Upupayāma is the project of Italian composer and multi-instrumentalist Alessio Ferrari, with which he offers Acid Folk and Psychedelic Rock sounds. The new album entitled “Mount Elephant” is due for release on September 13, 2024 via Fuzz Club and contains 6 tracks ranging from 3 to over 9 minutes in length in which he composes and plays all the instruments. Guitar arpeggios and percussion open “Moon Needs The Wolf,” to which the flute is added, giving a pastoral touch to the sound. The artist’s Acid Folk imprinting permeates the track, characterised by the layering of sounds and the evolution of the track’s central theme by exploring sounds with Oriental traits. The vocal is enveloping, as are the track’s sounds, taking us on a journey through the multiple influences that characterise Alessio’s style. In the central part with a change the sound inserts elements of Psychedelic Rock, with a hypnotic, deep and load-bearing bassline and a more Rock style with a solid rhythm and valuable tempo changes. In the second part, percussion is added, ending in a crescendo that incorporates Folk elements to Psychedelic and Acid Rock. Acid Folk sounds permeate “Thimpu,” with a percussion-rich rhythm section and a driving bass line that gives body to the track. Oriental melodies take the listener to distant worlds, then increase in intensity as the minutes pass and incorporate drumming and guitar work with psychedelic traits. The vocal is enveloping, dynamic with the artist guiding us on this journey that succeeds in uniting sounds from different cultures. The guitar, in the second part, offers a prolonged solo insert that accompanies us to the crescendo ending. A vibrant bass line opens “Fil Dağı,” elaborated on a rhythmic percussion and repeated, hypnotic melodies that are layered. Oriental music is more present here, both in the instruments and melodies, to which is added a vocal that adds a mystical touch to the sound. Interesting qiestobrano that explores sounds from distant cultures and re-proposes them with the artist’s personal touch. “Moon Needs The Owl” is the longest track on the album at 9:44, featuring a more Rock rhythm section to which Folk melodies are added. The long instrumental textures are enriched with layers of sounds, modulations and effects as well as beautifully crafted solo inserts. Here, too, the artist skilfully blends all his musical influences, in a journey between East and West, alternating more animated passages with openings of lysergic and dilated sounds. The vocal envelops the listener in the softer sections, guiding us on this journey between different sounds and cultures, which enhances Alessio’s compositional and performing technique. The album’s shortest track “Dabadaba” shows the more mystical side of the artist’s sound, developed on oriental percussion and sounds enriched by effects and modulations. The tracklist ends with another long track “Mount Elephant,” which exceeds 9 nminutes in length. The track opens with percussion and a pastoral flute, with intensity increasing as the minutes pass, developing the centyrale theme of the piece. the first track is characterized by a meditative and enveloping sound, while in the final the artist inserts elements of Psychedelic Rock. The guitar is distorted and scratchy, the drumming solid and elaborate, concluding in a musical crescendo the track and the album. Oriental sounds and psychedelia are intertwined in this album, creating a good mix between Acid Folk and Psychedelic Rock with marked personal traits. The artist is able to guide us through the tracklist in this journey among the sonorities that characterize him, with long instrumental plots and vocal interventions that enhance the compositional and executive technique. A recommended listening for all lovers of Acid Folk sounds with Psychedelic passages, for an album very interesting from beginning to end.
Tracklist
01. Moon Needs The Wolf (7:54)
02. Thimpu (7:18)
03. Fil Dağı (05:08)
04. Moon Needs The Owl (9:44)
05. Dabadaba (3:03)
06. Mount Elephant (9:11)
Lineup
All songs written, performed and recorded by Alessio Ferrari
