Siamo nel pieno periodo New Wave, e trovare un così particolare capolavoro chiamato “Rattlesnakes”, non è da poco. Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, alla prima uscita, fanno centro perfetto!
Lloyd, un ragazzone dalla bellezza particolare, sguardo penetrante, occhi colmi d’anima, di principi pieni di interessi culturali, e dalla voce, limpida, soave, elegante... insomma, un artista carismatico. Basta ascoltare “Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?” per capire quanto talento pervade in questo album dalla marcatura di fine personalità eclettica, infatti i suoi testi sono pieni di poesia, letteratura e teatralmente reali, ti affascinano distraendoti da quella che era l’onda di ascolto degli anni ’80, portandoti in una fase di distacco temporaneo che, dopo 22 anni (ebbene si, era il 1984) perdura ancora, senza lacerazioni del tempo.
Sono 10 brani, completamente perfetti, chitarre acustiche, chitarre elettriche, tastiere, tamburi e tamburini, ma soprattutto quella meravigliosa voce esecutrice del folletto Lloyd. Soft, folk, qualità di performer del suono, dei testi musicali, nei successivi album con i The Commotions, non avranno una tale ripetizione, in un certo senso si dovrà aspettare l’Album da solista omonimo, appunto "Lloyd Cole", ma molto più ritmato e alquanto fantastico!
“Rattlesnaskes” riesce senza problemi ad affrontare la sua originalità fuori da ogni schema, infatti il riscontro nonché risultato fu l’ottimo successo ottenuto anche aldilà del paese Britannico. Ci sono canzoni come “Patience”, “Rattlesnakes”, “Forest Fire” o “Perfect Skin” che sono di una bellezza unica, ponderate, calibrate, di carezzévole dolcezza fluttuante.
Quando ascolto le loro canzoni mi viene voglia di camminare nella mia Milano in un pomeriggio di novembre, con la nebbia fittissima, tenendo per mano il mio migliore amico, andare per tutti i più grossi negozi di musica, e li, lasciarci calare nel nostro pane quotidiano, e poi ributtarci nella nebbia umida e fredda, e viaggiare senza una destinazione con la metrò, e poi concederci una grossa porzione di patatine da Mc Donald’s, ma mi fanno anche pensare al sorgere del sole e del primo caldo raggio di luce che penetra in quella foschia rasa che ricopre tutta la campagna che ti da un senso di grembo materno, e che già ora inizio a vedere quando vengo a Milano a lavorare.
Insomma sono sensazioni personali che provi dentro, ed è questo che mi trasmette la loro musica.
Lloy Cole & The Commotions, e Lloy Cole meritano di essere ascoltati e di avere il loro riconoscimento per aver dato un lato positivo di musicalità imbattibile nel loro genere.
Che dirvi….. se lo avete accantonato, archiviato, o magari mai comprato, allora fateci un pensierino, ne vale la pena di riportarlo o portarlo alla mano.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Perfect Skin (03:16)
i choose my friends only far too well
i'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar
with their government grants and my i.q.
they brought me down to size, academia blues
louise is a girl, i know her well
she's up on the pavement, yes she's a weather girl
and i'm staying up here so i may be undone
she's inappropriate, but then she's much more fun and
when she smiles my way
my eyes go out in vain
she's got perfect skin
shame on you, you've got no sense of grace, shame on me
ah just in case i might come to a conclusion
other than that which is absolutely necessary
and that's perfect skin
louise is the girl with the perfect skin
she says turn on the light, otherwise it can't be seen
she's got cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin
and she's sexually enlightened by cosmopolitan and
when she smiles my way
my eyes go out in vain
for her perfect skin
yeah that's perfect skin
she takes me down to the basement to look at her slides
of her family life, pretty weird at times
at the age of ten she looked like greta garbo
and i loved her then, but how was she to know that
when she smiles my way
my eyes go out in vain
she's got perfect skin
up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat
pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that
seems we climbed so high now we're down so low
strikes me the moral of this song must be there never has been one
speedboat
julie said we drink far too much coffee
wine and cigarettes and we never get no sleep
i first met them at a riverboat party
both of them were speeding i would say
i lived on the edge of all this indulgence
taking notes and trusting in prudence
julie said to jim why don't we jump in
while the water is cool and we are still friends
some say that they o.d.'d on leonard cohen
well i can see that river whenever i think about them
the river is cruel and the water is deep and blue
i was working then on my great unfinished novel
"please let introduce myself my name is ronald"
i was okay there until i lost my cool
now let me introduce you to the rest of the crew
it wasn't my style to find surf in my eye
it was much more my style to find sand in my eyes
though there is absolutely no truth to be discovered
albeit truth then is nothing to be found
we academics are not easily discouraged
lloyd you know wits they come three to the pound
julie said to jim look at the state we're in
it was never her intention to conclude anything
it wasn't my style to find surf in my eye
it was much more my style to find sand in my eyes
it was just not my style to find surf in my eye
it was much more my style to get sand kicked in my eyes
sand in my eyes
02 Speedboat (04:37)
Julie said we drink far too much coffee,
Wine and cigarettes and we never get no sleep,
I first met them at a riverboat party,
Both of them were speeding, I would say.
