Marco De Luca – LA STAGIONE DECISIVA

Marco De Luca – LA STAGIONE DECISIVA – Album Review

Man…it was like Marco wasn’t willing to waste a solitary second getting into his new album.  There’s no buildup, no introduction, no gradual opening – he hits the ground running with “VIDEOSPAZZATURA” in a way that seems like someone hit record while he was already in full swing.  Now, that’s not to say that “VIDEOSPAZZATURA” doesn’t have somewhere to go from where it starts…it does find several different gears from its beginning in fact, but you get what I mean…the dude jumps right into the music from the minute you push play on LA STAGIONE DECISIVA.  He’s singing in Italian of course, Marco’s based in Italy, but I’m always interested in hearing what kind of sounds are found outside of the continent I’m living on – you should be too.  It’s a kickass way to absorb culture without the burden of having to travel, you feel me?  That being said…do I expect everyone is gonna get what De Luca is putting out there into the world on a song like “VIDEOSPAZZATURA?”  No, of course not.  I think that it’s fair to assume he’s working with a fairly underground sound in Italy, or anywhere else even for that matter, but there’s a real quirkiness & uniqueness to a song like “VIDEOSPAZZATURA” that should easily get your attention.  You can’t really help but notice how different a song like this truly is from anything else that’s on your playlist right now.

From my perspective, I think he’s got the vocals dialed up a bit too far in the mix.  I’m not saying it’s a deal breaker or anything like that, but I don’t know that I’d consider De Luca’s vocals to be the main star of the show in comparison to the music.  Obviously his voice is still an important part of his music, of course it is, but with the vocals up as far as they are, I feel like the details of the instrumentation might be getting a little lost in translation, or at the very least, not getting the recognition that it all deserves.  Like, when I’m listening to “IL MOSTRO,” I wouldn’t say that Marco’s voice is getting in the way entirely, but I’m always doing everything I can to hear what’s happening in the music of this song, because to be honest with you, there is a whole battalion of kickass ideas underneath his vocals.  From what I’ve read about the guy, he used to be in a band called Sine that used to play a whole lot of cover songs of tunes by The Cure, and you can hear that influence on the bass lines, guitar, and the wonderful otherworldly blend of weirdness & mysterious melody running all the way through “IL MOSTRO.”  I’d still want to hear stronger hooks from the man if he’s going to insist on singing on the surface of the music like he is so far – but if you focus on what’s happening in the instrumentation, you’ll easily hear that this dude has some exceptional ideas.  A little more balance in the mix to let the instrumentation shine a bit brighter in the spotlight would go a long way for the music that Marco is making, but that’s fairly easy to adjust overall.

If you’re asking me what the best track of the first three cuts on LA STAGIONE DECISIVA is, there’s not a doubt in my mind that it’s “LA FESTA.”  I’m not saying that it doesn’t still have its quirks…I’m not saying that it wouldn’t still likely be super perplexing for many listeners out there either – but I am saying that there’s more accessibility in “LA FESTA” and that it has the kind of memorable hooks listeners are looking for.  What De Luca will have to consider is whether or not a track like this represents him well enough, you know what I mean?  Clearly he loves to thrive in the bizarre end of music making, and I’m all for that – that should ALWAYS be encouraged, in my opinion, because that’s how artists end up making significant artistic breakthroughs…and you hear him striving to do things as differently as possible in those first two tracks of the album.  Having said that, there’s really something to be said for dialing things back to what inarguably works too…and where we barely had time to think, process our thoughts, or even catch our breath as “VIDEOSPAZZATURA” and “IL MOSTRO” were playing, “LA FESTA” takes the opposite approach and achieves some authentically inspired results.  Vocally, I think it’s easily the best we’ve heard from Marco so far to this point, the hooks are strong in the chorus…practically bulletproof really…AND, he still gets to flex his creativity through the way the vocals are layered in the mix.  His lead and background have this like…man…I don’t even know how to describe it…it’s kind of like a delayed effect, but it doesn’t always feel like it lines up as easily as that…so there’s this like…brilliant interaction that occurs between the two sets of vocals that feels remarkably organic and engaging to listen to.  I’m also relentlessly impressed by the uniqueness that you’ll hear in the music, which remains to be true here on “LA FESTA,” but all-around, this track possesses the kind of balance that seems to work the best for De Luca.  It’s accessible, but he didn’t have to compromise too much…it still has the strangeness you’d want to hear from him, but the emphasis on melody was really refreshing in this cut.  The additional clarity you’ll find here also helps reveal the kind of sincerity we want to hear from Marco.

