Italian singer-songwriter Marta Del Grandi returns with Dream Life, an album that bustles in a field of dreams, a multi-dimensional panoramic snapshot punctuated with serene disillusionment, that transcends musical boundaries as personal hopes and aspirations are cast against the vastness of the stars and beyond.
The record opens with Antarctica, addressing the world’s ethical dilemma and shaking us out of our comfort zone with a riff reminiscent of Talking Heads in their prime, infused with Laurie Anderson-like abstract phrasing. While Neon Lights underlines the sentiment but tackles it on a more personal level, its fuzzy guitars and roaming bass offering a harsher slice of rebellious self-exploration set in a symphonic swirl of sound.
“My previous album Selva had a poetic and bucolic nature - in my head I can picture each song as an oil painting - Dream Life has a more contemporary approach, with lyrics touching political and social issues, a more explicit personal storytelling and a more defined pop sound. It’s more like a photobook, more defined and detailed”. - Marta Del Grandi
Further into Dream Life, Alpha Centauri is a haunting introspective slice of pop magic that allows Marta’s gorgeous vocal to prowl in nostalgia for teenage times, rediscovering her inner child while a distant tuba carries a counter melody. The title track examines the quantum leap between reality and our dreams and ambitions, a counter point to Shoe Shaped Cloud and its brooding study of a relationship gone awry that’s propelled by an aching vocal which recalls Radiohead at their most brittle.
The album reflects a growing awareness that we cannot fully control the future or the outcome of our plans. This thread weaves throughout the record, a journey that is poetic, ironic, and deeply grounded in the present.
The record opens with Antarctica, addressing the world’s ethical dilemma and shaking us out of our comfort zone with a riff reminiscent of Talking Heads in their prime, infused with Laurie Anderson-like abstract phrasing. While Neon Lights underlines the sentiment but tackles it on a more personal level, its fuzzy guitars and roaming bass offering a harsher slice of rebellious self-exploration set in a symphonic swirl of sound.
“My previous album Selva had a poetic and bucolic nature - in my head I can picture each song as an oil painting - Dream Life has a more contemporary approach, with lyrics touching political and social issues, a more explicit personal storytelling and a more defined pop sound. It’s more like a photobook, more defined and detailed”. - Marta Del Grandi
Further into Dream Life, Alpha Centauri is a haunting introspective slice of pop magic that allows Marta’s gorgeous vocal to prowl in nostalgia for teenage times, rediscovering her inner child while a distant tuba carries a counter melody. The title track examines the quantum leap between reality and our dreams and ambitions, a counter point to Shoe Shaped Cloud and its brooding study of a relationship gone awry that’s propelled by an aching vocal which recalls Radiohead at their most brittle.
The album reflects a growing awareness that we cannot fully control the future or the outcome of our plans. This thread weaves throughout the record, a journey that is poetic, ironic, and deeply grounded in the present.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Bright, understated melodies and organic rhythms mix with jazzy flourishes and off-kilter production, all topped with Del Grandi's quirky vocal affectation, resulting in an album that defies categorisation in the best possible way.TRACK LISTING
A1 You Could Perhaps
A2 Dream Life
A3 Antarctica
A4 20 Days Of Summer
A5 Alpha Centauri
B1 Shoe Shaped Cloud
B2 Neon Lights
B3 Gold Mine
B4 Some Days (feat. Fenne Kuppens)
B5 Oh, My Father