On the cover image of Clever Square, out today – 24 May 2019 – on Bronson Recordings, Giacomo D’Attorre – voice, guitars and, in essence, deus ex machina of the Clever Square – hides himself behind the branches of a tree. Yet this album is the one in which the Ravenna artist, active in Bologna since a decade, “discovers” himself the most. “Yes, this is the record where I discover myself. To put my face on the cover is a courageous act: I immediately understood that I had to choose this photo, taken by Gianna D’Arco, because I felt free to let myself be ‘seen’ by the listeners. I overcome the disorientation caused by the band’s end – broke up in 2015 – and I got back in the game with other people. It was a nice surprise, first of all for myself”.
The eponymous title of the record is an indication of restart, but also a declaration of reconquest because Giacomo has fully regained his love in making music. Clever Square is the third official Clever Square album, not to mention the first two self-released album and the six EPs that complete their discography. From the group foundation, whick took place in a garage in Ravenna during the summer of 2005, and from the original lo-fi approach, the turning point was represented by the more elaborate Natural Herbal Pills and Nude Cavalcade, published respectively in 2013 and in 2015 by Flying Kids Records. Clever Square inaugurates a completely new chapter made up of songs dating back to the period from 2015 to 2017, with the exception of a couple of older tracks. The style is closely linked to American indie rock, timeless genre marked by a slacker aesthetic and exploded at the turn of the 80s/90s, that Giacomo manages to make it shine in his own way.
Picking up all the pieces, brings everything home, the best Clever Square record came out right now.
