LA PRIMAVERA DEI SORDI

I Pennelli di Vermeer are an Italian prog band from Naples that was formed in 2003 by Pasquale Sorrentino (vocals, acoustic guitar), Giovanni Santoro (bass), Raffele Polimeno (keyboards), Pasquale Palombo (electric guitar) and Marco Sorrentino (drums, vocals). All the members of the band are fond of painting, so they decided to call their project "I Pennlli di Vermeer" (The Vermeer's Brushes) in honour to the Dutch painter Vermeer (1632-1675) and this passion can be found also in their music, a wonderful patchwork of different influences and styles ranging from symphonic rock to ska, tango, baroque, nursery rhyme... "La primavera dei sordi" (The springtime of the deaf), their first full length album was released in 2008 by the independent label La Canzonetta and features some guests appearances (among others Lino Vairetti, leader of Osanna) that contribute to enrich the sound. The result is excellent: the ten tracks were composed mixing together different colours like in painting, combining shadows and lights with sarcasm and irony. Lyrics are full of double meanings and are often sung in a very peculiar and theatrical way...

The opener "Tre cadaveri nel cassetto" (Three corpses in the drawer) is a kind of dark and witty nursery rhyme built upon a strange marching beat, while the next "Manifesto cm 70x100" is sarcastic and committed piece featuring a bizarre rhythm of ska condemning a policy made of words without actions that let rubbish cover the streets of Naples (you can watch a video of this track on PA). The mood changes on the following track "Cinque minuti... una notte" , a dreamy and "colourful" ballad...

"There is a reason behind every scream / Pain, joy, rage, a simple emotion...". "L'urlo" (The scream) is a piece inspired by an Edward Munch's famous painting and features Osanna's Lino Vairetti as a special guest: it's an interesting mix of country, hard rock and even opera compressed in less that three minutes... Then comes "Nel giardino di Belzebù", a kind of journey through the dark paths of love that features beautiful female vocals and a delicate melody...

"S.K.L.ERO" is more aggressive and "electro" and deals with drug addiction while "Luce" is a funny piece where different musical influences (ranging from baroque to rock, from folk to "varieté française") are the perfect background for light words that seem to be conceived as "touches of colour". The futuristic "Incuboinuncubo" (Nightmare in a cube) is about "trash TV" while the ironic and irreverent "Carogna" features an almost operatic atmosphere and a good guitar work. The last track "Autogestione" would be a perfect soundtrack for recent protests of the Italian students and features a children choir and a funny swinging march rhythm...

On the whole "La primavera dei sordi" is a very interesting album, funny and fresh. Even if it lasts less than 40 minutes, there are no weak moments and it's really worth to check out