Yeah…I mean…look – there’s always going to be value in blazing your own trail, even if it proves to be tough for others to follow.  I don’t know that even I can hang with “ALLA DERIVA” if I’m being real with ya…but I’d also readily acknowledge that it’s got one of the toughest spots to fill in the lineup coming right after what’s likely one of the most universally accessible moments on the record in “LA FESTA” beforehand.  What I would say to De Luca however, is to really have a listen to the balance that “LA FESTA” has…part of it is in the mix, part of it is a more prudent use of the space around him as well, but it all leads to the kind of balance we need as listeners in order to be able to absorb EVERYTHING that he’s doing.  Like, once again, I’d tell you there’s a TON of amazing ideas happening below the surface of what you hear on “ALLA DERIVA,” but you have to dig to get past the vocals and really make a concentrated effort to focus on the music in order to hear it based on the way that it’s mixed with Marco’s voice as far above the rest as it currently is.  Once “LA FESTA” played, it proved he can achieve the right kind of balance…so to hear “ALLA DERIVA” not have that same evenness to it…I mean…it’s hard not to feel like it’s a brief step backwards here for a second or two.  What we can make out in the music is tremendously cool…like…just on sound-selection alone, Marco’s got some really magnificent instincts.  I do think he’s got a decent hook in the chorus for his vocals, but I’d probably tell you he’s left about 20% of its potential still on the table.  Whether he could have given it a better performance, or whether the layers of vocals/effects are slightly clashing with each other…I don’t exactly what it is, but it’s coming across a bit more dissonant than he’s probably looking for, especially when the melody could easily be a whole lot smoother here.  The ideas are right on the money, I just think it needs another couple shots in the studio to get it perfected…”ALLA DERIVA” ain’t too far off but it could also clearly be a little more on.

I’m probably more on the fence about “15 ANNI” though if I’m being truthful with you.  I’m probably just a bit shy of saying this track belongs on the cutting room floor as it currently stands, but there is SOME potential here that might be worth saving.  Essentially, I don’t mind what I’m hearing in the music.  I would also say that De Luca reveals a few significant highlights in the design of the melody in the chorus as well, even if I think he could get a bit more out of his performance.  As far as the verses go…I dunno what else can be said – I’ve listened to too many songs to want to spend my time on any part of a song that doesn’t feel like it has an inspired spark to it, and it just felt like what Marco’s written into “15 ANNI” didn’t have the kind of uniqueness he’s capable of.  If anything, it simply sounds way too normal for this dude, and as a result, it doesn’t feel like the right fit for him.  Obviously, to be clear, I have no clue what the guy is singing about as my Italian is even more limited than my French is as a Canadian that really only speaks English…so it’s not a comment on his lyricism.  All I can go off of is the emotion, the expression, and the melody when it’s present.  The verses simply sound a little on the easy-side of things to me…I want more imagination out of Marco on “15 ANNI” than what the verses reveal, but I do think there is something tangible in the chorus that could be reworked into something solid.  I dig the atmospheric synths that guide the music along, which is once again a very Cure-esque style of approach, but it’s an influence that seems to come naturally to Marco, and a welcome sound to my ears.  Most of you regular readers know my history, but if you don’t, The Cure is one of my all-time top two favorites, so any comparison to that band in any way will always indicate there’s a specialness worth listening to.

We’re drifting further away from that crucial level of accessibility though, and that’s something that needs to be considered to a degree.  I’m not suggesting Marco’s gotta go and adjust every single thing that he’s doing, but finding his way to a halfway point where listeners will be able to keep up with him certainly ain’t a bad idea.  As I listened to “UN UOMO GENTILE,” it was hard not to think about ALL of the music that is out there, theoretically competing for what precious little time any of us have to listen – and being totally honest, I just don’t think a track like this has what it takes to compete with much, or any of that really.  Under the right circumstances, I’m all for a Lo-Fi idea.  When it goes right, there can be some extremely cool textures and tones that hit different for all the right reasons.  However, when it goes awry, the results can be much more grating than you’d want, in a way that is certain to push away listeners instead of bringing them in close to listen.  I’m not hearing too much that I’d consider to be redeeming in “UN UOMO GENTILE” personally…the verses aren’t quite interesting enough, the main hooks of the chorus don’t quite have the spark either, and even the music in this instance is stuck more within a droning pattern than doing anything that demands we come back for another spin through it.  Is this what’s hitting in Italy right now?  Trust me when I tell ya, if it is, then I definitely find THAT interesting…because there’s not a thing over here in North America goin’ on that sounds anything like this song.  Nothing that sounds like Marco in general, but definitely nothing like “UN UOMO GENTILE.”  I think he’s missing the space we need for clarity, opting instead to create a kaleidoscopic collage of sound.  That can be a good choice when everything goes well, but I don’t know that that’s the case here.  “Un UOMO GENTILE” feels a lot like a song in search of a main idea to build on, and I don’t think he finds what he’s searching for.  Right now, I’m hearing an artist that likely needs to be more objective with his material…not every cut created needs to end up on a record…it’s okay to let things go if they don’t work.

