Sparkle in Grey are an Italian quartet founded by Matteo Uggeri, an electronics artist who often goes by the moniker Hue. The group has been collaborating since 2006, but "A Quiet Place" is their proper debut album. Group members contribute bass, guitar, violin, electronics, percussion, glockenspiel, samples, and field recordings to the mix for a fresh-sounding dynamic. Their sound might be described as post rock, but that label alone doesn't really do full justice to music the group creates. Really, the combination of standard rock instruments with the less conventional violin and electronic effects make this album stand out. Even better is the playful attitude that permeates all of the music. You really get the feeling that Sparkle in Grey had a good time mashing together all of the different sounds.

The great thing about "A Quiet Place" is that Sparkle in Grey don't get hung up in any one mood or style for very long. With their tremendous sonic palette, they are able to lay out songs that feel and sound completely different, yet still fit in with the general idea of the album. The album opens with nearly thirteen minute track "Limpronta." It begins with a smattering of light electronics, samples, and field recordings. This gives way to percussion and eventually violin and guitar. The songs slowly builds, but never gets overpowering as all of the elements blend. With it's melancholy feel, this song is a great contrast to another great moment later in the album: the short, delicate "Teacher Song." Opening and ending with a recording of a child singing, it moves into light violin, guitar, and glockenspiel. Behind it, water noises burble along with field recordings of cars driving by. The album closes with a band with the echoing, mysterious "Delusion Song." All of the familiar instrumental elements are combined one last time and make a big impression on the way out before fading out into a final surprise. (Sorry, you'll have to hear it for yourself, but I will say it will make you smile.) Needless to say, it's worth making the journey all they way through this disc.

"A Quiet Place" ultimately sounds like the product of a group that is able to gather the talents of each member and piece them together into something truly powerful and quite unlike what any one individual would have been able to produce solo. It's obvious that all of the musicians of Sparkle in Grey are great at what they do, but it's all the more amazing to hear what they can create together. This is hands down one of the best post rock-esque albums I've heard in some time and definitely worth getting to know.   9/10 -- Matt Blackall (15 October, 2008).

http://www.digitalisindustries.com/

“Sparkle in Grey do not sing, do not dance in public, do not have lyrics to hang up on teenage bedroom walls” - as opposed to concocting something to break the ice I thought I’d let the band speak for themselves. Late night phone conversations, tidal noise, plughole sound effects, sinister fairytale narratives, cassette rattle & childish burbling follows suit – the list goes on. A cornucopia of curios ironically backdrop A Quiet Place, and there’s a touch of musical finesse in there too. Originally a solo project which kicked off on the turn of the last decade, Sparkle numbered four members as of 2006. With a blend of soft electronics, a smattering of organic instrumentation peppered with field recordings they make for an interesting sound - a quirky portfolio of novelty noise & serene meditations that are quite pleasing to the ear if you will. With a back catalogue of nigh on a zillion remixes, collaborations & split releases they are a prolific bunch with a varied network of influences and alliances. In fact, their history is diffused with so many side-projects & co-operatives that I’m not really sure who they are or what took them so long to go it alone, but hey, they’re here, so pull up a chair.

None other than Giuseppe Ielasi (sometime TSB artist of the week and Top 50 chart tickler in 2007) has taken the controls on this latest outing in terms of recording, mixing, and mastering duties. Renowned for his trademark improvised sonorities, would we be forgiven for suggesting that perhaps osmosis played a part in the artistic process for SiG? The answer remains to be seen, but a fine chaperone nonetheless is at the wheel. Ielasi’s production is exceptionally vibrant, with each tap, twitch, fizz & groan exposed in pristine clarity and brought to the fore, accentuating the understated musical meanderings beautifully. The tone is proud yet pondering, serene yet never dull, with a sense of mystery evoked by the feather-touch musicianship. Melodies are softly coaxed to reveal themselves and rhythms are gently coerced into action, building with a slow pace then breaking away to a pause or unexpected flurry, swaggering to and fro in a pulsing electronic fizz interspersed with crests of organic lucidity.

