Il disco che mi accingo a recensire è l'opera prima di un gruppo, gli Starsailor, nati nel periodo in cui il britpop aveva già dato l'impressione di essere un fenomeno morto e sepolto. Alcuni lavori degli Oasis, anche se il loro stile sarà cambiato, smentiranno tutto ciò, ma il periodo era fecondo per la nascita di nuovi gruppi apparentemente in contrasto con il britpop; fatto sta che il valore di alcuni di questi gruppi, come gli Starsailor, è stato davvero notevole.
Ingiustamente, a parere di chi scrive, meno osannati dei Coldplay, rispetto ai quali sono superiori, gli Starsailor dettero vita a questo "Love is Here" che raggiunge vette di oggettivazione espressiva veramente straordinarie. Si tratta di un opera che alterna momenti di desolazione ad altri di inopinata speranza: questo contrasto è, a mio avviso, il punto di forza dell'album, insieme alla già citata capacità di oggettivare le sensazioni che i brani ci offrono. L'apertura è affidata all'ambiguità di un giro di chitarra acustica veramente riuscito, che sa al tempo stesso di tristezza e speranza... poi entra il cantato di James Walsh, la voce del gruppo e ottimo interprete. Il brano cresce con una precisione impeccabile e sfuma alla fine in una pulsazione che ricorda un treno che si allontana nella notte. E' notevole la tensione spirituale che si respira in tanti brani soprattutto in uno dei vertici assoluti del disco, ovvero quella "Lullaby" in cui è inarrivabile la capacità di dominare e oggettivare l'espressione: il solito arpeggio iniziale apre un mondo di disperata nostalgia, sembra di trovarsi in un quadro di Renoir, fatto di giardini e bimbi che giocano. Ascoltate la perizia con cui sono inseriti i tocchi di piano. Verso la fine il brano si rabbuia come in un'ombra spettrale: è un impeto di tristezza quello che ci assale, ma presto si dissolve e torna la speranza. Un capolavoro.
La stessa potenza espressiva si mantiene in tutta la parte centrale e dopo la malinconia di "Way to Fall" e "Fever" in cui si tocca il fondo emotivo, si riaccende la speranza in "She Just Wept". Sembra di sostare davanti a un tabernacolo al margine di una stradina di montagna o davanti a una finestra coperta di brina in una casetta di contadini... Questo prepara la strada alla catarsi degli ultimi quattro brani; un sequenza mozzafiato aperta dall'angoscia di "Talk Her Down" che piomba nel gelo di "Love is Here": ci si chiede veramente dove sia l'amore in questo brano eppure il suo incedere maestoso e l'organo liturgico che domina veramente il pezzo insieme all'acustica, ci fanno pensare che l'amore in fondo sia nelle piccole cose, senza andare a cercarlo chissà dove. Il dubbio rimane insieme all'organo che sfuma... un attimo di silenzio... e parte la potenza del vertice finale dell'album. Con "Good Souls" il dubbio si dissolve, l'amore è davvero qui, intorno a noi, nelle piccole cose di tutti i giorni, nel cuore delle "Anime Buone". L'incedere del pezzo è spettacolare, sostenuto da una batteria precisa come un metronomo, la forza espressiva raggiunge inopinate lontananze, come il binario lanciato verso il tramonto sulla copertina dell'album.
Ma il cammino dell'amore è duro, la chitarra e il cantato di "Coming Down" ce lo ricordano suggellando un'opera dalla rara capacità di parlare a tutto il nostro essere.
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01 Tie Up My Hands (05:46)
Wipe the make-up from your face
Tie your hair and gently fall from grace
Until I come again
Take the disaffected life
Men who ran the company, ran your life
You could have been his wife
I wanna love you but my hands are tied
I wanna stay here but I've been denied
Lets watch the clock until the morning sun does rise
Wipe the sweat from off your brow
All that you believe is here and now
Could have had more doubt
Wipe the shadow from your eyes
Rest your daughter while your mother cries
You could have let him fly
I wanna hold you but my hands are tied
I wanna stay here but I've been denied
I wanna lie here 'til we've killed this bitter doubt
I wanna hold you but my hands are tied
I wanna stay here but I've been denied
Lets watch the clock until the morning sun does rise
(Break)
I wanna hold you but my hands are tied
I wanna sleep here but I've been denied
I wanna stay here 'til we've killed this bitter doubt
I wanna hold you but my hands are tied
I wanna sleep here but I've been denied
Lets watch the clock until the morning sun comes out
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh
Woah-oh-oh-oooh
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oww
02 Poor Misguided Fool (03:51)
As soon as you sound like him
Give me a call
When you're so sensitive
It's a long way to fall
Whenever you need a home
I will be there
Whenever you're all alone
And nobody cares
You're just a poor misguided fool
Who thinks they know what I should do
A line for me and a line for you
I lose my right to a point of view
Whenever you reach for me
I'll be your guide
Whenever you need someone
To keep it inside
Whenever you need a home
I will be there
Whenever you're all alone
And nobody cares
You're just a poor misguided fool
Who thinks they know what I should do
A line for me and a line for you
I lose my right to a point of view
I'll be your guide in the morning
You cover up bullet holes
As soon as you sound like him
Give me a call
When you're so sensitive
It's a long way to fall
You're just a poor misguided fool
Who thinks they know what I should do
A line for me and a line for you
I lose my right to a point of view
03 Alcoholic (02:56)
Don't you know you've got your Daddy's eyes
Daddy was an alcoholic
But your mother kept it all inside
Threw it all away
I was looking for another you
And I found another one
I was looking for another you
When I looked round you were gone
Stay by my side
And the pipe dream is yours now
Stay by my side
And the singer won't get in our way
Don't you know you've got your Daddy's eyes
And your Daddy was an alcoholic
But your mother kept it all inside
Threw it all away
I was looking for another you
And I found another one
I was looking for another you
