Beppe Crovella - "What's Rattlin' On The Moon?" Review

Artist/ Band: Beppe Crovella
Title: What's Rattlin' On The Moon?
Label: MoonJune Records
Year of Release: 2009
Offical Artist/ Band Link

Additional web links

The Review:

Subtitled “A personal vision of the music of Mike Ratlidge,” What’s Rattlin On the Moon is Arti & Mestieri keyboardist Beppe Crovella’s exploration of the music from Soft Machine. It’s all keyboards, but no synthesizers. Beppe uses Hammonds, Mellotrons, Fender Rhodes and other analog electronic keys to make interesting sounds and noises that show what some of these instruments are able to do.

It’s dense and difficult, using no other musical instruments. No guitar, drum, vocal, bass… It’s music to make you think. Sometimes bordering on free-form Jazz, sometimes recalling the modern-day King Crimson, at times minimalistic ala Eno or Kraftwerk. This is what you might call musician’s music. It takes a person with good knowledge and experienced listening of musical history to truly appreciate what Beppe Crovella has done here. Mostly, Beppe take a main riff and improvises symphonic flourishes over the top, with varied and unique sounds, even without the aid of any other instruments.

Are you ready for something different? This is certainly that! It’s a good example of what these instruments are all about and their amazing capabilities. The Mellotron’s ability to mimic choirs and opera singers, the fuzz bass sounds from the distorted organs, or just the singular quality of electronic piano that has no comparison, it’s good stuff! I would give this a recommendation only if you’re ready to go a lot deeper than your typical verse/chorus/verse/chorus pop tune.

Reviewed by Terry Jackson on July 30th, 2010

Tracks:

...Rattlin' All The Time

01. Tarabos

02. Chloe and the Pirates

03. All White

04. The Man Who Waved At Trains

05. As If

06. Hibou, Anemone and Bear

07. Out-Bloody-Rageous

08. Pig

09. Esther's Nose Job

10. Slighly All The Time 11. Leonard's E-Mail

12. Moonvision

13. Many Moons, Many Junes

...After The Moon

14. Lunar Impression

15. Circular Lines In The Air

16. Moon Geezers (to Elton & Hugh)