Kicking off with “Limpronta” we are met by footsteps on gravel, fan-noise, tapping and anonymous shuffling. Followed by the sound of locks, bolts, chains, and a static-laden discourse on studio neurosis, an experimental mood is set, and our curiosity searches through the haze for answers. An urgent ride cymbal and oscillating hum brings us to the cusp of insanity and finally pauses on a heartbeat-style solitary drum. Ominous croaking (which reminds me of a breathing stoma) and rattlesnake percussion steals through the stillness, heralding guitar vibrato, violin, and the fulfilment of the opener in a dizzying array of sound. The final seconds sound like a dying wind-up toy, which sets the scene for the template hereafter - a nice opener, and I’m eager to see where they’re taking us.

Teased to life by a burgeoning drum beat, “Goose Game” is an infectious track and a personal favourite. With each addition the percussion grows to an electro-flecked pace as a jovial bass line rises out of the rumpus to tickle the listener's attention. Suddenly things dissipate, but return in a swelling tumult. Finally overthrown by guitar, the music takes on a new direction, but it’s a fantastic apex sounding like Björk’s “Human Behaviour” married to a drunken riff pilfered from Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. Add a pinch of Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club’s lascivious guitar swaggering, and it’s an effortlessly nonchalant capstone to a great track.

With only six tracks in total we’re almost halfway through, but thus far things are intriguing and impressive. Things never get boring as pieces drift into each other like cloud formations, softly dissolving and becoming something new. At times subdued and speckled with electro-pulses and placid knockings, the music is nonetheless engaging as it pirouettes and lulls, pauses momentarily for a breath, then kicks off with aplomb, punching through the reverie to pursue another melody or direction decorated with sonic novelties. While never aggressively demanding your attention, when it does suck you in the intricate patchwork of nuances can be quite captivating - there’s an essence of charm that draws the listener in slowly. You could describe it collectively as a field recording project married to delicate melodies, interspersed with one or two moments of gusto and occasionally tangled in violin, but that wouldn’t give the release the credit it deserves. Treated with some laptop spoon-bending effects and interpolated with the genius of Ielasi I think we’ve got a contender on our hands here.

Sounding like an Epic45 outtake, “Techer Song” tinkles with all the daintiness of a snow-globe landscape, offering a short reprieve before we enter the moaning ‘Dagaboh’ sound-scape of “Pim in Delay” where things turn slightly sinister. Softly delayed guitar and dull throbs caressed by slivers of violin rise amongst synthetic murmurs and cassette shuffling, then gently overdriven guitar returns, along with vibrant percussion and wah flavourings as a sumptuous coda. This is another defining moment of the album, where the rock aesthetic is emphasised, rising above the twee musicianship of the other tracks. It fits in snugly all the same, with SiG proving themselves comfortable on many different playing fields. “Delusion Song” sounds like its namesake, with a disoriented violin and sprinkled notes drifting through a liquid haze, then all returns to rest once more in a "sleep that knits the ravelled sleeve of care". A Quiet Place comes to a close with a dainty musical jewellery-box tune suggestive of innocence and peacefulness, a return to a dreamlike state within the arms of stillness.

Replete with textured guitar flavourings and at one point the distant screams of tortured chipmunks, this album is best experienced alone and with a good set of headphones at high volume. Like a faulty pacemaker it lurches, stalls, slumbers, and strolls all at once, and would take a lot of effort to dislike. In all, it is a collection of tracks that is hard to collectively label; each return visit throws up a new filament to dissect, and within their layers a considered tapestry woven to a beautiful finish. Yet despite their detail, they remain soft velvet hues of unimposing sound distilled with excellent musicianship. Perhaps Ielasi has divined a spirit from within the music lost up to now, or mined threads which were unnoticed before his presence arrived? Whatever the case, it’s a step-up and hopefully a precursor for more to follow; I think it may be time to take notice.

www.thesilentballet.com

Eskaton, Chain D.L.K.

