Music Review // Tredici Bacci "La Fine Del Futuro" (NNA Tapes)

https://tredicibacci.bandcamp.com/album/la-fine-del-futuro //

This opens like a magical musical.   With harp strums and all it can feel like you are going on an adventure and while you might think you know what this music has in store for you based on these opening notes, you're in for a much wilder ride than all of that.   I'm reminded of "The Love Boat" for some reason as these acoustic strums come through dreamy and make me think we're on a tropical island.   The second song, "In the 1970s" is a single you should've heard before the album release but it's still a nice nod to how things were better back then (according to the artist, not me) and it reminds me a bit of "Portlandia".   I believe there is also a reference in this song to "All the Young Dudes".

Within this futuristic rock opera you will find strings (cello) and keys (organ tones) on "Minimalissimo", which for some reason just gives me the impression that I'm being chased.   I know that there are times when music paints a picture for me, where I think of it as having visuals to go along with the sounds.   There are also times where music brings out emotions in me and I think that is true of everyone because otherwise we wouldn't listen to music-- if it didn't make us feel happy or sad or angry.   But what I love about Tredici Bacci is that this music paints such a clear picture which such clear emotion.  It's not one or the other, it's both and I'm not sure that's happened before.

"Barbarians" feels like something out of a James Bond film and it is worth noting that at times during these songz you'll hear the wonderful voice of Sami Stevens singing words and other times though there is singing there are no words.    "Emmanuelle" is what I expected it to be based on the title but not what I actually thought it would be.   It's that old "Oh come, oh come, Emmanuelle" song which I mostly know from being in church and think of as a hymn, though if you do a quick Google search of the song you'll find quite the rich history behind it.   Tredici Bacci also delivers this version with a bit of intensity and JG Thirlwell, which just kind of drives home some of the darker lyrics I didn't put much thought into as an innocent child in Sunday School.

"Felicity Grows" goes back to that feeling of "The Love Boat" or some kind of musical or television theme song.    "The Cavalry" reminds me of that song Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello did in "Austin Powers", which is only coincidental that Ryan Power happens to be in it, and it has this smooth way of singing "Late at night we're getting primal".    "Promises, Promises" reminds me of Bette Midlet while "Impressioni" takes us back to that James Bond place as it has singing without words.   Has there ever been a James Bond musical?  Is this as close to that as we might ever get?  I know very little about James Bond though, perhaps I should watch those films one day (probably won't, though it is funny how I also made note of Austin Powers who is the comedy version of James Bond)

Only fitting, the last song feels sadder and like we are riding off into the sunset.    Have you ever gone to a musical, a Broadway show perhaps?   Then afterwards you go out and buy the CD (or playlist on iTunes more likely) and it's one of those "All the songs performed by the cast of the hit Broadway musical Rent!" or whatever?  I feel like that's how this sounds only it is the music without the stage show.   I'm not saying you need to be into showtunes to like this one because there are enough other sounds which might remind you of other artists but that's just what I think of it as and hope that one day there is a giant production type of show I can go to NYC to see.