Ci sono dischi che ascolti la prima volta distrattamente, in pomeriggi con le finestre aperte, senza molta convinzione, pensando a mille inutili scocciature. Ma ti accorgi, man mano che le canzoni si susseguono e che il sole si abbassa, ti accorgi che ti stai facendo ipnotizzare. Alla fine è scuro, ma non accendi la luce. Basta quella del diamante.
My Brightest Diamond è Shara Worden. È un disco di undici pezzi intensi, laceranti, che lasciano il segno. È una voce spettacolare per le sue capacità di farsi duttile, di modularsi, di toccare timbri diversissimi, di passare da sfumature intimistiche ad aperture sofisticate ed estroverse. È il connubio tra un oscuro indie rock e arrangiamenti orchestrali, tra un'anima dark e una operistica. È la prima Bjork new wave, è la PJ Harvey più spettrale, è una Beth Gibbons più esibizionista consegnata a un'orchestra di aspiranti suicidi.
Ci sono pezzi guidati da chitarre cupe che poi si aprono a operette da camera ("Magic Rabbit", "Something Of An End", "Golden Star"), c'è un senso di stravaganza anarchico ed estroso ("Freak Out") che poi lascia spazio a uno spirito raffinato e melodrammatico ("Dragonfly"), c'è una depressione con basi portisheadiane che si accompagna a un'orgogliosa sbozzolatura da volteggi liberty con le mani, in un'aria buia come la notte ("The Good And The Bad Guy": splendida).
Avete gli archi sopra il dark, avete Kate Bush e Siouxsie Sioux. Siete storditi, non sapete se nel bene o nel male. "Gone Away" è uno dei pezzi più lancinanti che io abbia mai ascoltato: l'abisso messo a nudo, il malessere guardato allo specchio e intrecciato in ghirlande, l'inverno scorticato. Un pezzo che mette i brividi. Gli strumenti hanno la stessa fredda eleganza del rigor mortis di un poeta povero, e la fisarmonica ghignante, alla fine, è come una lama, anche se la voce si mantiene orgogliosa fino quasi al compiacimento.
Il fatto è che la voce della Worden fa sì che i pezzi dicano in tre minuti un mucchio di cose, incontenibili. Le cose peggiori e il loro grottesco ribaltamento. Si mimetizza, Shara, si cambia di abito, come una trasformista. Sa essere razionale e ubriaca, lucida e disorientata, con effetti su chi ascolta di un'eccitata confusione. "We Were Sparkling", senza percussioni, pilotata da una chitarra introversa e sinistra, sbilanciata nel finale da un carillon, è il colpo finale. È scuro, ma non accendi la luce: non avrebbe senso.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
02 Golden Star (02:55)
I always felt so far from you
Like something wasn't right
But tonight
I rest my head inside the crook of your arm
& I feel like a golden star
Exploding(tonight we are full)
Exploding(tonight we rejoice)
Exploding(you are my golden star)
Exploding
Though everything has come undone
The distance between us closes
And everything is suddenly
Exploding(tonight we are full)
Exploding(tonight we rejoice)
Exploding(you are my golden star)
Exploding
Tonight we are full up
Tonight we rejoice
Tonight we are full up
In spite we rejoice like stars
Exploding
04 Dragonfly (05:24)
I once saw a dragonfly
Caught in a spider's web
As I looked at her once more
I thought that she was dead
So I left her alone & I went on my way
& I was dreaming of Paris & Pierre Boulez
But she called to me with a beat of her wing
She called to me & said free me
She said come & fly away with me tonight
I've been up there before
Riding the wind & laughing & open
(til one day that great big black came pushing me down into sticky traps)
But now I am afraid of flying
I am afraid of finding the black again
Come & fly away with me tonight
05 Freak Out (03:33)
I think we should jump on the piano
No one's looking we could tear his heart out
Tear his heart out
It's too late to save us now but no matter
We still have time to dance
So let's dance
And freak out, freak out, freak out, freak out
Freak out, freak out
I think we should rip a hole
Right through the center of this house
It's time to tear it down
Our chance to smoke him out
It's too late to save us now but no matter
We still have time to dance
So let's dance
And freak out, freak out, freak out, freak out
Come on let’s put off all our hesitation
And get up on the floor
'Cause I am gonna laugh ha ha hey
When you do that dance
And freak out
Come on freak out
Freak out
06 We Were Sparkling (02:43)
There was a silver tree
Down by a river wide
That's where we would go
To hang our pretty things
& watch the wind blow
There used to be a tree
Where we took our pretty things
We'd hook them by a thread
Golden egg lipstick and feathers
Pieces of glass, chandelier baubles,
& empty bottles of wine
& watch the light shine through
I'm afraid to forget you
I am remembering you
You were sparkling
07 Disappear (04:04)
One day I may disappear
Don't be too suprised
Because I got tired of noisy alarms and phone bells
And I don't think we're meant to stay here very long
I don't dream of bringing heaven down
Not like this
I'd rather move on
One day I may go for the longest while
Don't be too shocked
I get tired sneaky societies and combat boots
And I don't think we're meant to stay here very long
I don't dream of bringing heaven down
Not like this
I'd rather move on
08 The Robin's Jar (03:20)
Once we had a robin
In our backyard
It was already dead
But we were so sure
That things weren't gone too far
So we prayed to God above
That He'd bring it back to us
So we put it in a jar
& waited & waited
& mama made us bury it
Mama made us bury it in the backyard
I wished to be just like my best friend
She was the brightest star in the room
Yeah but we didn't know what we had
With the world pressing in
On her backyard
She fell backwards
We prayed to God above
That He'd bring her back to us
So we put her in a box
We put her in a box
& waited
For something to happen
But nothing happened
& mama made me bury her
Mama made me bury her in the backyard
09 Magic Rabbit (05:25)
I had a magic that could sing
Maybe I took her from her mother too early
'Cause she never came out of recovery
Even on summer days she'd complain
She couldn't take the chill out of her bones
Maybe I took her from her mother too early
I put her outside in the sunshine
All the rabbits died for supper tonight
All the rabbits died in the spotlight
I had a magic that would sing
& boy oh boy was she a pretty thing
By some great mystery she looked to me
Like she was wearing thin
Are you fading away magic
Are you fading away
Are you fading in the spotlight!
Are you fading away magic
Are you fading away all the rabbits died
Are you fading away in the spotlight
Are you fading my magic rabbit!
11 Workhorse (04:43)
Somewhere sunshine burns
A dark but common horse
When he fell by the wayside
No one seemed to notice him
'Cause you're no good to us
Lost all your youth
And all of your usefulness
And you know that
No good to us
Lost all that you could
To a no, no, no, no
No good to us
Lost all your
Lost all your youthfulness
And left with a precious little good
Good to us lost all that you could
To a no, no, no, no…
Bring me the workhorse
Bring me the no good workhorse
'Cause you're no good to us
Lost all your youth and all of your usefulness
And you know that
No good to us
Lost all that you could
To a no, no, no, no…
No good to us
Lost all your youth all of your usefulness
And who told you
No good to us
Lost all that you could as a workhorse
You’re no good to us
Lost all your youth all of your usefulness
And who told you
No good as a workhorse
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