Matteo "Hue" Uggeri is a man of many talents. I first heard some tracks from his In A Voice project that sounded like it would be right at home on the Hyperium “Heavenly Voices” compilations or on Projekt records. Sparkle in Grey takes a different approach and I had to listen to this disc several times before figuring out just what to say about it. According to the label, “The six tracks on this debut album have started off as improvisations on an electronic base, and have later developed throughout live shows in Italy and abroad in squats, clubs, diners, music festivals in the woods and in a kindergarden.” The improvisational aspect is certainly present and accounted for (and I would love to see them perform at a kindergarten show). I tend to think of projects in terms of who they remind me of and the only comparison that I could come up with was Nature and Organisation’s “A Dozen Summers Against the World.” I made my wife listen to it, who finds Nature and Organisation the only palatable offering from any of the World Serpent catalogue and she also thought that that A Quiet Place was quite nice. All of that to say that this album may be improvisational but it is still very accessible. The various tracks incorporate samples of spoken word, guitar, violin, and field recordings to create interesting soundscapes that at times fade into the background and surface in ways that are not too invasive. Let’s look at some of the more interesting tracks more closely. I especially like the narrative at the beginning of “Limpronta” that notes, “My theory is that if you don’t bring it with you (into the studio) you’ll definitely need it.” This track is a bit more free form with some noisy elements thrown in as punctuation until it gains more structure with guitar and violin creating an almost mournful melody. “Goose Game” begins as a study in repetition but then settles into a nice groove with electric guitar dominating. This one kind of grew on me after a few listens. “Teacher Song” would be right at home as an interlude on one of Current 93’s neo-folk albums like “Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre.” Overall, you get the sense that this would be a great band to see perform live. The cartoonish drawings (done by Hue) on the cover and liner notes demonstrate that this is not an in-your-face kind of experimental album. Overall, the feeling is quite calm and restrained. If you’re looking for improvisation that seems almost peaceful, this is very well done. This disc weighs in at 46 minutes.

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=4526

Dmitry Vasilyev, Monochrome Vision.

Sparkle in Grey - основной проект Маттео Уггери, итальянского музыканта, известного также под именами Der Einzige, Norm, Normality/Edge, In A Voice, Hue и т.д. ”A Quiet Place” - дебютный альбом Sparkle In Grey, выпущенный в 2008 году и записанный в следующем составе: Альберто Кароззи - бас-гитара, Кристиано Лупо - фортепиано и гитара, Франц Кростопович - скрипка и Маттео Уггери - лэптоп. Это органичная комбинация пост-рока и электроники, с живыми ударными, полевыми записями, голосовыми сэмплами и шумовыми контрапунктами. Мастеринг альбома выполнил Джузеппе Иеласи (Fringes Recordings), что заставляет взглянуть на этот релиз совсем с другой стороны. С точки зрения мелодизма и музыкального сюжета, альбом напоминает лучшие моменты Nature And Organisation, неоромантизм Durutti Column и квартеты Александра Баланеску, а его эстетика, микрозвуковой дизайн, джазовые элементы в аранжировке - всё это вызывает множество аллюзий, от саундтреков Морриконе и The Rachel's до трип-хопа и пост-рок-вариаций на темы King Crimson.

