teamfreak16's Italian Import of the Year
Written: Sep 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Absolutely stunning CD
Cons: Lack of availability in the United States
The Bottom Line: The bottom line is eagerly awaiting the copy of Lindbergh he ordered.
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| teamfreak16's Full Review: Solaris - Votiva Lux |
One of the most common methods I use to discover music is the simple act of reading. Countless music reviews have caused me to investigate an album or band. Sure, once in awhile, I do not purchase the album after my research, but I still appreciate the review for making me interested in searching out unheard product. Often, however, a review or two leads me in the direction of a goldmine, an unfathomable amount of musical wealth. This usually results in my buying everything I can find by said band or artist, and often I end up buying other artists on the same label.
And it does not always have to be a review, either. In the case of Italy's Votiva Lux, it was a brief endorsement from Wayne Hussey of The Mission. One night last summer, in anticipation of attending an upcoming Mission show here in Denver, I went searching for band news on the Mission website. There were no updates, as far as news went, but there was a quote from Wayne, telling fans about an upcoming album he had listened to. "It's the best guitar record I've heard in years - beautiful!," it read.
So I grabbed a beer, searched for, and found, the Votiva Lux website, and discovered for myself a most wonderful rock group. It would be months before Solaris, the album in question, would be released, but the band had made available downloads of songs from their 2000 EP, Lindbergh.....You know how, when you are searching for music, there is a certain sound you are looking for? You usually have no idea what the sound actually is, you just know it when (if) you hear it. You still buy, and enjoy, other types of music, all the while you search for that sound. It is the reason I listen to bands I have never heard of, they might just be the one with that sound. Well, as I listened to my Lindbergh downloads, I realized, this is it! This is what I have been looking for.
When Solaris was finally released, I had to have it. First I tried band's label, Cyc Promotions. Problem is, the website is in Italian. For all I knew, I could be ordering a shoe with cheese on it, or I could be ordering Solaris. Throw in the currency exchange, and I was lost. So, I turned to the one place I always turn when I purchase hard to find music - Gemm.com, where I was introduced to Norman Records, a most wonderful record shop in Leeds, UK, who promptly shipped my copy of Solaris, along with a personalized, handwritten note of thanks.
Votiva Lux is made up of four Italian musicians, who play a most wonderful brand of shimmering, instrumental guitar rock. The band released one vocal album, 1996's Il Canto Del Cigno?, then gigged and appeared on various compilations until Lindbergh, when they decided to become an instrumental band. They seem to be good natured fellows - leave a URL or email address when you sign the Votiva Lux guestbook, and you might just get a response from bassist Gabriele "Mine" Bufalini.
The liner notes on Solaris are in both Italian and English, making it easy for us non-Italian speakers to follow who does what. Andrea Ghidini and Giulio Sangirardi are the guitarists who give Votiva Lux their beautiful sound, and drummer Stefano Grassi keeps it all going. And while this is billed as a guitar album, it's not just guitars. There are effects, piano, programming, etc., all perfectly placed to make Solaris one charming listen.
Ffair begins things with a cascade of guitar shards under a mellow guitar lead. It is also the only song with vocals, although these are not lead vocals. These are background vocals, sung underneath, reminding me very much of those of Nana Vasconcelos on As Falls Witchita, So Falls Witchita Falls. Meanwhile, both guitarists begin playing off each other with very purposeful picking. Take away the outer space sound effects at the beginning, and Il Villaggio degli Uomini Fungo has a mellow, jazz, yet not at all jazz feel to it. Except, it does become somewhat jazzy once the vibes kick in. The end of the song reminds me a bit of the mellow sections from an Ozric Tentacles piece, with it's chimes and light synthesizers. Inisheer is a short (2:18) acoustic piece, one of those really clean recordings where you can hear the fingers sliding on the frets. Bufalini's soft bass provides a nice depth underneath the acoustic work.
Gasteropod-1 features a distorted guitar riff working it's way over, under, and around a steady, deliberate bass and guitar line, as a spacey synthetic effect runs under everything. Everything builds throughout, until we get one beautiful guitar solo playing alongside another, until the end, when a wash of feedback and noise take us out. Inishmore is the very epitome of the dark, shimmering guitar pop made by The Church, and would not sound out of place on Gold Afternoon Fix. Beautiful. Rommel sounds like a direct tribute to the Durutti Column, for if you didn't know any better, you would swear it was Vini Reilly playing the guitar here. This is a perfect mimic of Reilly's style - if you played this for me, I'd bet money it was Vini, and I'd lose.
Atlantic is a big wall of mid-tempo guitar sound, with a groovy distorted riff and heavy bass line lurking underneath a top solo. But, this comes after the band has dabbled in a bit of rock-fusion. Oddly, toward the end of the song, as the band is really cranking, it abruptly stops, allowing the guys to finish with a bit of mellow guitar noodling. Inishmaan features a haunting, moody piano as the main instrument, and is a beautiful close to the CD.
I would strongly recommend giving this a listen if you are a fan of instrumental music, or guitar oriented music, or both. Or, if you are searching for that sound each time you peruse your local independent record shop, give this a try. This might be the sound you have been searching for. To paraphrase Wayne Hussey, this is a beautiful record.
At present, Votiva Lux are in the studio working on a collaboration with Wayne Hussey. It will be neither a Votiva Lux nor a Mission album, rather, both sides intend it to be a new, independent work. You can bet I'll be contacting Norman Records for a copy.
Solaris - Votiva Lux
Andrea Ghidini - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, E-Bow, Feedback, Programming
Giulio Sangirardi - Electric, Acoustic, and MIDI Guitars, E-Bow, Feedback, Voices from Outer Space
Gabriele Bufalini - Bass Guitar, Electric Piano, Effects, Programming
Stefano Grassi - Drums
Produced by Votiva Lux and Lorenzo Bedini
Ffair
Il Villaggio degli Uomini Fungo
Inisheer
Gasteropod-1
Inishmore
Rommel
Atlantic
Inishmaan
And a big thank you to our first class music leads, lambchops, and madtheory, who add these CD's to the Epinions data base when we ask!
Recommended:
Yes
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