Those crazy Italian noiseniks known as Bellini have returned after a four year absence and released their latest slab of chaos...The Precious Prize of Gravity. This husband and wife duo (Giovanna Cacciola & Agostino Tilotta) have been collaborating and living with each other for twenty-five years and as one might expect have a fair amount of chemistry. When they're reunited with bassist Matthew Taylor and Drummer Alexi Fleisig and producer Steve Albini that chemistry turns into a lethal equation of epic proportions.
The Precious Prize of Gravity is a loud, crazy recording of mathematical formulas that are worked into some sort of musical mayhem that almost makes sense. It's brash bombastic post grunge that sounds as if it was a steamroller headed for your skull. The songs are heavy and bass driven but have this sweet sense of innocence about them thanks to vocalist Giovanna. The result of all this guitar/vocal based chaos is a record that sounds something like old Sonic Youth in bed with PJ Harvey.
Bellini have made some complex moves on this record that make many of their songs sound like mini epics despite only being three or four minutes long. There are so many start, stops and time changes on this record it's as if the band were lost somewhere and ended up making random turns in every direction to try and get back on track. The Precious Prize of Gravity as a result is a choppy almost prog-rock sort of thing that's just a bit too unruly to ever quite fit in that genre.
A dark and turmoiled ride, Bellini's The Precious Prize of Gravity is an angstry but enjoyable listen. The bands ability to create something sensible out of pure bedlam is a testament to their chemistry and ability to write songs that will crush you. The Precious Prize of Gravity might not be the poppiest record you'll hear, but it is one of the most unpredictable and noisiest and that's what makes it worth listening to.
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