http://www.monochromevision.ru/

Lino Brunetti, Buscadero

Giampaolo Cristofaro, Audiodrome

Louder than silence.
L’intento era proprio quello di ricreare una colonna sonora capace di rievocare un posto tranquillo. Come il letto ricolmo di amore in copertina, come un qualsiasi luogo fisico o meno, in cui la serenità domina coi suoi toni pastello sui neri, i rossi e i grigi accesi di ogni giorno. Well done, obiettivo raggiunto. Uno dei dischi di elettronica contaminata e totalmente strumentale più intensi e toccanti dell’anno. E viene dall’Italia. Tappeti elettronici ambient intessuti di minimal, su cui sono generate improvvisazioni poi ristrutturate dal vivo in giro per il mondo. In cabina di regia il grande Giuseppe Ielasi. Nati da un progetto di Matteo “Hue” Uggeri, gli Sparkle In Grey acquistano solidità con l’aggiunta del polistrumentista Cristiano Lupo, con Alberto Carozzi a prendersi cura di bassi e chitarre e Franz Krostopovic al violino. Aprono “Limpronta” field recordings, voci, porte aperte e poi richiuse, sbattute e un corpo ritmico denso come una stella morta che si distende in un balenare di tintinnii. Poi silenzio, e l’incedere di un battito che dà spazio a chitarre post-rock e alla crescente, splendida melodia di violino. Dodici minuti di rapimento emozionale e già basterebbe per dedicare a A Quiet Place almeno un ascolto. Una voce femminile introduce i pattern  ritmici di “Goose Game”, a ricordare sulle prime certa techno dance, per poi deragliare in linee di basso quasi math. I ritmi rallentano, la tensione creata rimane sospesa e riparte in forma di jungle tribal, dai bassi e dalle chitarre caldi e placidamente groovy. “A Quiet Place” ricorda certi momenti intimi dei Massive Attack, avvicinandosi al dubstep che oggi impazza, per poi dispiegarsi in una solarità inaspettata. “Teacher Song” spunta da riverberi e glockenspiel sotto forma di una dolce cantilena intonata da una bimba, attorno alla quale pennarelli sonori tenui disegnano una danza leggiadra. Ogni canzone, insomma, è una costruzione a scatole cinesi di improv cesellata, frutto di uno splendido lavoro di interplay tra basso, violino e chitarra a concretizzare una sensazione di compiutezza placida e avvolgente come liquido amniotico. O per dirla con le parole degli stessi Sparkle:

Come un aereo che squarcia nuvole basse.
Con il pilota semiautomatico.
E le Hostess che spiegano come mettersi un salvagente,
quando si vola sopra il mare.

http://www.audiodrome.it/

Denis, Autres Directions (disque "platine"!)

Au gré de ces coups de coeurs et en fonction de ses moyens, Disasters By Choice a produit quelques disques aussi discrets que touchants (comme les albums de notre compatriote Melodium). C’est derrière un visuel particulièrement réussi (une sorte de bande dessinée à la fois naïve, mignonne et intriguante) que Sparkle in Grey publie son premier album, un disque enregistré sur de longs mois.

A la base, les 6 longues compositions qui constituent A Quiet Place sont des improvisations électroniques que Hue compose en solitaire depuis son petit village perdu du nord de l’Italie. Et puis au fil des concerts, les éléments organiques joués par ses 3 partenaires s’additionnent à ses structures, s’immiscent dans les ambiances et tissent des mélodies. Probablement est-ce schéma de travail qui confèrent aux compositions de Sparkle in Grey sa singularité. Quand le violon vient enfin soutenir une batterie rachitique sur Limpronta alors que depuis 6 minutes déjà, les nappes synthétiques dégagent une matière oppressante. Passée cette longue entrée en matière à caractère climatique, les italiens font preuve sur Goose Game de leur réelle velléité : break assassin au beau milieu d’une divagation électronique, batterie martiale, ligne de basse dévastatrice alors qu’on croyait tenir là des sages soundmakers.

