«I just want to play. I have a rock record, let me play anywhere and everywhere». This is the clear
statement of intent with which Luca Di Cataldo, mastermind of WEIRD BLOOM project, refers
to the new and long-awaited album Stargate, out on April 19th via WWNBB Collective; a
tribute to the imagery that, at the turn of the late '60s and the first half of the '70s, accompanied
the evolution of rock up to the multifaceted glam universe, in this case its most glitzy, fun and
irreverent strand of glitter rock.
The "gateway to the stars" passes through galaxies of sequins and vitriolic refrains made to order
for «cosmic dancers», quoting T. Rex. If in the acclaimed previous record, Blisstonia, to
predominate was the all-around exploration and reworking of the psychedelia of the old times,
playfully remastered and twisted in the footsteps of Flaming Lips and Ariel Pink, here Weird
Bloom leaves out the post-hippie aesthetic to embrace – also on the strength of the valuable
and consolidated advice of Don Bolles, former The Germs – an idea of hard and raw rock,
more material, fuzzy, without frills and thoughts. Leopard jackets and washed-out jeans take the
place of lysergic freak tunics in a 10-track journey into the most visceral glam, made of
timeless riffs and iconic titles like I'm a Razorblade, Saturday Night Is Breaking and Dum Dum
Boogie.
Behind the scenes of the album is an almost philological desire to exactly recreate that mood:
«We used to make the first takes, I'd send them to Don Bolles and to some maniacal
vinyl-finding friends to get feedback on the veracity of the sound. Because the sound didn't
convince me, it was always too contemporary. It took a long time to find that balance point,
and when you find it, you have to hold on to it very tightly. Rock'n'roll is rather a state of mind
to maintain, a different level of consciousness».
So forget the arty, intellectual and decadent side of Bowie and Roxy Music, Stargate's style is
massively animated by Marc Bolan's boogie, The Glitter Band's kitschy poses, the glittering hard rock
of the Sweet and the proto-garage of the Troggs, in a triumph of references pervaded with
pure love for an era that no longer exists, but whose immortal and carefree attitude we can
still, fortunately, enjoy in a little rock gem like this.