LOOKING FORWARD

Sticky Brain took form in 2014 in Schio, a small town in the province of Vicenza, on the initiative of Andrea Moro and Mattia Cavallaro, inspired by artists and bands such as Herbie Hancock, Weather Report or Snarky Puppy. After some time spent honing their skills and playing live on the local scene, in 2019 the band self-released an interesting debut album, entitled "Looking Forward", with a line up featuring Giorgio Manzardo (sax), Stefano Nardon (keyboards, vocals), Andrea Moro (bass), Giovanni Caruso (guitar), Mattia Cavallaro (guitar) and Alessandro Barbieri (drums). For the art cover was chosen a painting by Lanfranco Frigeri, "La matriarca dell'astronave" (oil on canvas, 1973). Lanfranco Frigeri is an artist best known for the cover of Le Orme's "Felona e Sorona" and in my opinion his dreamy subjects and surreal landscapes perfectly fit the musical content of this album...

The hypnotic opener 'Fifty-Fifty' starts softly but soon the dreamy atmosphere gives way to a lively funky jazz passage before taking a darker, mysterious path... Many changes in rhythm and mood follow during a crazy ride of more than nine minutes that leads to the short, carefree 'Today Is Friday'...

Next comes 'Up From The Grave', the only sung track on the album. It's a beautiful piece blending jazz with a touch of psychedelia, Latin rock and reminiscences of the Beatles. It tells in music and words the experience of a revenant coming out of his grave, searching for a melody. His skeleton falls apart while he's dancing under the moon, just like in a comic book. Then he takes off in a new coloured form escaping from hell...

'Stajass' is a long, complex piece that starts softly with romantic passages and a strong sense of melody. The vibrant middle section then gives way to a final part sprinkled with oriental flavours... The following 'Viaggio alla roccia di Morosha' is a lively track with a pulsing rhythm that every now and again reminds me slightly of Area's "La mela di Odessa"...

'Biveson' ends the album and features a dreamy first part with echoes of smooth jazz and bossa nova and a second part in crescendo where the rhythm takes off for a finale where you can hear some psychedelic touches.

On the whole, a good debut work in the vein of bands such as Mad Fellaz or Endless Season.