I lived on the edge of all this indulgence,
Taking notes and trusting in prudence,
Julie said to Jim, "Why don't we jump in,
While the water is cool and we are still friends?"
Some say that they OD'd on Leonard Cohen,
Well I can see that river whenever I think about them,
The river is cruel,
And the water is deep and blue.
I was working then on my great unfinished novel,
Please let introduce myself, my name is Ronald,
I was okay there until I lost my cool,
Now let me introduce you to the rest of the crew.
It wasn’t my style to find surf in my eye,
It was much more my style to find sand in my eye.
Though there is absolutely no truth to be discovered,
Albeit truth there's nothing to be found,
We academics are not easily discouraged,
Lloyd you know wits they come three to the pound.
Julie said to Jim look at the state we’re in,
It was never her intention to conclude anything.
It wasn't my style to find surf in my eye
It was much more my style to find sand in my eye,
It was just not my style to find surf in my eye
It was much more my style to get sand kicked in my eye,
Sand in my eye.
03 Rattlesnakes (03:28)
Jodie wears a hat although it hasnt rained for six days
She says a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like eve marie saint in on the waterfront
She reads simone de beauvoir in her american circumstance
Shes less than sure if her heart has come to stay in san jose
And her neverborn child still haunts her
As she speeds down the freeway
As she tries her luck with the traffic police
Out of boredom more than spite
She never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
Shes obvious despite herself
She looks like eve marie saint in on the waterfront
She says all she needs is therapy yeah
All you need is, love is all you need
Jodie never sleeps cause there are always needles in the hay
She says that a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes
She looks like eve marie saint in on the waterfront
As she reads simone de beauvoir in her american circumstance
Her heart, hearts like crazy paving
Upside down and back to front
She says ooh, its so hard to love
When love was your great disappointment
09 Patience (03:40)
early in the morning, just by the break of day
well that's when my patience went away
she took her bags but she left all her clothes
she took her keys and left me out in the cold
wearing a plastic coat
and the pressures of life through lack of patience
i get the pressures of her
patience is a girl that i hate to love the way i do, but i do
she wakes me up in the morning through squeaking in my dreams
she took her bags but she left all her clothes
she took her keys and left me out in the cold
all because of patience
i get the pressures of life through lack of patience
i get the pressures of her
she beat me up and left me out in the pouring rain
without no keys, without no reason to go back again
she left me empty-handed, she left me empty-hearted
not no money, not nothing but the blues
all because of patience
i get the pressures of life through lack of patience
i get the pressures of her
she said the one thing that she needs is happiness
i don't believe that she's happy 'til she sees that i'm in distress
no, all because of patience
i get the pressures of life through lack of patience
i get the pressures of her
and i swoon
10 Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken? (03:06)
looking like a born again
Living like a heretic
Listening to arthur lee records
Making all your friends feel so guilty
About their cynicism
And the rest of their generation
Not even the government are gonna stop you now
But are you ready to be heartbroken?
Are you ready to be heartbroken?
Pumped up full of vitamins
On account of all the seriousness
You say you're so happy now
You can hardly stand
Lean over on the bookcase
If you really want to get straight
Read norman mailer
Or get a new tailor
Are you ready to be heartbroken?
Are you ready to be heartbroken?
Are you ready to bleed?
What would it take
What would it take to wipe that smile off of your face?
Are you ready to be, are you ready to bleed?
Are you ready to be heartbroken?
Are you ready to bleed? (heartbroken)
Well you better get ready now baby
Are you ready to bleed?, ready to bleed?
Carico i commenti... con calma