• Voto:
Se ci fosse giustizia a questo mondo, il tormentone dell'estate italiana non sarebbe una "canzone" (le virgolette sono d'obbligo) stantia, banale, nata al seguito della vittoria italiana ai mondiali di calcio, con incorporato errore d'ortografia volontario nel titolo e nel refrain per suscitare simpatia... avete capito a chi mi sto riferendo.
Come dicevo, se ci fosse giustizia a questo mondo, la palma di tormentone spetterebbe a "Young Folks", primo singolo tratto dall'album "Writer's Block" del trio svedese "Peter Bjorn and John" (senza virgole). È da tempo che non sentivo una canzone così orecchiabile e trascinante, impregnata di spirito indie-pop fino al midollo senza per questo risultare fastidiosa, con un ritornello-killer che resta in testa subito dopo il primo ascolto. La formula del singolo viene mantenuta anche in tutte le restanti tracce e, tralasciando i facili giochi di parole con il titolo dell'album, vado subito al punto per affermare che sono nate delle nuove star.
Certo, "Peter Bjorn and John" sono sulla scena musicale già da qualche tempo e possono vantare al loro attivo tre LP (compreso quello in questione) e svariati EP, ma è senz'altro con quest'ultimo album che si sono imposti all'attenzione del pubblico europeo; inutile dire che la strada al successo è ancora lunga, come dimostra la difficile reperibilità (almeno in Italia) dei loro album, però il simpatico video a cartoon di "Young Folks" si sta già facendo strada su MTV e penso (spero) che sia solo questione di tempo.
Come ho già anticipato, le restanti nove canzoni di "Writer's Block" (escludendo la title-track rumoristica d'introduzione) si attestano su ottimi livelli: tutte quante sembrano uscite da un disco pop degli anni Sessanta, ed il debito verso i Beatles è ben evidente, senza per questo schiacciare la qualità intrinseca dei brani. Gli arrangiamenti sono ottimi, molto "indie", caratterizzati da suoni distorti e voce in bilico sulla stonatura, in modo da creare l'illusione (perchè di illusione si tratta) che ogni traccia sia stata registrata al volo, in un'unica take, per essere ascoltata unicamente fra amici e non destinata alla vendita al pubblico.
Nello specifico, sono senz'altro degne di nota "Let's Call It Off", ritmata e impreziosita da begli assoli di chitarra, "The Chills", la canzone più cupa del disco e dotata di una suggestiva parte finale a voci sovrapposte, "Roll The Credits", una sorta di "Politik" coldplayana più solare, e il brano conclusivo "Poor Cow", sostenuto solo da una chitarra acustica e poco altro. Non mancano i brani minori, se non proprio riempitivi: "Start To Melt" è del tutto prescindibile, mentre "Up Against The Wall", con i suoi oltre sette minuti, vorrebbe essere epica, ma risulta solo noiosa e ripetitiva (con una potatina sarebbe un buon pezzo).
Per concludere, un ottimo album per questa band semisconosciuta che punta in alto e ha le capacità per ottenere un grande successo. Un successo che, senza dubbio, si meriterebbe.
Elenco tracce testi e video
02 Objects of My Affection (04:35)
I remember when, when I first moved here
A long time ago
'Cause I heard some song I used to hear back then
A long time ago
I remember when, even further back
In another town
'Cause I saw something written I used to say back then
Hard to comprehend
And the question is, was I more alive then than I am now?
I happily have to disagree
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now
I am more me
But of course some days I just lie around
And hardly exist
And can't tell apart what I'm eating
From my hand or my wrist
'Cause flesh is flesh, flesh as flesh as flesh
The difference is thin
But life has a certain ability of breathing new life into me
So I breathe it in
It says here we are, and we all are here
And you still can make sense
If you just show up and present an honest face instead of that grin
And the other day, this new friend of mine said something to me
"Just because something starts differently, doesn't mean it's worth less"
And I soaked it in, how I soaked it in
How I soaked it in
And just as to prove how right he was
Then you came
So I'm gonna give, yes I'm gonna give
I'm gonna give you a try
So I'm gonna give, yes I'm gonna give
I'm gonna give you a try
03 Young Folks (04:36)
If I told you things I did before
Told you how I used to be
Would you go along with someone like me?
If you knew my story word for word
Had all of my history
Would you go along with someone like me?
I did before and had my share
It didn't lead nowhere
I would go along with someone like you
It doesn't matter what you did
Who you were hanging with
We could stick around and see this night through
And we don't care about the young folks
Talking 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talking 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about our own folks
Talking 'bout our own style
All we care about is talking
Talking only me and you
Usually when things has gone this far
People tend to disappear
No one will surprise me unless you do
I can tell there's something going on
Hours seems to disappear
Everyone is leaving I'm still with you
It doesn't matter what we do
Where we are going to
We can stick around and see this night through
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
Talking only me and you
04 Amsterdam (03:36)
Baby went to Amsterdam
She put a little money into travelling
Now it's so slow, so slow
Baby went to Amsterdam,
4-5 days by the big canal
Now it's so slow, so slow
And I was heading up north, to a place that I know
Eating well, sleeping well
But still I was way, way out of line
Amsterdam was stuck in my mind
Oh, it's some kind of stupid rule
That you can't ignore
Oh, it's some kind of natural fact
Sometimes you're just left to be alone
And I tried to go away, to a place of my own,
Working hard, fill my time
But from early on 'til I hit the bed
Amsterdam was stuck in my head
09 The Chills (03:48)
Your tongue is sharp
but I miss the taste of it
You said time heals
there's not enough of it
The lessons are too cruel to keep
to lock the door to hide the key
To hear you cast a spell so sweet
to still have hours left to sleep
Your fear is crowdin'
And there is still
no place
for someone
like me to fill
Don't know about luck
but I know the lack of it
Don't know about luck
but I'm losing track of it
The lessons are too cruel to keep
to lock the door to go to sleep
I know that time until it kills
You're giving me the chills
Your fear is crowdin'
and there is still
No place
for someone
like me to fill
x2
The lessons are too cruel to keep
to lock the door to hide the key
to hear you cast a spell so sweet
and still have hours left to sleep
Your fear is crowdin'
And there is still
no place
for someone
like me to fill
x2
The lessons are too cruel to keep
to lock the door to go to sleep
I know that time until it kills
You're giving me the chills
I know that time until it kills
you're giving me the chills
you're giving me the chills
you're giving me the chills
11 Poor Cow (04:45)
When all is gone, and things go wrong,
We don't need them anymore.
The artifacts and all they lack,
We don't need them anymore.
I don't have the means, and so it seems
For now I can't participate.
But I've waited long,
Now the dollar's strong again,
I still can't participate.
When we don't consume it seems we are immune
To all of the thoughts they sell,
You know as well as I, that's a lie...
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend,
In a never-ending story, but it always ends.
I want to spend, I want to spend,
In a never-ending story, but it always ends.
And when I die, the angels will try
To count all my belongings.
To measure my worth, pure gold, solid dirt,
To see if I'm worth keeping.
But the house I rent and the car I drive,
I'm sorry but they ain't mine.
You know as well as I, that's no lie...
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend,
In a never-ending story, but it always ends.
I want to spend, I want to spend,
In a never-ending story, but it always ends.
And it always ends, and it always ends...
Carico i commenti... con calma