It can’t merely be as simple as cultural differences, right?  Like, just because there’s an ocean or two between us, doesn’t mean we’re all listening to music from a totally different angle, does it?  I’m officially starting to get worried about Marco when “ASPIRANTI MODELLE” comes around in the lineup.  On the one hand, he’s written one of his more exceptional melodies in the main hooks of the chorus, which shows a TON of his potential, promise, and artistic talent at the same time.  On the other hand, he’s got a verse here that is so far wide of the mark, I’m genuinely perplexed by how it seemed like it was acceptable to him.  Repetition really gets the better of him here, in my opinion.  I was just about ready to reach for the skip button when it came to the verses of “ASPIRANTI MODELLE,” because I could hear tones slipping past what’s acceptable in the music, the vocals weren’t particularly exciting, and it just all felt a little flat.  The chorus of “ASPIRANTI MODELLE” is still a long ways away from being called perfect, but it IS an important step in the right direction.  What’s severely missing from Marco’s vocals in this song however, is the level of emotion and power he needs to make the melody as convincing as it should be.  Chances are, the reason for this, is once again due to the fact that the music is mixed too low.  If it had a stronger presence, you’d hear De Luca rise to the occasion and really go after it.  When he’s singing “ASPIRANTI MODELLE,” to me, it sounds like he’s pulling punches…and that’s likely because he’s already so far above the mix of the music that if he was to really put ALL of his power into singing, he’d be even further above the rest, and when you’re a singer recording, you naturally recoil from doing that.  Anyhow.  As it stands, “ASPIRANTI MODELLE” is noticeably uneven and could even use a tune-up, but every time I get to the chorus, I can hear that De Luca has got something undeniably special here.  I don’t think he’s gotten to half of its potential…yet…but there’s no rule saying he should give up on trying to get more out of this song.  Sometimes it’s just the newness of material that can get the better of someone…like, if you asked Marco to sing this song now, I bet that he could already make noticeable improvements.  That’d be due to the effects of time & experience & really knowing a song inside & out.  “ASPIRANTI MODELLE” sounds like it’s still in the incubation stage as it currently stands…but once again, in the chorus, De Luca is scratching the surface of something truly special…now it’s all about refining it.

Marco.  What do you want us to do with “IL GIORNO” my friend?  Melody-wise/tone-wise, you’re coloring too far outside of the lines for it to be acceptable in the ears of the majority of listeners out there.  To further complicate things – purposely, by design, you’ve also added a whole bunch of savage sounds in the music to make it even harder for the masses to get into this final track…and I suppose the logical question is, why?  I think the question of whether you made this album for YOU, or for the people out there, is completely legitimate to ask – because it often feels like you’re making this intentionally a whole lot tougher than it needs to be.  Like, I listen to the guitar hook on “IL GIORNO,” and I’m like, right there…that PROVES that he gets it – he knows how to create a genuinely potent level of accessibility and hooks that listeners could sink their teeth right into, when he WANTS to…but that doesn’t seem to be the case for the majority of time we spend with LA STAGIONE DECISIVA.  I promise it will not damage your street cred to simply go where the song is taking you, instead of trying to purposely throw wrenches into its mechanics for the sake of being different.  Now…if we’re talking about myself, I find the more jarring frequencies and tones of this final track somewhat amusing and interesting to a degree, but at the same time, I can audibly hear that Marco’s putting unnecessary obstacles in between his music and having it being heard by as much of the potential audience out there as it could be.  So once again, I ask why?  He could have built a whole song around the guitar hook & easily called it a day – and chances are, the people would have LOVED it…I don’t think that being complicated for the sake of being complex is always the best route to choose, from my perspective.  Especially in cases like “IL GIORNO” where you can hear that De Luca obviously knows how to go about creating something with undeniable allure!  Rather than breaking that natural gravitational pull it has to the melody and hooks, why not just let things be?  Why not lean into a more accessible sound when it seems like that’s the right direction to take?  Only he’s going to know the answer to that for sure.  Personally, I think he’s overcomplicating things and making this whole music thing tougher on himself, which in turn makes it tougher on us to listen to as well.  At the core of it all, he’s got some outstanding ideas (like the guitar on “IL GIORNO!”) in the music…he’s got the most room to grow and evolve in his vocals…and he just needs to be a lot more objective when it comes to the balance, mix, and accessibility, in my opinion.  As it stands, I felt like I could appreciate the uniqueness of a record like this, but it’d be hard not to admit I still wanted more.

Connect with Marco De Luca at his official page at Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063930480737

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