Nel mondo mitologico delle convenzioni sociali, della repressione degli istinti, dei compromessi con se stessi, della rinuncia a se stessi; della comodità economica ad ogni costo, dell'anelito irresistibile alla Posizione Agiata: l'Olimpo sopra ogni felicità, il Valhalla degli eroi dell'Ambizione Sfrenata. In quel grande mondo antico - ormai sepolto da due decenni di battaglie petrolifere e veli pietosi vari - un piccolo eroe alternativo: David Gedge da Leeds. Reduce dalle imprese di George Best e Bizarro: trionfi di alti, altissimi muri di chitarre, di intricati labirinti bassistici e melodie memorabili, immediatamente coinvolgenti; capitoli fondamentali nel glorioso libro del post-punk britannico.
Nel millenovecentonovantuno Gedge vive la sua tragedia. Marinaio in balia delle burrascose acque della perdizione, dimenticato dagli dei, senza un porto amico, senza una Penelope, in preda ai suoi demoni: mostri marini, terrore supremo di ogni uomo di mare.
I mostri marini di Gedge sono diaboliche manifestazioni dei mali del suo tempo: donne di pietra, d'acciaio, donne sposate e traditrici, donne bugiarde e ingannatrici, meretrici: lo seducono e lo illudono, assumono le dolci forme dell'amore, ma non sono che miraggi. Traggono a sé Gedge con le luci di speranza dei loro fari, come un miserabile insetto, tra le acque sicure del loro porto, ma sono loro a succhiargli via la vita: You suck it all right out of me, canta l'eroe con la sua voce commossa, profonda, struggente. Disumane, vuote, subdole, sfacciatamente maligne, create da un disagio ben più grande di loro, figlie del male e della sofferenza. Non c'è speranza per Gedge. Il ragazzo nella foto di Corduroy è cresciuto in fretta, è un uomo e ora annega, si trascina tra le onde di amori malati, tradisce, si sente tradito, abbandona, è abbandonato, solo. I tanti you sono lontani e vani.
Seamonsters è il suono di questo mare maligno, notturno: una tempesta di distorsioni chitarristiche, di improvvise dissonanze, incursioni soniche - spiccano gli stacchi furiosi, interminabili di Lovenest, in chiusura di un refrain che ricorda la monotonia ossessiva di Ian Curtis - ballate elettriche sull'orlo della crisi di nervi, ballate acustiche turbate dai tuoni di una batteria sempre in primo piano, da un basso metallico, graffiante - sezione ritmica di grande esperienza, tanto pragmatica quanto efficacemente distruttiva - accelerazioni post-hardcore tra nebbie di feedback e muri di distorsioni innalzati dall'ottimo Solowka, che talvolta sovrastano il resto, senza tuttavia creare l'effetto pace dei sensi di certo shoegaze: perché ad affannarsi, sotto la schiuma, sotto le onde distorte di Dalliance, c'è il pulsare disperato di un uomo illuso e deluso, sedotto e abbandonato dal suo mostro marino, la donna sposata incapace di lasciarsi trascinare dalla passione, dalla vita. Traditrice seriale, schiava delle convenzioni della sua società, vittima di un matrimonio malato.
Nel mare di uno shoegaze depresso e impetuoso - un incrocio tra il lato oscuro dei Jesus and Mary Chain e il furore chiassoso dei Sonic Youth - il baritono di Gedge è un lugubre singhiozzare di abbandoni, un sussurrare estasiato di fugaci visioni amorose, un sussurrare affannoso, stanco, uno sgolarsi rabbioso e stonato: suadente, tenero nella sua limitatezza, ai suoi massimi livelli di espressività. Vero, umano, troppo umano.
La produzione di Albini è quella dell'incubo uterino: un lavoro secondo gli standard mediamente assordanti che qualche anno dopo caratterizzeranno In Utero. Una produzione curata per apparire poco curata, molto Shellac, un suono che dopo più di vent'anni pare non essere invecchiato di un giorno.
Il finale è secco, tragico: il mostro vaginale prevale, l'Octopussy avvolge Gedge con i suoi tentacoli di seduzione, ineluttabile. È l'ultima illusione e l'eroe, straziato, consapevolmente vi si abbandona. Qualcuno potrebbe gridare al lieto fine, potrebbe pensare che scegliere di illudersi sia una scelta. La lenta malinconia di Octopussy non lascia dubbi: illusioni. Annega nelle illusioni
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Dalliance (04:25)
You've told him lies now for so long
Yet still he's ready to forgive
He's got you back and that's all he wants
A lot more than I'm left with
You don't care now that you're gone
But do you know how much I miss you?
It's not fair after all you've done
That I'm so...
I still want to kiss you
And throwing presents straight away
Because you could never take them home
Always scared what he might say
But always leaving me alone
You don't care, now that you're gone
But do you know how much I miss you?
It's not fair after all you've done
That I'm so...
I still want to kiss you
You told him what he wants to hear
And so you got another chance
But I was yours for seven years
Is that what you call a dalliance?
You don't care, now that you're gone
But do you know how much I miss you?
It's not fair after all you've done
That I'm so...
I still want to kiss you
02 Dare (03:45)
There's one more thing, come inside, no I'm all alone
Danny isn't here today
She said she had to get away
It's on your right just by the telephone
She promised that she'd try and ring
So far I haven't heard a thing
I'm glad you came round though
There's something I must know
You shook your head and you walked away
I think you'd maybe had a row
I know you wouldn't leave him now
But the things you said as you turned my way
The look that came into your eyes
It kind of took me by surprise
And you can't have not known
I'd be here on my own
Stay all night, I dare you
Look who is going to know?