When I looked round you were gone
Stay by my side
And the pipe dream is yours now
Stay by my side
And the cynics won't get in our way
Don't you know you've got your Daddy's eyes
And your Daddy was an alcoholic
But your mother kept it all inside
Threw it all away
I was looking for another chance
To see your blue eyed problem
04 Lullaby (04:13)
Get back on your feet again
So insincere
Quiet American
I held you so dear
Get back on your feet again
So into you
We met in a cinema
You fell from my view
Lullaby
Stop twisting my words tonight
If you get high on life
Don't leave me behind
Get back on your feet again
Nothing to say
Some of your weaker friends
Get in my away
Get back on your feet again
Always seem down
Some of your weaker friends
Don't want you around
Lullaby
Stop twisting my words tonight
If you get high on life
Don't leave me behind
Lullaby
You live in my ruined mind
Make light of all my fears
And lead me from here
(Break)
Oh-oh-oh
Oooohhh
Get back on your feet again
So insincere
Quiet American
I held you so dear
Get back on your feet again
Nothing to say
We met in a cinema
You got in my way
Lullaby
Stop twisting my words tonight
If you get high on life
Don't leave me behind
Lullaby
You live in my ruined mind
Make light of all my fears
And lead me from here
05 Way to Fall (04:29)
Son, you've got a way to fall
They'll tell you where to go
But they won't know
Son, you'd better take it all
They'll tell you what they know
But they won't show
Oh, I've got something in my throat
I need to be alone
While I suffer
Son, you've got a way to kill
They're picking on you still
But they don't know
Son, you'd better wait to shine
They'll tell you what is yours
But they'll take mine
Oh, I've got something in my throat
I need to be alone
While I suffer
Oh, there's a hole inside my boat
I need to stay afloat
For the summer long
Left my sweet soul
Beneath the bedclothes
I'm not coming down
Walls have ears
But no-one hears
When nobody's around
Son, you'd better wait to fall
They'll tell you where to go
But they won't know
06 Fever (04:03)
There's a fever
On the freeway
In the morning
In the morning
And the lover
Smiling for me
Without warning
Without warning
There's an outlaw
On the highway
And she's falling
And she's falling
Man, I must have been blind
To carry a torch
For most of my life
These days I'm hanging around
You're out of my heart
And out of my town
There's a fever
On the freeway
In the morning
In the morning
And the lover
Smiling for me
While she's falling
While she's falling
Man, I must have been blind
To carry a torch
For most of my life
These days I'm hanging around
You're out of my heart
And out of my town
There's a fever
On the freeway
In the morning
In the morning
And the lover
Smiling for me
Without warning
Without warning
Man, I must have been blind
To carry a torch
For most of my life
These days I'm hanging around
You're out of my heart
And out of my town
09 Love Is Here (04:41)
If you could see the lover in me
And we can join our hands together
You could see how good it could be
We'll sing these stupid songs forever
Can you feel it?
Love is here
It has never been so clear
You can't love what you have not
So hold on to what you've got
Is Trudy really smiling for me?
I'd change my name in case she found me
Trembling I can't believe
I've got to leave the girl behind me
Can you feel it
Love is here
It has never been so clear
You can't love what you have not
So hold on to what you've got
If you could see the aching in me
I'd change my name in case you lost me
Trembling down to my knees
I've got to leave the world behind me
Can you feel it
Love is here
It has never been so clear
You can't love what you have not
So hold on to what you've got
10 Good Souls (04:53)
Feel,
Sick after every meal,
I'd say,
Cos I know,
The life from your burning wheel,
Won't wane,
Sleep,
I sleep every day,
Wipe the cobwebs away,
I need to be loved,
Christ,
I'm out of my mind,
I need to be loved,
I need to be loved,
As I turn to you and I say,
Thank goodness for the good souls,
That make life better,
As I turn to you and I say,
If it wasn't for the good souls,
Life would not matter,
Dive straight in on your girlfriend,
Making her feel like there's going to be a war,
Dive straight in at the deep end,
Making you feel like there's going to be a war,
As I turn to you and I say,
Thank goodness for the good souls,
That make life better,
As I turn to you and I say,
If it wasn't for the good souls,
Life would not matter,
One good day of the week,
And I'll be up again,
One good day of the week,
I'll be higher than the government,
As I turn to you and I say,
Thank goodness for the good souls,
That make life better,
As I turn to you and I say,
If it wasn't for the good souls,
Life would not matter,
As I turn to you and I say,
If you're messing with a good heart,
You've got to take what's due.
11 Coming Down (14:30)
If you don't mind
Could we not fight?
I see you're close woman
In the night
I'm sober
Still Alive
Waste your days
On your own
Getting drunk
getting stoned
I'm sober
Still alone
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Were you always coming down?
See your face
See your eyes
Shouldn't have left
Shouldn't have lied
I'm sober
Spirit's died
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Were you always coming down?
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Were you always coming down?
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Altre recensioni
Di enryka
Già le prime note dell’album presentano una notevole malinconia, quella malinconia che giunge in una piovosa giornata d’inverno, quella malinconia che culla l’anima trasportandola in un’altra dimensione.
Ascoltando questo album ci si riconcilia con il mondo, con l’intero universo proprio perché esiste una grande certezza: l’amore è qui.
Di ocipuk
“Love is here è un capolavoro senza mezzi termini, senza etichette, un disco dove gli stili si mesciano ma i suoni non si impastano mai.”
“Devi fermarti davvero a respirare per capire che ciò che stai ascoltando sia vero, perché sei solo alla quinta traccia, ma le emozioni sono già a 1000.”