La musique de Sparkle In Grey est ainsi, toujours en équilibre et surtout recèle une formidable richesse (inutile d’écouter A Quiet Place autrement qu’à fort volume, dans le calme et avec attention) - le travail sur les textures sonores est d’une minutie et d’une pertinence rares. Le groupe se joue ainsi de ses influences (post-rock à la Silver Mt Zion, néo-classique style The Rachel’s, ambiant à la Biosphere, électro dans la veine de Pan American... on ne sait à quel saint se vouer) pour mieux influencer notre humeur du moment.

http://www.autresdirections.net/article.php3?id_article=1367

Achim Breiling, BabyBlaue

Sparkle in Grey kommen aus Mailand und existieren in der auf dem hier rezensierten Tonträger vertretenen Form seit 2006. Das Projekt wurde allerdings schon 1999 von Matteo Uggeri gestartet. Erst 2005 schlossen sich Cristiano Lupo und Alberto Carozzi dem bis dahin weitestgehend solistisch tätigen Uggeri an. 2006 kam noch der Geiger und Tastendrücker Franz Krostopovic dazu. Mit "A Quiet Place" legte die Band 2008 ihre erste Studio-CD vor. Aber schon vorher ist Sparkle-in-Grey-Material veröffentlicht worden, als Download, CDR oder auf der zusammen mit Maurizio Bianchi eingespielten Ambient-CD "Nefelodhis" (2007). Trotzdem könnte man "A Quiet Place" als erstes "richtiges" Album von Sparkle in Grey ansehen.

Die Band selbst bezeichnet ihre Musik als "a sort of electronic and eclectic post-rock", was die Sache eigentlich gut trifft. Getragene, eindringliche, hypnotisch-repetitive Postrockmuster mit Kammerrocktendenz treffen auf Elektroniktöne und allerlei weiteren Klang, Geräusch und Stimmen. "A Quiet Place" ist - dem Titel entsprechend - eher sparsam instrumentiert, wird von E-Gitarre und Violine bestimmt, die mitunter von Bass und Schlagwerk ergänzt bzw. rhythmisch vorangetrieben werden. Dazu kommen diverseste Sounds, allerlei elektronisches Wabern, Fiepen, Zischen und Dröhnen, viele Umweltgeräusche und immer wieder Sprachfetzen. Nicht selten nimmt das Gemenge Fahrt auf, erklingen die Gitarren etwas rauer und verzerrt, rockt die Musik hypnotisch und intensiv voran.

Uggeri selbst ist Klangbastler, vermengt "field recordings" mit elektronischen Sounds und bearbeitet das Ergebnis weiter am Computer. Das dient dann als Grundlage für den elegischen bis sperrigen Postrock der anderen drei Musiker. Hier tut sich somit ständig etwas im Hintergrund, es zwitschert, fiept, zischt und klimpert, dicht und farbig, immer leicht dissonant, fast schräg. Bisweilen arbeitet sich das Elektronik-Geräusch-Gewebe auch nach vorne, sorgt für seltsame, fast-industrielle Einlagen (man höre z.B. die Mitte des langen "Limpronta") und ergänzt das Klangeschehen um rhythmische elektronische Mustern.

Alles in allem gibt es auf "A Quiet Place" einen beeindruckenden, durch die prägnante Rolle von Violine und Elektronik ziemlich eigenen progressiven Postrock zu hören, der seltsam kristallin, fast karg aus den Boxen gleitet, sich dabei aber sehr farbig, intensiv und eindringlich durch die Gehörgänge arbeitet. Die zweite Hälfte von "Goose game" ist in seiner destillierten, sperrigen Schlichtheit das Magischste, was mir seit längerem unter die Ohren gekommen ist. Tolle Platte (die übrigens in einem sehr hübschen, von Uggeri gestalteten Mini-LP-Klappcover geliefert wird)!