I can't believe you want to go
Yes, all right I scare you
But you're just as bad as me
And I know where I'd rather be
Are you calling John? Well tell him anything
Look how we tremble when we kiss
One day soon we'll laugh at this
But just tonight we've got everything
Stop listening for the door
I told you where she went before
Nothing can go wrong
If you're not here too long
Just stay all night, I dare you
Look who is going to know?
I can't believe you want to go
Yes, all right I scare you
But you're just as bad as me
I know where I'd rather be
03 Suck (03:58)
We've talked so long
Suddenly it's Tuesday
We still don't know
If what we want is wrong
I just love hearing you say
"Oh please don't go"
Darling can't you keep
Your head next to my head
Oh just stay here
Because I can't fall asleep
Even in my own bed
Until you're near
No, you'll go away
Of course that's not what I want
Oh I've missed you
That's what I thought you'd say
But you must know that I can't
Resist you
You suck it all right out of me
You suck it all right out of me
I didn't have to search for you
I knew where you'd be hiding
You astound me
There's nothing I won't do
To feel your body sliding
All around me
No, no, no, don't stop
I think I must be dreaming
I'll just hold you
I'm just about to drop
You thrill me with your screaming
I adore you
You suck it all right out of me
You suck it all right out of me
You suck it all right out of me
You suck it all
04 Blonde (05:07)
I'm just some name in your book
That's why you gave up writing weeks ago
You won't be getting in touch
Oh do you ever?
And I meant every word that I said
Oh did I try to hard oh, I don't know
You made sure it wouldn't happen again
Oh you're clever!
Yes I was that naive
Yes I was that naive
You've heard this all before
You've heard this all before
I'm just some name in your book
That's why you gave up writing weeks ago
You won't be getting in touch
Oh do you ever?
Yes I was that naive
Yes I was that naive
You've heard this all before
You've heard this all before
I still can't believe
I still can't believe
That's all you took me for
That's all you took me for
05 Rotterdam (03:16)
I thought you'd come round
And I know how this will sound
I said so much yesterday that I shouldn't have
So what did I do
After I talked to you?
I should have gone home straightaway but I couldn't have
Oh I stayed with you and my heart began to sink
I wanted you but not the way you think
So what did I say?
I didn't mean it anyway
And I don't want anything that I should do
I know you're sad
Believe me I'm feeling bad
If I could change everything then I would do
Oh I stayed with you and my heart began to sink
Oh I wanted you but not the way you think
06 Lovenest (05:11)
I heard another voice this morning on the phone
But just the other day I thought you said you slept alone
And yes, I knew that laughter, okay now I see
You wouldn't even know him if it hadn't been for me
Sometimes in the fading light
I can't help thinking back to, well, the way we were
And then I start feeling guilty lying next to her
I know and it can't be right
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
If you write again perhaps you shouldn't send it here
It's just that I don't really want your letters to appear
Oh no, I just think she might
Forget I ever said that I'm just being scared
I told her all about you and I don't think she even cared
I know but its not all right
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
And does the thought of leaving him bring you to tears?
I bet you never felt the same about me all those years
Well you know just what it's like
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
Pretending that its you
You still won't go away
07 Corduroy (03:29)
And now I've kissed you I'll show you how I've missed you
Before you even say a word I already heard
No, someone told me but don't speak now just hold me
You wandered up a cul-de-sac and now you've come back
So did you leave him? I'm sure you didn't deceive him
Just the same you're here today wanting to stay
Have I upset you? Well I tried hard to forget you
Now you say, "Look, I came, let's try again"
I'll make you laugh when you see this photograph
It's not from that day I threw all those away
Its just some boy probably dressed in corduroy
He grew up fast but you've not changed at all
How can I trust you? No, I'm not trying to rush you
But I was here when you ran; I don't think I can
I won't desert her and I'm not about to hurt her
I worshipped you once before and you slammed the door
I'll make you laugh when you see this photograph
It's not from that day I threw all those away
Its just some boy probably dressed in corduroy
He grew up fast but you've not changed at all
08 Carolyn (03:39)
Just before you go today
There's something that I've got to say
Well you asked me what was wrong
And I didn't want to tell you
You believed me when I said I tried
But oh, Carolyn, I lied
And it's gone on far too long
And I never tried to help you
But don't wait up for me
Just don't wait up for me
It isn't quite the way you think
How low do you suppose I'd sink?
We can't bear to be apart
Oh I'm sorry that I said that
But come on now let's not pretend
We both knew we were near the end
I don't want to break your heart
But we just can't turn the clock back
But don't wait up for me
Just don't wait up for me
No more
09 Heather (03:32)
I tried to call
You'd just gone out
We've got to talk
You going to be about?
Oh you don't have to tell me where you've been
It's bad enough I know you were with him
What makes you want to take him there?
What makes you think I wouldn't care?
And did you walk from the town into the heather
To where we used to lie down when we were together?
No I walked by
I sort of knew
I don't know why
Maybe I'll ask you
You don't have to tell me lies today
I saw him sat there waiting anyway
But what makes you want to take him there?
What makes you think I wouldn't care?
And did you walk from the town into the heather
To where we used to lie down when we were together?
And I know I said
I wouldn't be the one
But an empty bed
Your clothes all gone
I didn't know how much I'd miss you until now
I didn't know how much you mean to me somehow
What makes you want to take him there?
What makes you think I wouldn't care?
And did you walk from the town into the heather
To where we used to lie down when we were together?
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