AMORE DI VINILE

I LOVED Particelle--it is one of my Top Ten of 2010. Unfortunately, Amore di Vinile never gets to the heights of its predecessor. The opening and closing songs are the album's high points. Period. The rest of the album plods along like a Cowboy Junkies album. I adore Sara Aliani's voice (and bass play!) and I usually love slow moving song development and spacious soundscapes, but the development here is rarely more climactic than a bike ride on a beach path. The horns that were such a delight on Particelle are used as if to put one to sleep here.

Four star songs: "Amore de vinile" (8/10) and "Anomalie" (9/10).

Three star songs: "Ferrovia" (7/10) and "Fermo" (7/10).

Lagartija may be Italy's RADIOHEAD. Which would be great if I were a Radiohead fan. I am not.