INCIDENTI - LO SCHIANTO

Some of you might have read or listened to the name of Claudio Milano, but if you haven't, let me tell you that you are truly invited to discover his music, because he is quite a talented mind, one of a kind.

Eleven years after my introduction to his music with 'Il Gioco del Silenzio", he gave light to an ambitious release which gathers four different projects in which he is involved with, and despite he is a mastermind, he couldn't have done this without the help of his fellow Italian musicians, which is why in the credits with can read over 40 names, each and every one of the adding their grain of sand and their soul in order to deliver a top-notch work.

So this is quite a journey, and if I wanted to give you a summary, I would say that this is an avant-garde album that will challenge your perception about music, however, I will give you more details.

First I would like to talk about Not Me, a project that features six tracks in the album. As long as I know, it was conceived in 2018 and has approaches life topics such as social problems in a libertarian way, so criticism is always present. What I love about Milano's music is the evident theatrical feeling they provide, and that's not an exception with Not Me, because since the opener track 'Non Esistono' we can appreciate a soprano female voice (Laura Catrani) in a really theatrical way. The music is quite interesting because is not really opera, it takes elements of classical music but it also makes some electronic noises that produce tension, that wonderfully work as a revulsive. Claudio's voice appears then in 'Con dedica' while some piano notes are played here and there, and synth produces spacey but strange atmospheres. 'Senza Ritorno' has a darker sound made mainly by organ and that quirky vocal game, where different male voices talk to us.

Before continuing, I'd like to clarify something important: the projects are intercalated in the album, so you will listen to Not Me at track one, then six, then eleven, so the experience is even more challenging and interesting, it is like a mixture of sounds but at the same time, they all are ONE big project, because somehow they are all connected.

'Sabbia scura' has a sinister sound made by organ, and the vocal experimentation is inherent, almost every track carries it, reminding me of the immense vocal work of legendary Demetrio Stratos. With 'Del Mondo gli Occhi' we enjoy once again the female soprano, with a softer sound as background. And finally they share 'Out Let - Viae di (s)Phjga' which not only finishes with Not Me's tracks, but with the album. This is an extraordinary closer, cinematic, classical avant-garde music, I would say.

The second project featured here is NichelOdeon, which was my introduction to Milano's work. It was conceived back in 2007 and it might be the most personal, intimate project of his. What the musicians share here is also theatrical, covering a wide range of musical genres and eras, and taking a rich diversity of influences and knowledge, since all of them are studied musicians. 'How Hard Tune! La canzone dei soli' is a beauty, chamber rock with a RIO sense and with the amazing addition of electronic elements. 'Il Barbiere degli Occhi' is like being reading a novel, it is so visual, I mean, strings and vocals sound but there are also some noises like a whiplash or steps, so it is easy to put some pictures in your mind. What I also love about this track is its changes in tempo and mood and how crucial the piano is, because its participation is what normally opens the gates to those changes.

'La Scatola' is also great, and it is impressive to see how they ensemble a lot of sounds and changes in only six minutes, because here we can appreciate a richness of textures and emotions provided by accordion, violins, oboe, piano, synth, stick, drums and of course, vocals (and I am probably missing something). I love how they take us from one place to another, I repeat, just like reading a novel, it is musical literature.

'L'ultima Sigaretta - Fantasmi ad Argun' is as its name suggests, a ghostly track and we can tell it by the different voices we listen here and there. It is a bit creepy, scary, but quite interesting, because when it becomes totally instrumental, the feeling completely changes, sharing a bit of light under the darkness. 'Idiota ? Autoritratto' is a shorter track, however, the theatrical and visual feeling prevails. It is a lament which has a dark and sinister essence, mainly made by piano and vocals. And the sixth and final NichelOdeon song of the album is placed at track 14th, entitled as 'La Montagna e il Trono', which might be the closest one to rock, and I am being bold with this phrase, but I said it due to the drums work (which is not present in the whole track, by the way). Amazing, wonderful project, so creative and always pushing boundaries, which to me is awesome, but I am sure to some people might be difficult to dig, to listen.

The third project is This Order, which features only two tracks in the album. However, This Order is deeply interesting and different from the previous two, since here Milano and company share gothic-driven music, taking elements from a variety of musical realms such as avant-garde, rock, prog and of course, goth. 'Variations on The Jargon King' is the first one and it is awesome, like a blend of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum with Fantomas, so the sound as you can imagine, is much louder, more explosive. I didn't know this project and with this only track, it blew me away.

'Ho Gettato mio Figlio da una Rupe perché non Somigliava a Fabrizio Corona' is the other track of this project, with the difference that it is introduced as This Order & Coucou Sèlavy. It starts with fast drums than all of a sudden stops and then voice appears. Little by little the instruments are being added, bass, guitars and drums again, creating a heavier and experimental sound which, of course, has also a theatrical feeling. This is the longest track of the album, with a length of 12 minutes, so as you can imagine, you will find a lot of changes here, in a challenging and quite creative composition that let us know, once again, the amazing compositional and executional skills of Claudio Milano and co.

And last but not least, the fourth project: InSonar, which was formed back in 2011 with the help of Venetian artist Marco Tuppo. There is only one track featured here, but it happens to be one of the longest. 'Nyama - Gettarsi Oltre' is a 10-minute trip to a diversity of textures, nuances and sounds, where elements such as sax, bassoon and even glockenspiel are featured; of course, the voice is once again a main element because it is capable of producing a lot of atmospheres and even emotions, which is why to me, Claudio Milano is really a one of a kind artist. And despite most of the tracks here are not for the common mainstream listener, I dare to invite anyone who likes music to discover what these musicians can do, because it is avant-garde music indeed, but it is also very human, emotional, memorable.

Congrats to all people involved in this outstanding record!

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