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Tra i pochissimi superstiti di lusso dell'era britpop, un posto di rilievo se lo sono conquistato sicuramente i The Charlatans.
A differenza di colleghi molto più "blasonati" e magari di maggior successo, Tim Burgess e soci hanno cercato in ogni singolo album pubblicato di aggiungere nuove e sempre inedite contaminazioni alla propria musica, mantenutasi sempre su standard qualitativi lusinghieri.
Titolari di un ottimo successo in patria (se si esclude il recente "Up At The Lake", fermatosi ad una comunque dignitosa tredicesima posizione, tutti i dischi del gruppo dal 1994 ad oggi hanno centrato la top ten in patria), i The Charlatans tornano nel 2006 con questo disco dal titolo curioso: "Simpatico".
"E' una parola spagnola, scopro ora che ha un significato anche in italiano. A Mexico City avevo ascoltato una band che si chiamava Los Simapticos e mi era piaciuta. Inoltre la parola simpatico l'ho letta nella biografia di Keith Richards, quando parlava dei suoi rapporti con qualcuno negli anni '60 diceva che era "simpatico" nel senso che c'era intesa con quella persona. Ho cercato il significato sul dizionario, mi è piaciuto e l'ho proposta per il titolo del disco". Questa la spiegazione ufficiale di Burgess.
Per quanto concerne il contenuto del disco, il nuovo "innamoramento" è, stavolta, per influenze inusuali (per il gruppo in questione) quali reggae, dub e funky, mantenendo comunque il tipico marchio di fabbrica della band.
I due singoli estratti per presentare il disco hanno l'ulteriore compito di aprirlo: "Blackened Blue Eyes" ammalia con il suo giro di piano e le chitarre che fanno capolino qua e là, "N.Y.C. (There's No Need To Stop)" suona come se i Red Hot Chili Peppers fossero nati a Birmingham invece che in California.
Il discorso si fa ben più interessante con "For Your Entertainment", applicazione pratica delle contaminazioni succitate, lo stesso dicasi di episodi quali "City Of The Dead" e "Road To Paradise". Non manca comunque il tipico britrock di "Dead Mans Eye", colpisce inoltre il pianoforte incastonato nella melodia reggae-friendly di "The Architect". La nenia di "Glory Glory" è forse l'anello debole del lavoro, cosicché l'attenzione si sposta sullo strumentale di chiusura "Sunset And Vine", fra elettronica e dub.
Decisiva la produzione del bravissimo Jim Lowe, uno che quando entra in studio ha già le idee chiare sulla direzione da prendere; l'album "esce" veramente benissimo, c'è da dirlo, come resa sonora risulta fra i migliori pubblicati nel 2006.
Un lavoro, in definitiva, sorprendente, per una band ormai non più di primo pelo, soprattutto in considerazione del fatto che i dischi più recenti non avevano certo fatto gridare al miracolo.
Buon ritorno, non c'è che dire.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Blackened Blue Eyes (04:19)
A Charlatan I
Noble and wild
Hustlin' for tricks to help you feel loved
And we all need a shoulder to cry on.... once in a while
And there won't be a dry eye
In the house tonight
Blackened blue eyes
I don't care too much for your
Circumstances or you
Situation wise
A Charlatan I
Will blossom and die
One day you'll find a real need for love
Or you live with the fear for
The rest of your life
And there won't be a dry eye
In the house tonight
Blackened blue eyes
I don't care too much for your
Circumstances or you
Situation wise
The one thing I hate
The numb and the fake
The gutless who rape
The jaws of a snake
We all need a best friend
We can trust with our lives till the end
And there won't be a dry eye
In the house tonight
Blackened blue eyes
I don't care too much much final chances
Ride out into a world of random
Prostitutes
I'll show you some fantastic scenes
And it will be alright
Blackened blue eyes
Blackened blue eyes
Blackened blue eyes
03 For Your Entertainment (03:58)
Try not to die
Try not to die
Hold me tight
I know there's something going wrong inside
Tonight tonight
The stars are bright
Watch me close
Because I'm looking for the last laugh
For your entertainment
I know you lie
I know you lie
Looking for the boys
With the needles in their eyes
Hold me close
For the first kiss
I guess I'm looking
For something that just don't exist
For your entertainment
05 Muddy Ground (04:00)
I sit on the muddy ground, the muddy ground
Waiting for you
I sit on the muddy ground, the muddy ground
Waiting for you
I sit on the muddy ground, the muddy ground
Waiting for you
You say look what you found on the muddy ground
Was waiting for you
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I watch the money burn, and in return
I'm left here with you
You say look what I found on the money ground
Was left here by you
I sit on the muddy ground, the muddy ground
You sit on the money ground, the money ground
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
All the luckless fellas, who deserve a medal
Look into life through the bottom of a glass
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I'm still waiting for you, still waiting for
I'm still waiting for you.
07 Road to Paradise (04:32)
Is this the road to Paradise?
Always to feel it's all over
There must be something going on inside
Security walls, they better be tight
There will be no free kind of advice
Lost in career, lost in the night
I don't want to blame this on each other
But everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go
There will be no tears on my pillow
For everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go, I watch the river flow
This is the road to Paradise
Always to feel it's all over
Born on the 4th of July
Born under strange, strange skies
There will be no free kind of advice
Security walls, you better be tight
I don't want to blame this on each other
But everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go
There will be no tears on my pillow
For everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go, I watch the river flow
This is the road to Paradise
This is the road to Paradise
I don't want to blame this on each other
But everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go
I don't want to blame this on each other
But everywhere I go, I watch the river flow
No matter where I go
09 The Architect (04:10)
Rockers all over the world, re-unite
In love with the feeling that comes with the night
As we talk
Lay off the pills that are left on the shelf
We'll be warped when we stop
I never said I want to be the one who said
I told you so
But you're all a lowly bunch of parasites
And I told my girl that it would be alright
Let me go
On a hilltop in the bustley nights
With a legendary lord I used to like
And there will be tears in our eyes
Make love in our own little van
I am giving you all that I can and I am
Buckle my belt and I roll up the sleeves of my shirt
And I flirt
I never said I want to be the one who said
I told you so
But you're all a lowly bunch of parasites
And I told my girl that it would be alright
Let me go
On a hilltop in the bustley nights
With a legendary lord I used to like
And there will be tears in our eyes
I never said I want to be the one who said
I told you so
But you're all a lowly bunch of parasites
And I told my girl that it would be alright
Let me go
On a hilltop in the bustley nights
With the legendary lords I never liked
And there will be tears in our eyes
Last night you know
An architect saved my life
I knew in my heart
I wouldn't die tonight
Thank you all
I thank you all so very much
You know I never really wanted to be touched
To be touched
To be touched
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