From: Italy
An obscure and somewhat reclusive figure in Italy’s underground scene,
Alessandro Calzavara (the singer-songwriter behind the moniker Humpty
Dumpty) has been freely recording and distributing music on the web
for about ten years now, but the concise “A mile from any neighbor”
may be his most brilliant and focused effort yet. Clocking in at less
than 15 minutes, the record manages to pay homage to a wealth of
musical and literary sources, while retaining a true sense of
originality and a subtle distrust of conventional songwriting. Robyn
Hitchcock, Julian Cope and Andy Partridge are obvious references here,
immersed in an intricate blend of post-punk, electronics and
psychedelia. Lyricist Renato Q. displays his trademark wit and
melancholy, offering a bunch of meditations on the invention of
solitude and the observation of nature (the title is borrowed from
Thoreau’s "Holden") and building catchy tunes around impossible
questions, such as: Are whales made of water? Do philosophers eat fish
and chips? Does God hide in berries?