Review: Squadra Omega - Materia Oscura

A few weeks back I reviewed the wonderful new album from Heroin In Tahiti (here.) As I mentioned, that album was the first in a series, 'Grandangolo', curated by Donato Epiro for Soave Records. Since then there has been an ace, rare outing for Golden Cup ('Futura') and then along comes No.3...a new one by Squadra Omega. Last year was pretty shit for me on a personal level so I can only assume that the musical gods are smiling on me this year, my imaginary 'wants' list for the upcoming year has pretty much happened and we're only halfway through the year! Anyway, I digress. Squadra Omega are up there with HiT as flag-bearers for Italian leftfield music thanks in part to their superb album 'Altri Occhi Ci Guardano' (read my review of that one here)- an erudite, intelligent album filled with artful juxtapositions of styles and approaches that came to together to form a whole that was satisfying as it was immersive. So, expecting great things of 'Materia Oscura'...no pressure guys!

Where 'Altri....' was a double album with nine tracks, this is a relatively brief affair, just 3 tracks spanning 36 minutes...but what a 36 minutes! It all opens with 'Massa Mancante' and the lonesome sound of what could be an old dial-up modem but gradually more elements are added: snippets of spoken word, flashes of electronica and an irresistibly funky bassline, until it flourishes into a nouveau-lounge odyssey with a distinct soundtrack vibe. The retro sounding synths bring an authentic seventies feel to proceedings which works well with the groove laden rhythms and patterns. However,this being Squadra Omega, it's not that simple; the level of complexity is staggering whilst still making it all accessible and damn listenable. 'Mondo​-​Brana' opens with acoustic guitar playing a simple melody before being joined by electric guitar playing some rich and resonant psychedelia which once more harks back to the seventies. The rhythm is another filled with groove and all together has a real West Coast vibe. There are occasional glimpses of more retro electronica which, at times, lends proceedings a hauntological feel but overall this is straight up seventies groovy psych and pretty darned ace! The last, and longest, track is 'Le Oscillazioni dell'Universo Giovane' and is where things get really interesting. Foregoing the previous recognisable structures, it instead goes full tilt towards the experimental; a maelstrom of dissonant electronica and free jazz that on initial listening may seem like a discordant cacophony but there are jewels to be mined here...under it all lays another irresistible rhythm and the seemingly random noises form a whole that is strangely beautiful. After a few minutes the electronica is dropped and the emphasis is moved onto chaotic free jazz with some gutteral, disembodied vocals and plaintive moans of exotic instruments. Over the course of the remainder the focus is continually shifting; from heavy drones to shimmering electronica, from some sublimely beautiful, pastoral acoustic guitar to more eastern sounding melodies....it never sits still, always evolving and morphing into something new. This is Squadra Omega's strength - that ability to think past the obvious and focus on things glimpsed out of the corner of the eye.

This is a cerebral album....it has an intelligence that shines through but this should not be taken as being inaccessible - there is something here for everyone. It is taken as read that these guys are a group of exceptional musicians with an unwavering eye on the composition and flow of an album. Those expecting 'Altri Occhi Ci Guardano' Pt II may be disappointed..this is bedded more in the experimental but those with open minds will find it a challenging but ultimately satisfying listen. As for the ongoing Grandangolo series...well...it goes from strength to strength and I'm seriously looking forward to future releases. 'Materia Oscura' is available from the Soave Bandcamp page here as vinyl (black or coloured) or download. It is released on June 16th but pre-orders are up now.