Vissuti per un bel po'all'ombra del gigante Franz Ferdinand, i londinesi Rakes giungono finalmente al secondo album a due anni esatti di distanza dall'acerbo esordio "Capture/Release".
"Ten New Messages" è un balzo in avanti impressionante!
Nonostante l'overdose mediatica della cosiddetta nuova "British invasion" abbia quasi esaurito i suoi effetti, i Rakes con questo nuovo lavoro dimostrano di saper creare un impasto sonoro fatto di melodie accattivanti, giri di basso intriganti e chitarrone "wave" dilaganti, superando di gran lunga lo spirito ‘modaiolo' di molte band del genere (Editors, gli stessi Franz Ferdinand, i Killers e molti altri) e confezionando dieci canzoni belle dalla prima all'ultima.
L'inizio mozzafiato di "The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect" (titolo delizioso) sembra riportarci al periodo più fervido e creativo degli anni 80 tra Cure, Gang Of Four, The Sound e altre delizie; poi "Little Superstitions" accattivante e furbetta, non può lasciare indifferente, col suo gusto agrodolce a metà tra una "Sunday Morning" e una "She's My Best Friend" dei Velvet Underground; e poi "We Danced Together" pimpante e ritmata con un basso pulsante che sembra prender vita dalle casse, "Down With Moonlight" singolone killer perfetto per club post-wave (altro che "Do You Want To") e "When Tom Cruise Cries", con reminiscenze dei migliori Psychedelic Furs. Non c'è un brano di questi dieci che sia da buttare, anzi la fiammante sequenza delle tracce invita alla fine a un inevitabile e dovuto riascolto.
Per carità i Rakes non hanno inventato nulla di nuovo. Non sono i Radiohead, non hanno la folle genialità dei Sigur Ròs o degli Arcade Fire, ma riescono a suonare da Dio quella new-wave che ci ha cullato e che ci accompagnerà sempre nel progredire della musica negli anni a venire.
Una menzione alla splendida copertina che riporta dei simboli dell'alfabeto Morse, corrispondenti alle lettere del titolo e del nome della band. Uno stile grafico tipico dei primi album dei New Order. Toh! Guarda caso!!!
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 The World Was a Mess but His Hair Was Perfect (05:02)
All dressed up with somewhere to go
Got ten new messages on your phone
Keep trying to stop the night from falling to pieces
The night goes on and on and on and on
Where're you going and where's Steve gone
This whole night is just falling to pieces
And you go on and on and on
Talking shy through the night
Just trying to stop our arguments falling to pieces
You slag off America in the pop
Saying the war was shot
The world was a mess but his hair was perfect
The world was a mess but his hair was perfect
The world was a mess but his hair was perfect
The world was a mess but his hair was perfect
02 Little Superstitions (03:51)
Don't talk rubbish to me
i use reason on my brain
it's those little superstitions
that get me through the stress and strain
i have made my contributions
and now and then i find
on the subject of my love life
i've been left behind
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
i'm made some calculations
but will not put them to the test
it's those little superstitions
that cannot be laid to rest
our bodies are reacting
we're heated dangerously
leaving traces on each other
that the naked eye can't see
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
yeah, i say forever
and you just say whatever
but if you feel how i feel
then we'd stay together
yeah, i say forever
and you just say whatever
but if you feel how i feel
then we'd stay together
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
let's make the most of it
the time we've got together
quit all the secrets that are
choking up your heart
and tearing all the light from the stars
yeah, i say forever
and you just say whatever
but if you feel how i feel
then we'd stay together
yeah, i say forever
and you just say whatever
but if you feel how i feel
then we'd stay together
03 We Danced Together (03:53)
We danced together on the roof at the party,
five stories removed from the troubles on the street
the sun arose revealing goose bumps on your arm
A sign that we should move together somewhere warm.
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We moved to the street where they tried to hold curfew
and ran among the debris as the bullets flew.
Helicopters circled overhead to get a better view
We found a doorway, fell in and I held you.
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We didn’t give a shit about what they would say
and stayed up until the light turned our eyes grey
we caned our money like it was our last day
two fingers up at those who won't miss us when we pass away
We danced together
We danced together on the roof at the party
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
We danced together
...We didn’t have no where to go
waiting for the daylight to begin
Singer, save our secular souls
how can u have hope with no God?
We didn’t give a shit about what they would say
and stayed up until the light turned our world grey.
we caned our money like it was our last day
two fingers up at those who won't miss us when we pass away
We didn't have no where to go
waiting for the daylight to begin
Singer, save our secular souls
How can you have hope with no God?
How can you have hope with no God?
04 Trouble (03:15)
Tho I been thinking about it, I live with the idea
the way we where would last forever
yeah it all seemed pretty clear.
but when the foundations shook
and the cracks started to appear
Saw the light in each others eyes
as the whole world disappeared.
Chorus 1
My history has come and gone
I'll drive late at night
the only car on empty streets
no welcome sun in sight
Chorus 2
If its trouble that you're looking for,
its trouble that you'll find.
Sometimes trouble finds you no matter where you hide
We got back from the party on a comedown for a week
Where we out there making history? Or was it just a lack of sleep?
It seemed like we were waiting in the wings to take our bow...
The outsiders are whispering this is our moment now.
Chorus 1 (2)
My history has come and gone
sometimes I think I see
Your face in the rear view mirror, yeah,
looking back at me
Chorus 2 x2
It was important to us
to do more than just survive
surviving sometimes took up too much of our time
Chorus 2
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