• Voto:
Se dovessimo prendere come riferimento un album che definisca il suono "underground", se dovessimo far ascoltare ad un "iniziato" della musica tutte le migliori caratteristiche del sound "new wave", se dovessimo dimenticarci delle cose buone che i tanto bistrattati anni '80 hanno portato beh...dovremmo mettere nel lettore questo cd.
I quattro ragazzi imberbi che compaiono sulla curiosa copertina altro non erano che tipici studenti colti e intellettuali della media borghesia americana desiderosi di formare una band, come tanti altri. E come tanti altri cominciarono nel più completo anonimato, suonando perlopiù alle feste e nei "garage party", divenendo però ben presto "famosi" nell' ambito del "sottosuolo" del New Jersey, data la loro straordinaria capacità di coniare un suono nervoso, malato, decadente e glaciale, prendendo spunto dai loro idoli ( Velvet Underground, Beatles, Stones ) metabolizzandoli però attraverso una magistrale opera di "trasfigurazione intellettuale".
I "Crazy Rhythms" della batteria opera del mai troppo acclamato Anton Fier (che sostituì dopo pochi mesi la "prima scelta" Vinnie DeNunzio), le escursioni delle chitarre trattate elettronicamante, e il cantato svuotato di ogni enfasi emotiva di Glenn Mercer, riducono il suono ad un raga psicotico ed androide, pervaso da una sottile tensione di fondo che funge da filo conduttore dell'intero lavoro.
L'iniziale The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness mostra già dal titolo le sue intenzioni. Ci vuole un minuto prima che il brano prenda forma, prima che quel tintinnio e quella progressione in lontananza di chitarra siano tempestati dalla batteria. Un ritmo martellante, penetrante, si staglia in primo piano con le chitarre in sottofondo a ricamare rumori ipnotici. La successiva Fa Cè-La è un tipico brano non-sense buffo e cadenzato, tipicamante punk, con una spruzzata di "Marquee Moon" alle chitarre.
Con Loveless Love si torna su territori malati, con puntellamenti espressionistici vocali (lo straniante coretto di sottofondo) ed elettronici. Addirittura per aumentare il grado ansiolitico il volume si abbassa nella sezione mediana per poi esplodere in un disegno schizoide nel finale. Straordinario.
La title-track, posta alla fine del disco (sulla versione cd c'è anche un'ottima cover di Paint It Black dei Rolling Stones) è forse l'episodio più sperimentale del lotto, manifesto del loro mondo. Una canzoncina che parte spensierata e allegra per poi deragliare in un ritmo motoristico alla Neu, abbellito da brevi contrappunti elettronici. Da mal di testa.
Non si può non usare l'aggettivo "seminale" quando si parla di "Crazy Rhythms" (ma a loro volta anche i Feelies si mossero su coordinate già tracciate), basti ascoltare ad esempio i R.E.M. di "Murmur". Un disco mitico (anche per la sua scarsa reperibilità), che la polvere del tempo non ha minimamente offuscato, anzi. Geniale.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness (05:10)
There's a kid I know but not too well
He doesn't have a lot to say
Well this boy lives right next door and he
Never has nothin' to say
It doesn't seem like he does anything
He never helps out in the yard
He lets his mother carry in groceries
Cause he doesn't plan to work too hard
The boy next door is into better things
As far as I can see
The boy next door is into bigger things
The boy next door is me
All right
Well he's not like the boys we used to have
Not like them at all - oh no
Those ones made their parents proud
This one beats 'em all
The boy next door is into better things
As far as I can see
The boy next door is into bigger things
The boy next door is me
Yeah
03 Loveless Love (05:19)
You made your offer
A little too soon
It's not the first time it's happened
In a moment you said
You don't want to know me
It's seems as though that's never done
What I'm seeing as hopeless
You're seeing as ...
Won
The story asking
Could we be together tonight
I was raised by a different standard
And it wouldn't seem right
Ah ...
It doesn't seem important
I'd like to know what matters then
As it happened they already did
I don't remember it
Loveless love
Is not my plan
Loveless love
Said it isn't romance
Loveless love
You think it's cool I think it stinks
Loveless love
You don't care what I think
Well nobody's perfect
It's not the way you were raised to be-have
Try to understand
That's not the way to be
04 Forces at Work (07:05)
The tinge of the mind
The mind is in check
The check is the force
The forces at work
(?)
06 Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except Me and My Monkey) (04:11)
Your inside is out
Your outside is in
Your outside is in
Your inside is out
So come on
Come on is such a joy
Come on is such a joy
Come on and take it easy
Come on and make it easy
Make it easy
Everybody's got something to hide
Except for me and my monkey
The higher you fly
The deeper you go
The deeper you go
The higher you fly
So come on
Come on
Come on it's such a joy
Come on it's such a joy
Come on, let's take it easy
Come on and make it easy
Everybody's got something to hide
Except for me and my monkey
Your inside is out
Your outside is in
Your outside is in
Your inside is out
So come on
Come on
Come on it's such a joy
Come on it's such a joy
Come on, let's make it easy
Come on and make it easy
Take it easy
Everybody's got something to hide
Except for me and my monkey
Come on
Come on
Come on
07 Moscow Nights (04:40)
All you really wanted
Was to be alone at least a little while
How was I to know that
Well it seemed like an eternity
When you smile and say,
"I thought about it, it's the right time"
And I expect that
You're never returning to the USA
All the way the lights are
I can see your face is getting clearer
It's like you never even left here
It's like you never had the reason
To want to go
Well I don't know
I think it's time for you to face it
You never felt right in our world
You never felt right about yourself
And I think about what it might be like
If I could go alone, if I could go at night
Would it be just like you know you said it would
Would it start the life of O (?)
09 Crazy Rhythms (06:07)
Said it's time to go, well alright
I don't wanna go, I say alright
You never listen to me anyway
You're always talking, never much to say
You remind me of a TV show
That's alright, I watch it anyway
I don't talk much cause it gets in the way
Don't let it get in the way
We'll do our job, we'll get things done
Work real hard and get things done
It's time to sail but not now
Can't relax when there's things to do
Big plans stay while the little ones fade
It's nice to know when it's part of your life
I don't want much and I need even less
It's time to sacrifice
Crazy Feelies
Said it's time to go, well alright
I don't wanna go, I say alright
You never listen to me anyway
You're always talking, never much to say
You remind me of a TV show
That's alright, I watch it anyway
I don't talk much cause it gets in the way
Don't let it get in the way
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