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Review: 'Clever Square'
'Clever Square'   

-  Label: 'Bronson Recordings'
-  Genre: 'Indie' -  Release Date: '20.9.19.'-  Catalogue No: 'BRCD008'

Our Rating:
This is the new line-up of Clever Square who are based in Bologna as they have reconfigured after the original line-up broke up in 2015, the only original member now is Giacomo D'Atorre who is the heart of the band.

This album opens with are glasses and Contacts ruining your life, so I've taken off my glasses and won't spell correct this part of the review, so the screen looks like a blur and the music sounds like mid to late 80's college rock, with some really cool guitars that come back in with a crash as they sking about how complicated things are, well of course as I can't see so well and am bumping into things.

Glasses back on and Cringe doesn't sound cringy at all just a mellow indie rock song. Avocado Phishing may be some sort of strange new internet fraud or a sexual scene most of us are unaware of, it has some cool female backing vocals that remind me a bit of Belle And Sebastian.

Busted Religions sees them courting controversy over a very gentle backing like it's time to meditate or sing some Psalms but instead they'd rather be listening to The Lilac Time or Prefab Sprout than listening to anyone religious. Denial And Wizards is more shoegaze a bit heavier and more urgent and it almost feel angry enough to really let loose on the guitar solo.

Song For Beer Delivery isn't a romping stomping sing along that you might expect from the title, it doesn't plead and beg for some more Moretti instead being a bit of a slowly building rocker with the sort of rhythmic drumming like it's keeping time as you walk back from the off license with a six pack of Peroni as you couldn't find anyone willing to deliver them to you.

He Cried, She Decried is barely their sparse song of an argument and a love affair that's beyond saving, they gentle music is the opposite of the anger and bile in the lyrics and the deceptive way the music lulls you in works well.

Endless Herman may be a song in tribute to Herman Munster or it could be for Herman Dune but is far too gentle for either of those things, this is sparse and a little bit desolate and I'm not sure I'd want this song to be endless although the more it goes on the more interesting it gets and the instrumental bit at the end reminds me of Magic Hour a bit.

To Spoon-Feed You may have re-worked one of Neil Young's quieter songs to good effect and would at least provide a calm environment for the spoon feeding to take place as the scratchy guitars come in towards the end of this piano led song.

The album closes with Fast Food Lovers although from the lyrics they probably didn't bond over a KFC or Maccy D more likely some Nando's all of which are things I never eat so don't know for sure, but this song is pretty cool with an odd time signature like many classic late 80's college rock songs did. So rush on down to Taco Bell and insist they play it in the restaurant.

Find out more at www.facebook.com/thecleversquare www.bronsonrecordings.com
  author: simonovitch

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