My eyes are turning to ashes
Cause you keep staring at me like that
I know I seem childish
Most of the time
But I’m old enough
To cover all of the cinder in those eyes
I’m not so nice
I’m not so nice anymore
I think maybe I left her in the tunnel
Where shards of the past live
And old blood still drips
But pieces of her are dancing in my future
Where I know it’s sweet and sunny
I’m with you
And we’re warm honey
Spit and salt
In our empty garden
England in the rain
Bristol in the
White hot grey
That sweet vomit that rises up
Burns my throat
The all-powerful
All-seeing
Eyes in my walls
Say
You can cry
But that enough
Not enough
Always
And forever
Not enough
Cry baby
Made of spit
And salt
Your fragile
Sensitive
Angry
Density
Breaks you open
Spill your contents
The deepest ocean
I’m not so nice
Not so nice
Anymore
Not so nice
Not so nice
Anymore
NO-> [Spit and salt
In our empty garden
Your fragile
Sensitive
Angry
Density
Spill
Your
Contents]
Breathe deep
Breathe deep
My love
Is here
Breathe deep
Breathe deep
The new world
Is here
My bones
My bones
They fell to my feet
And all I need
Is to be free
What is fear anyway
When the earth
Is still turning
In a cold winter sky
You are a Murmuration
What is fear anyway
We are just drops in the ocean
In a cold winter sky
You are a Murmuration
Breathe deep
Breathe deep
My love
Is here
Memories are, to say the least, complex. They can weigh us down like stones or be treasured in their unresolved ambivalence.
In Ciro Vitiello’s debut album, they take on a dynamic and elusive nature, both bouncy and tricky, moving away when approached and dipping into the haze of the subconscious. Dreams, in turn, find their shape through memory itself. The Island Of Bouncy Memories is, for Vitiello, a place populated by reveries and hypnagogic impressions, interwoven with the imprints of childhood experiences—a threshold between the comforting embrace of nostalgia and the acceptance of adulthood.
The album's inception traces back to a collection of toy recordings initially amassed by Vitiello as a backdrop for his wide-weave synthetic fabric. Evolving these initial sketches, the Naples-born artist intended the 13 tracks to form a continuous flux of undeciphered impressions. Repeating motifs phase in and out of the cloudy ambience, punctuating the inevitable waves of melancholy with delicate melodic structures.
Crucial to the album's development were contributions from vocalist Zimmy, vocalist/guitarist CRÆBABE and guitarist Attilio Novellino. Their input not only expanded the sonic palette but also cultivated themes and poetic scenarios through intense and sincere exchanges of personal experiences, recurring dreams, and childhood remembrances.
CRÆBABE’s lyrics, in particular, provide an adult counterpoint to the album's more childlike elements—a map of murmured relics and epiphanies as she sits in conversation with herself.
The music's emotional depth envelops Vitiello's Island in an ocean of pure sensitivity, its tides drifting through apparitions of talking animals, reminiscent of those in his recurring dreams. At other times, it reflects the tragic echoes of Nisida—an island off the coast of Naples, infamous for hosting a youth detention center. The Island of Bouncy Memories is a meditative reconnection with the past, a puzzling journey through pain and
acceptance.
Notably, it marks the first-ever co-production between Hundebiss and Haunter Records, uniting two main players in the Italian electronic and experimental scene in an unprecedented collaboration.
credits
released April 12, 2024
Composed & Produced by Ciro Vitiello.
Acoustic Guitar & Vocals on “Malt Vinegar”; “White Luggage”; “Pillow Fight at Sandwich Bay” by CRÆBABE
Classical/Electric Guitar on “Malt Vinegar”;”Horse Woman”;”Turquoise Siren”; “The Island of the Living” by Attilio Novellino
Additional Electronics & Processing by Nocturnerror.
Drums on “Cinder Eyes” & “Sell Change Heart for a Crocodile” by Talpah.
Vocals on “Horse Woman” by CRÆBABE (original vocal sample from 1998)
Lyrics for “Malt Vinegar” by CRÆBABE.
Original compositions & lyrics for “Pillow Fight At Sandwich Bay” & “White Luggage” by CRÆBABE.
Lyrics for “Cinder Eyes” by Zimmy.
Mixed by Carmine Laurenza.
Additional mixing on tracks 9,11,12 by Eraclio Pagliuca.
Mastered by Rashad Becker.
Art by Kenshiro Caravaggio Carena.
Digital cover enhanced by Boris Cassanmagnago.
Layout by Nicola Tirabasso and Simone Trabucchi.
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