Ever wondered what David Lynch’s soundtracks would sound like if they
came from Italy? Well, true believer, wonder no more! Futeisha, the project of
Juan Scassa (guitarist of La
Piramide di Sangue and collaborator of Craxi Driver, Krano, Gianni Giublena
Rosacroce and others), has composed the most Lynchian of odes to all manner of
weirdness, bubbling like clear, refreshing water from the freshest springs
throughout the country. You probably didn’t think this was possible outside the
all-noir-all-the-time confines of Los Angeles, but I’m here to tell you that
Scassa has every right to stake a similar claim over the whole European
continent as Lynch has in his home state. Well, OK, maybe not all of Europe – Scassa’s
music has a decidedly Italian vibe about it – but that won’t stop him from
trying!
Between sinister sound
experiments, heavily reverbed spoken word (in Italian of course), and moody
acoustic guitar performance, Futeisha combines fully modern atmosphere with the
ethnic vibe of his home country. It’s at once of a moment and timeless, a time
capsule that makes sense in the context of history and a beacon pointing toward
the future. It’s traditional, but it’s also a bit psychedelic, owing to raga,
exotica, and dark folk in equal measure. Wanna speed with the top down through
the hills at midnight? We got you, with “Nel Roseto.” Wanna pensively ruminate
while waiting for a lover to arrive? “No me dejes mi amor,” you do! Wanna take
acid and freak out for forty-five seconds? “A la puerta del rio” is your jam.
That’s not even mentioning “Me aveleno,” which of course could be used for
pretty much any scene in a dramatic film. I dare you not to use this music,
Hollywood – you’re fools to pass it up.
It’s hard finding a
favorite moment on Futeisha’s ArteTetra debut because they’re all good. But one
of the best parts, a surprise anyway, is “Una fin,” which closes the tape with
distorted guitar drone, a vast change of pace but one that fits perfectly
nonetheless. So next time you need a Lynch fix, don’t reach for Badalamenti –
or, well, you can, because why wouldn’t you, but then you have to reach for
Futeisha after it, because it hits all the same spots, just in slightly different
ways. I swear there’s a lost highway in the Italian countryside just waiting to
be discovered… Come peculiare!
--Ryan Masteller
Posts