http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/

Sergio Eletto, Sands-Zine

Messo di fianco al melting pot con MB (*), anche “A Quiet Place” testimonia dai primi passi la mutazione degli Sparke in Grey da ‘semplice’ combinazione one-man–laptop, con il solitario ‘Hue’ Uggeri, a complesso di quattro elementi.
Registrato nel 2006 dall’uomo dei microsuoni Giuseppe Ielasi, il disco si divide in sei trame ove un magnetismo ermetico (denominalo post rock ma sarebbe un delitto uniformare) schiude verso avvenenti mondi nu-melodici. Strutture redatte strato dopo strato, samples dopo samples, elettrizzando l’ambiente con incursioni (a salire) della componente acustica: chitarre, bassi, pianoforti, violini, ritmi sintetici e naturali. Una delle tante, eterne, impronte di questo viaggio: intervalli (o sogni) zuccherosi del violino, timoniere neo romantico, incuneato tra fondali di field recordings, vecchi arpeggi e piacevoli discontinuità ritmiche. La compiutezza del suono ‘procacciata’ con agganci indovinati, con prove di spessore (Goose Game, l’onda di chitarre sul contesto minimal-rock di Pim In Delay) che non temono di sigillare la fine di un via-vai glitchoso con cavalcate emo ‘n’ heavy. Elevare la propria volontà di potenza in diagonale: impiantistiche ansiogene liquefatte da&dentro gli interludi del violino di Kostropovic e negli stati di dolcezza accordata, che il gruppo, quando vuole, riesce a cogliere perfettamente. Teacher Song, in ciò, è maestra di grazia: una voce di bambina, la sua filastrocca, arpeggi e ‘sprechi’ di melodia autunnale che parlano lo stesso malinconico linguaggio dei Current 93 e dei Sol Invicuts più buonisti. Gli obbiettivi dell’elettronica sono doppi: essere il paravento sperimentale del gruppo e fare simultaneamente da collante (essenziale) per le sfumature interiori di ogni brano, esprimendosi disturbata e pop, sonnambula e frequenziale, concreta e ambient.

(*) Andrea Ferraris ha scritto, sempre per Sands-Zine, la recensione di “Nefelodhis” uscito a nome Maurizio Bianchi + Sparkle in Grey e che fa parte di una quadrilogia nata da un'idea di Matteo Uggeri e Maurizio Bianchi.

Paolo Bertoni, Blow Up

"[...] il senso di totale distacco che trasmette evapora in un istante a metà percorso quando con l'ingresso di chitarra e violino si trasforma in struggente malinconia, in vulnerabilità assoluta, in disarmata resa."
"[...] una nuova positiva energia [...] che sostiene per la prima tranche una scheletrica circolarità romantica alla Durutti Column deflagrante poi, ribelle, in una liberatoria cascata emozionale. 7/8.

Marcello Consonni, Rockit

Un lavoro intenso e riuscito questo degli Sparkle in Grey, ispirata quanto dolce opera ben registrata con l'aiuto di Giuseppe Ielasi e prodotta dalla Disaster By Choice di Salvo Pinzone. Il quartetto lombardo apre subito le danze con la lunga "Limpronta": memorie di certi giochi acquatici dei Tortoise, un tappeto elettronico organico e ben assorbito da una composizione asciutta e minimale. Bellissimo il riff finale di "Goose Game" che innalza il pezzo dai territori elettro-ambientali in cui era coinvolto. Ma è in "A Quit Place" che con l'entrata del basso prima e del violino poi, viene fuori un pezzo nel quale si rinnova la magica ispirazione dei Tuxedomoon nei primissimi anni '80.
Nella tenue nenia ripetitiva di "Pim in Delay" si provano anche atmosfere degne dell'estatica lezione narcotica dei Labradford, un'attitudine che recupera certamente anche i suoni del rock tedesco anni '70, in primis i leggendari Neu!. La chiusura con "Delusion Song" è ancora d'ottimo livello; un pensiero debole con violino, basso e sintetizzatori che ci avvolgono ed ammagliano nel quieto ascoltare. Un disco molto bello, da avere, dei suoni che bisogna ascoltare.

