MISANTROPI FELICI

PdV is not a typical entry in the RPI section of our beloved website. The material I've heard is a very eclectic art-rock with many diverse influences, theatrical vibes, and a heavy emphasis on the lyrical storytelling and vocal presentation. The earlier stuff was so brilliantly original that on process alone they were a good fit whether or not critics felt they were sufficiently "prog rock." Flash-forward to their 2017 release entitled Misantropi Felici, and PdV have clearly moved to a more conventional approach that some might label as straight up folk-rock and art-pop, hardly any more prog than bands such as Cranberries or Natalie Merchant or REM would be. I could admit that, were Misantropi Felici their first album and the album used for their evaluation to the site, they might not have been allowed into our hallowed halls. Misantropi Felici is significantly less creatively wild and challenging than even their superb 2014 album, Noia Noir, let alone the older stuff that got them into this website. And I couldn't care less about any of that. This charming album is a great spin anyway.

The band has changed a bit over the years, and for this release they were Pasquale Sorrentino, Stefania Aprea, Michele Matto, and Marco Sorrentino. While I don't understand Italian---so take this with a grain of salt---I think Misantropi Felici is an album that lyrically, among other things, reflects on the strangeness of our insular existences caused by changing societal norms and modernity-inspired personalities, an introspection into our isolation, our "submerged worlds" which we sometimes lament and possibly other times relish. I believe the title means "happy misanthropes." I get the concept of being conflicted over the state of these increasingly detached, strange lives we live in this era. As an older guy now, I remember much healthier and vibrant social communities as well as a more stable "main street" in my parents' day. In the rather sad era we've been traversing in recent decades, I'm quite willing to embrace my introversion and homebodyness. Does that make me a misanthrope? Depends on the day of the week you ask me, perhaps. But it's a fascinating subject to write an album around.

Moving to the musical side of things, they've clearly shifted to more conventional songs that I'd call high energy folk-rock and modern art-rock/pop. The songs are three-minute ditties that sound exactly like the sweet cover art would lead you to expect. It's very catchy, infectious, with superb arrangements, crisp, rhythmic and mostly acoustic guitar work, and still a fair amount of eclecticism for sure. They remind me a bit of David Byrne's Rei Momo period or maybe some of the lighter, more whimsical side of Talking Heads. The vocals are quite good, Stefania Aprea in particular. In addition to those catchier numbers, a few of the songs express a lovely weariness in them that eventually starts to track more uplifting before the end of the song. This probably ties to those lyrical themes mentioned, the contradictions, and it just feel like great care was taken in the songwriting. No surprise there, though, if you've heard Noia Noir. Last, a shoutout to Antonella Ruggiero for the delightful cover art.

This is music that could have you dancing as you're simply watering the plants. What could be better than some lightness for the soul whether we're happy, misanthropic, or both?