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Following on the heels of 2015\u2019s captivating Inflamed Rides, the members of the powerful collective O.R.k. \u2014 lead singer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, Marta Sui Tubi guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto \u2014 were primed to deliver an even more potent statement for their sophomore offering. Coming off of a triumphant tour of Europe and South America, they were charged to take things up a notch. And so it was with Soul of an Octopus, their second recording and RareNoise debut. This one finds the four kindred spirits dealing in even deeper waters. \u201cAfter Inflamed Rides we did around 30 shows in Europe, Argentina, Chile and Mexico this year,\u201d says Fornasari. \u201cThat definitely helped us to reign in our sound and get to a more focused mutual vision. So all the pieces from the new album represent an honest and effective picture of who we are as O.R.k. right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of the presence of drummer Mastelotto, it would be easy to draw comparisons to King Crimson for this project. (The opener \u201cToo Numb\u201d in particular has a kind of Discipline vibe in its interlocking ostinatos that create a hypnotic latticework pattern against Fornasari\u2019s menacing vocals). One can also hear traces of such artistically inclined groups as Pink Floyd in ambitious tunes like \u201cScarlet Water,\u201d \u201cJust Another Bad Day\u201d and the extraordinary \u201cCapture or Reveal.\u201d But O.R.k. draws on a myriad of other influences throughout Soul of an Octopus that encompass prog-rock and even bits of opera, as can be heard in Fornasari\u2019s dramatic and wide-ranging vocals on tunes like the intense closer \u201cTill the Sunrise Comes\u201d and the epic \u201cDirty Rain.\u201d Says the native of Bologna, Italy, \u201cI got a degree as opera singer, but when it comes to my music I try to forget what I’ve been taught. When I find myself working on new material I prefer to improvise and sing without thinking what to do or where to head to, at least that’s what I do in first place.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the extreme opposite end of the dynamic scale from the operative sweep that he delivers throughout Soul of an Octopus, Fornasari takes a more intimate, close-mic approach at the outset of the poetic \u201cHeaven Proof House,\u201d recalling the enigmatic whisper vocals of the late Leonard Cohen. \u201cSince I think at myself as a composer and producer first and then as vocalist, I get my brain to rethink the whole structure and listen to my vocals as a producer would do,\u201d he explains. \u201cI tend to give my vocals the same importance I’d give to any of the other instruments composing the whole structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Innovative Italian guitarist Pipitone is prominently featured on \u201cCollapsing Hopes,\u201d which opens with some gutbucket acoustic blues guitar and gradually builds to a slamming wah-wah fueled six-string onslaught. Says Fornasari of his O.R.k. bandmate, \u201cCarmelo has received multiple awards from music Italian critics because of the way he plays acoustic guitar. He makes his strings bark and scream like the most ferocious electric piece of guitar and a second later he makes you cry with the most intense clean arpeggio.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fornasari further describes the process that he and his O.R.k. bandmates took on this RareNoise release: \u201cWe usually start the process from guitar or bass riffs, I assemble a rough structure and send it over to the other guys. This collaborative back-and-forth process across the miles is very effective in our case. Nonetheless, it usually takes weeks or even months before a piece gets to its final shape. We don’t follow any pre-defined plan though. One of the most intriguing elements in music is the most unpredictable too \u2014 once you release new stuff you never know how people will react and interpret your sound and words.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Fornasari has also been involved in other projects for RareNoise Records (he was on Owls\u2019 2011 release, The Night Stays, Berserk\u2019s self-titled 2013 debut and Obake’s three RareNoise releases including the very recent Draugr), he considers O.R.k. to be the focus of his artistic endeavors right now. \u201cI love Berserk! and Owls but I see them as collaborative side projects while O.R.k. is actually my main band. It\u2019s the one which best represents my vision in music and the one I’m dedicating most of my of time and energy to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Website: http:\/\/www.orkband.com\/<\/a> Following on the heels of 2015\u2019s captivating Inflamed Rides, the members of the powerful collective O.R.k. \u2014 lead singer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, Marta Sui Tubi guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto \u2014 were primed to deliver an even more potent statement for their sophomore offering. Coming off of a triumphant tour of… Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3462","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","xfolkentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PbEcyi-TQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3462\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskcrocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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