I know
The sunlight bleaches you
It colours everything you do
And I know
The sunlight bleaches you
A flower's fading far too soon
09 Tumbledown (04:08)
Shout just to make it clear
So loud so as you don't hear
That I made no sound
The second time around
If all is turned around
So smooth just to show you care
You built a new mountain there
That I can tumble down
The very first time around
The very first time around
The very first time around
I let you see how high life could be
But you dropped me down
The very first time around
The very first time around
The very first time around
(are you in love with someone) ??? (let me tumble down) ???
10 Bill and Ben (04:09)
You're saying far too much
Your thoughts that twist and touch
You're killing time in the dark
That's coming down
Ah that's coming down
Ah...
You are young and full of heart
You are real but you are torn apart
It's taking all my time
How many days to find
Just staring up at the sun
That's coming down
Ah that's coming down
Ah...
You are young and full of heart
You are light and you are dark
You are real but torn apart
You are losing
You are young and full of heart
You are light and you are dark
It makes me mad, it makes me mad
You are real but you are torn apart
Ah ... Ah...
11 Salt (05:26)
(Oh safe towards yourself)
(She wants you with all your heart)
Between me always spinning ride
I slowly roll and seem to fly
The taste of salt and spinning ice
The taste of you it brings me higher
In this your shine
It's always time
It's always time
Oh we're only salt
Oh we're only salt
Oh we're only salt
It always felt like suicide
It always takes my life aside
To say I might, to say I will
The hardest part the heart is real
We miss your shine
It's only time
It's only time
It's only salt
It's only seas
It's only time
It's only time
I want to see myself in time
We miss your shine
It's only time
It's only time
12 Balloon (03:55)
Flying, show me how it feels
As dreams grow sinking clouds that must be real
Losing a touch of what is mine
It's proving tough as steel and dull as life
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba
Gliding cuts you down and shakes your ground
I'm reeling from the height of silent sound
You know it always takes inside
As dreams go up the earth is lost in flight
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba
Come down, come down, come down...
Come down, come down, come down...
Ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Ba-ba-ba-ba-balloon
Carico i commenti... con calma
