Spring time on planet Earth. Flowers are blooming. The weather is heating up. New music is dropping. But what, dear readers, should you be blasting from your 8-tracks this season? Oh, you don’t have an 8-track? Well, never fear, Verdena shall provide you with an 8-track worthy tome in Volegio Magia (Capital Records Italy / Universal Music).
Volegio Magia starts out like a lovely drive through Indiana or Wisconsin. ‘Chais Lounge’ puts you in the headspace of driving with the top down on the convertible. The people in the car are wearing oversized sunglasses. Their hair is blowing in the wind. The fields are green and undulating in the breeze. Then the song segues into this magical mystery tour Beatles vibe. It’s light and happy and sonically out of sight. The second song ‘Paul e Linda’ sounds like Supertramp, groovy, man.
By the third track the listener has donned some bell bottoms, platform shoes, and their own colourful sunglasses. The more you listen, the more far out you get. Like, ‘Pascolore’ is part Ziggy Stardust, part Led Zeppelin, part sludge, part Heavy Metal (the animated movie). Dude, you can feel the downbeats in your soul! There is this tinny, industrial sound that punctuates the song and some wicked bass riffage that rides subtly underneath. The guitar solo is sonically psychedelic, man. You definitely need a black light and a disco ball and a lava lamp for this song. It’s wicked.
There are so many funky elements in the songs on Volegio Magia. The grooves got grooves and the beats don’t stop. Just when you think you’ve found your favourite song, another song rips it up. Roberta Sammarelli is a beast on the bass. She has funkiness, solid beats, and beautiful rhythms; in your face and understated all at the same time, ya feel? Combined with the brothers Alberto and Luca Ferrari, the trio has created, once again, aural perfection. Volegio Magia is one of those albums that will get heavy rotation and loads of enjoyment.
See, Verdena’s Volegio Magia has these throwback elements that are updated and reimagined, right. The late sixties / early to mid-seventies vibe is strong and quite welcoming. Listening to the album made me want to grab my red heeler, jump in the car, and head to the backcountry; just driving aimlessly with the top down, enjoying life.
Buy the album here:
9 / 10
VICTORIA ANDERSON