http://www.rockit.it/pub/r.php?x=00006584

On its debut album A Quiet Place, Sparkle in Grey, which began in 2006 when founder Matteo Uggeri joined forces with Cristiano Lupo, Alberto Carozzi, and Franz Krostopovic, offers up six pieces ranging from long-form experimental excursions to sweet lullabies. The band's identity asserts itself halfway through the twelve-minute opener “Limpronta” when tremolo guitar and violin indulge in some appealing counterpoint. What follows suggests an instrumental post-rock hybrid of King Crimson (the Starless and Bible Black version that included David Cross) and Giardini Di Mirò. That A Quiet Place's material started out as improvisations is something clearly felt in the tracks' loose meander, which can in some moments feel a little too much like jamming. The band does manage to work a good amount of contrast into the six pieces: “Goose Game” intersperses spiky guitar rock with dub passages; “A Quiet Place” proves a showcase for Krostopovic's lovely violin playing (which possesses a slightly sour tone that makes it sound much more like a viola than violin); “Teacher Song” presents a melancholy interlude of tremolo guitar, glockenspiel, and violin; and “Pim in Delay” works a healthy dose of guitar rawness into its aggressive slow-burn. Sparkle in Grey updates its sound with electronic touches and occasional voice samples and field elements but, in essence, A Quiet Place argues that calling Sparkle in Grey an instrumental post-rock quartet isn't far off the mark.

http://www.textura.org/reviews/echoeswhales_sparklegrey.htm

"Uno dei migliori dischi di post-rock sperimentale degli ultimi mesi... A Quiet Place: ancora, ancora e ancora."

First up this week is weird (but good wierd!) by Sparkle in Grey: A Quiet Place (Disaster By Choice) I've been trying really hard to get a handle on. The nearest thing I can think of by way of comparison is the collaboration CD: Lume Lume, led by Alexander Balanescu. In much the same way, this set combines lots of different forms of instrumentation and approaches to sound and music to create a free flowing entanglement of Morricone-esque soundtrack modes, jazz elements and micro-sound approaches. Overall, this collaboration, weaves in textures of contemporary electronica fused with the traditional elements of guitars and violins. In fact there's loads of violin throughout. Interpersed with some cut-up, spoken word interludes, the dynamic shifts from soundtrack style drifts to micro-textures through to motorik krautrock sounding pulses, veering occasionally to a near all-out rock assault. Reccomended if your tastes in music are eclectic.

http://www.normanrecords.com/records/98513

In origine un progetto appannaggio del solo Matteo Uggeri (Hue, Der Einzige); oggi gli Sparkle In Grey
possono essere considerati una formazione a tutti gli effetti con l’innesto di un violinista, un polistrumentista e un bassista/chitarrista. Dietro le quinte c’è Giuseppe Ielasi, un nome conosciuto negli ambienti avant/improv che non si direbbe qui abbia lasciato un’impronta decisiva sulle tracce.
Altri elementi messi in campo che hanno contribuito a delineare il profilo sonoro dell’album: samples,
electronics, ‘oggetti vari’, glockenspiel, field recordings, batteria.
Come prodotto finale abbiamo un post-rock naïf e giocattoloso, disturbato dalle incursioni elettroniche,
talvolta ‘afflitto’ da impressioni cameristiche (vengono in mente i Rachel’s, ma non escludo che i nostri facciano invece riferimento ai Tuxedomoon).
Un po’ di fuligine ambient-isolazionista (la title-track), rimasugli di flemma bedheadiana (“Teacher Song”), suoni deflagranti (“Pim In Delay”), squarci di luce (“Delusion Song”) e siamo arrivati.

http://www.miuzik.it/

Dopo quasi un anno dall’ultima uscita recensita dalle parti della Disaster By Choice (Comaneci), ritorniamo a commentare la nuova proposta proveniente da Roma: gli Sparkle In Grey. Il gruppo nasce nel 2006, quando il fondatore Matteo “Hue” Uggeri raccoglie professionisti del settore quali il polistrumentista Cristiano Lupo (componente anche dei Norm), Alberto Carozzi (presente nei Yakudoshi) indaffarato con basso e chitarra, e infine Franz Krostopovic, violinista dalla sensibilità inenarrabile. Capaci di intrecciare collaborazioni con figure eminenti dell’underground industriale quali Telepherique e Maurizio Bianchi (recente una loro prova discografica), gli Sparkle In Grey, attraverso il supporto di Giuseppe Ielasi che guida la produzione, registrano questo “A Quiet Place” che segna l’esordio dell’ennesima band italiana dal futuro quantomai interessante.

