Kevin Starrs had warned us. When he released his live album “Slaughter On First Avenue” last year, Uncle Acid hinted that something decidedly different was cooking in the studio. What part of horror pop culture would he tackle this time around? The muggy atmospheres of cannibal and zombie movies? Clive Barker’s slatterpunk and fantasy tales? His own version of Cthulhu’s myth? All these assumptions, however plausible, would be to underestimate the genius of the audacious leader.
Making the most of isolation to complete instrumental music, Starrs started writing a story then a screenplay to crystallize the raw material he had crafted. Once again, Uncle Acid offers us a cinematic experience; one reminiscent of the Gialli and Poliziotteschi production that ruled supreme in Italy in the ’70s, when revenge-driven action and violence were exacerbated and graphic. Concept albums are legion in the band’s discography. At first glance, “Nell’Ora Blu” could be seen as the soundtrack to a fictional Italian film, with Kevin Starrs’ obsessive attention to detail and passion for these sub-genres being more of a homage than pastiche. Just like Tarantino, this musician-slash-director composes a love letter to the music and cinema of that era. Starting with the album cover, genre lovers will identify the gloved killer with the telephone from 1972’s “La Peur au Ventre”.
Set in 1970s Italy, “Nell’ Ora Blu” is a classic tale of revenge in which Giovanni Scarano, a corrupt official, plunders the coffers and brings a whole town to its knees. The story details Scarano’s downfall: “They (the townspeople) hire a thug to do it,” Starrs recounts. “They kind of want to torture him, not really hurt him physically, but torture him psychologically, with phone calls, harassment, all that kind of stuff, before they lure him out to the country and finish him off. It was a bit like the idea of people who, as a last resort, think they can get away with it, but end up getting caught. The musical sequences that set the scene are interspersed with dialogues that develop the plot.
And who better to record these conversations than the iconic actors of the era? Starrs succeeds in bringing together Franco “Django” Nero, Frenchman Luc Merenda and, above all, Giallo icon and Mario Bava muse: French-Italian actress Edwige Fenech. Their contributions, the use of Italian and the lo-fi delivery of their vocal messages add some authenticity and respectability to the work. Of course, the language barrier is real, but it’s only about diving into the atmosphere of a film virtually unfolding in front of us. The emphasis is more on imagination and film culture than on plot subtleties. The music merges with the plot, and UA&TD’s sense of drama carries the listener away.
Once again, Starrs, as a connoisseur, draws inspiration from the greatest soundtrack tenors of the time: “Il Sole Sorge Sempre” recalls the synthesizer-laden prog rock of Goblin, as does ‘Vendetta (Tema)’, which sounds like something out of Suspiria; the gloomy ‘Resti Umani’ could have been written by Riz Ortolani or Fabio Frizzi; the crystalline, childlike voices that sprinkle the album conjures the soundtrack of ”Chi L’ha Vista Morire?“ by the great Ennio Morricone. It’s all the master’s art that transpires in the album’s more ethereal, jazzy scores. But make no mistake, it’s UA&TD who are masterfully at work on “Nell’Ora Blu”. “Giustizia Di Strada – Lavora Fino Alla Morte”, ‘La Vipera’ and ‘Solo la Morte to Ammanetta’ take us back to familiar territory, and ‘Pomeriggio di Novembre Nel Parco – Occhi che Osservano’ is certainly one of the finest tracks in UA&TD’s discography.
Uncle Acid knows it: no one listens to doom music all day. He displays his rich cinematic culture and offers a priceless journey through time and your movie-lover imagination. This album is just like the films it took its cue from: the plot doesn’t matter, and the aesthetic and atmosphere prevails — something all genre enthusiasts seek above all else.
Last modified: 22 July 2024
