As the oft-quoted This Is Spinal Tap sang outlines the "clever-stupid dialectic, so it also goes in experimental music that a fine line exists between engaging and annoying. Italys brothers Opalio, better known as My Cat is an Alien, arguably have unlimited passports to criss-cross this line with their whimsical take on space(y) rock. On his first solo outing, originally self-released on their Opax CD-R label, brother Roberto carries on the family tradition of improvising spacious, droning themes made from cheap looped electronics, metallic objects and toy ray guns. Recorded in single takes, the pieces have a meandering quality that fortunately keeps to the "engaging side of the border, for the most part. The spectral quality, evident in the albums title, is sustained through sounds that suggest residual energy in empty rooms that collide against the objects, rattling their chains, in other words. This spent and evaporating force echoes through the deliberately restrained pace and limited variety of sounds. The last track is a literal chant performed mournfully and accompanied only by an open window, allowing the sound of rain, traffic and distant thunder to enter.
(Important)Roberto Opalio
Chants from Isolated Ghosts
BY Eric HillPublished Feb 26, 2007