The talented Jonathan Rimmer will be taking over the Going Global realms after I realised he’d be able to do it a lot better and more efficiently than I ever could. So over to the man himself…
Writing up my first Going Global was an exciting prospect for me. After all, I got Italy. Surely there would be plenty of talent in a country that has, along with Germany and Austria, produced some of the most important classical composers of all time? However, you’d be hard pressed to name any current Italian ‘stars’. Despite several composers echoing the legacy of Ennio Morricone and co, there’s been virtually no mainstream pop/rock acts of note.
Where Italy has built a significant reputation however is in more progressive/experimental music. Areknamés and Moongarden are two particular bands of note, but it is Nosound that are most respected both at home and abroad. This week, I spoke to Giancarlo Erra of the band.
First of all, could you describe the band and what each of you play?
The band is me (Erra) on lead vocals/lead guitar, Paolo Martellacci on backing vocals/keyboard, Paolo Vigliarolo on acoustic/electric guitar, Alessandro Luci on bass and Gigi Zito at drums/backing vocals.
The project Nosound was originally started by me as a one man band in 2005, but it quickly evolved into a stable and full featured band, both in studio and on stage.
What type of music would you say you play?
Influences usually vary from album to album, but I’d say we started with strong influences from bands like Pink Floyd, Sigur Rós and early Porcupine Tree. We then evolved and began embracing a more modern crossover influence, as shown by bands like Mogwai, Efterklang, Under Byen, Ulver and all the dream pop that is more influenced by post rock. So we speak of usually long and developed pieces, ‘cinematic’ music but always with lyrics and vocals, that are, in the end, the focus of the main melodies and themes.
You’re obviously on Kscope, the same well respected label that progressive rock giant Steven Wilson and his band Porcupine Tree are on; would I be correct in suggesting there’s a Porcupine Tree influence in your music?
Yes, as I say, particularly the early Porcupine Tree material. I’m still a fan of Wilson’s work; I liked his recent solo effort ‘Insurgentes’. That was really a stunning work.
I also recently collaborated with him, as he mixed the debut album of ‘Memories of Machines’, which was a project I made with No-Man (a Wilson project) singer Tim Bowness. He also played guitars in one song.
Italy is known for being the home of some of the greatest composers of all time, including Giacamo Puccini and more recent film composers such as Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. How proud are you of this musical legacy?
Well, you’ve named some really big artists there, if perhaps not contemporary (even though Morricone still writes amazing music). In the past we had several big names to be proud of, but today I think much of this talent is somehow gone. The market is slowly going down towards local commercial music, mainly Italian pop, with only a few exceptions that are worth being mentioned. Most of the time, they head out of Italy anyway to develop their music career.
So yes I’m proud of that musical legacy, but it’s more the exception than the rule.
What do you think of Italy’s contemporary pop/rock scene? Are there any particular artists that you admire?
I’m not always really updated on what’s happening, because a few years ago I moved to England, but I constantly receive material and I try to spend time listening to all of it. More than often I receive material that reminds me a lot of the neo prog genre, but again it still misses the feeling that music should have (again, I’m not that much into the genre).
What I usually find quite interesting is when I hear instrumental bands that are more inspired by recent post rock, and consequently feature the Italian feel for melody. I think that in such cases, the result is often more genuine and enjoyable.
In global terms, what do Italy’s artists offer musically?
I think at the moment, the vast majority are trying to be famous in modern pop, and on the other side there are more experimental bands trying to go out of our borders with a more influenced sound. I believe we’re still far behind other European countries in terms of quality and I don’t see many interesting newcomers, but the few I do notice have really good potential.
As I say everytime to the bands submitting material, I’d like to see more brave bands taking control of their music, investing their money and willing to do things alone, with passion and work, to the 500/1000 copies mark. What I see more often is bands that record a demo, try to make it sound like an album, and send copies to everyone in the hope that they’ll find a label that will do it all for them. It’s quite sad, because it again shows the laziness typical of Italy, and many bands just die in frustration because no one will pick them up. Those that do just get eaten alive by some small label with terrible contracts and don’t promote them enough.
Which country would you like to pick for the next Going Global?
I was always very fascinated by Russia. I don’t know if it was visited already, but it would be interesting to see what is happening there!
Nosound are signed to Kscope records, and their most recent record ‘A Sense of Loss’ is out now.
Nosound: Website | Soundcloud | YouTube | Facebook