Come già successe con il disco omonimo degli Echoes Of The Whales, la miscela stilistica fra sensazioni vagamente post-rock e intromissioni elettroniche colpisce per l’ennesima volta nel segno. E’ ormai noto ai più che espedienti di questo tipo possono risultare stantii e anacronistici, come ben sappiamo, però, sono sempre stati i particolari a distinguere i dischi brutti da quelli belli. Alla luce di questo, lo sforzo del collettivo è palese e ben ripagato, non c’è un minimo passaggio in cui salta alla mente un riferimento ben preciso, si rifugge da stereotipi muffosi o stilemi ormai abusati. Vaghi riferimenti alla musica industriale di cui sembrano grandi estimatori (il gemellaggio con Maurizio Bianchi non è casuale) vengono spesso contaminati con l’amore per le sensazioni ambientali da cui riescono a estrapolare gli elementi giusti per completare l’altro elemento portante della loro musica: il ritmo. Singolari singulti al limite di certa IDM vengono fuori a spintoni in “Goose Game”, perfetta ballata elettronica crepuscolare, fra schizofrenie e magici momenti di estaticità.
Anche la cupa e introspettiva “Limporta”, pur essendo vischioso magma catacombale, si contorce sotto la spinta di un bel tappeto digitale a tratti perfino miracoloso (vedere il frangente dal minuto cinque in poi).

Se la title track sfoggia una vena più portata al dilungamento strumentale da camera (vedere i Rachel’s), la successiva “Teacher Song” incanta con enfasi minimale. Sorretta a momenti alterni da un canto di un bambino a dir poco delizioso, si avvale di campionamenti urbani a far da corollario perfetto a tre minuti di pura perfezione compositiva. La più canonica ma non banale “Pim In Delay” fa da apripista alla conclusiva “Delusion Song”, soave compendio dai tratti rasseneranti.

Zittendo inguaribili pessimisti che criticano a priori la qualità della musica di marchio nostrano, celebriamo il nuovo tassello di un mosaico artistico ramificato e pieno di sorprese; solo la curiosità di chi ascolta potrà riservare piacevoli rivelazioni.

http://www.ondarock.it/recensioni/2008_sparkle.htm

[...] Le melodie che lo abitano sono melanconiche e uggiose ma spesso sono nascoste dietro muri di tormenti che catalizzano continuamente l'attenzione. Eppure tra detriti di ogni forma spuntano momenti di lirismo che bloccano il respiro in gola. 7

Già attivo discograficamente col progetto elettronico Hue, Matteo Uggeri ha da un paio di anni riunito attorno a sé alcuni musicisti di provenienza e interessi diversi: il polistrumentista Cristiano Lupo, il bassista Alberto Carozzi e il violinista Franz Krostopovic. Il primo dei sei strumentali raccolti nel promettente esordio del nuovo progetto, Limpronta, costituisce una sorta di dichiarazione d’intenti, con gli strumenti che entrano dopo lunga intro di nastri, rumori percussivi, microelettronica e drone, a comporre una canzone senza parole, quasi versione ingentilita e “mediterranea” di moduli post-rock. Rischiano meno le tracce successive, con echi folk e new wave melodicamente articolati tra lo sbarazzino (Goose Game) e il malinconico (Teacher Song, costruita attorno a una filastrocca di bimba), senza alzare mai il volume se non quando (nella finale Delusion Song) distorsioni e screziature noise si infiltrano tra i delicati carillon di chitarre shoegazing. “Una versione boy band dei Tuxedomoon”, suggerisce il gruppo, e in effetti basso volitivo e violino classicheggiante hanno molto in comune con Reininger & Co., ma l’analogia non va intesa in senso copiativo, giacché gli Sparkle in Grey già mostrano di possedere una poetica e personalità tutta loro.