Area – 1978 Gli Dei se ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano! (1978)

1978 Gli Dei se ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano! is the fifth studio album by Italian avant-garde/jazz-rock band Area, released in 1978 on Ascolto.

A1. “Il Bandito del Deserto” (3:13)

Capiozzo opens with an 11/8 pulse, over which Tavolazzi deploys syncopated bass figures, pocket-trumpet accents, and occasional mandola fills. Fariselli builds tension through Polymoog sustain and piano interjections while Stratos intones staccato syllables shaped into shifting contours. The track cycles through alternating rhythmic accents, driven by metric breaks that momentarily suspend the beat before re-engaging the central motif. A transitional keyboard passage near the two-minute mark resets the pace into a faster second half, where vocal utterances flatten into percussive syllables and Tavolazzi rotates between bowed and struck timbres. The final cadence disintegrates in a descending keyboard phrase over static bass punctuation.

A2. “Interno con Figure e Luci” (4:07)

Capiozzo enters with marimba-patterned figures played on bailophone, layered with subdued toms and cymbal flourishes. Stratos delivers phonetic shapes, oscillating between tongue-rolled trills and nasal overtone articulation. Fariselli surrounds the central theme with polytonal Arp washes, occasionally dropping in bright piano stabs that spiral off from the rhythm. Midway through, Tavolazzi shifts the center with a descending electric bass line in irregular phrasing, colliding against free keyboard motifs in compound meter. The ensemble stretches into a fadeout dominated by Capiozzo’s isolated cymbal ticks and whispering percussion.

A3. “Return from Workuta” (3:02)

Stratos sustains a multiphonic vocal technique over a static harmonic field, sculpting breath pressure into vowel-based oscillations. Tavolazzi plucks long contrabass tones in unison with Stratos’s extended vocal shapes, while background Arp textures generate slow modulations that evoke distance and desolation. The track maintains a suspended rhythmic tension without pulse, allowing timbre and breath to function as the primary structure. Final tones dissolve into a quiet upper-register vocal contour that trails off into synthetic reverb.

A4. “Guardati dal Mese Vicino all’Aprile!” (5:12)

Alarm-like electronics and siren tones introduce a shifting 5+4+3 rhythmic cluster, joined by Tavolazzi’s acoustic guitar and Capiozzo’s snare-dominant patterns. Fariselli articulates Arp Odyssey motifs in stuttering intervals that counter the pattern, while Stratos introduces angular vocal lines that remain abstract. Midway through, the form dissolves into a jazz-fusion section marked by cyclical piano figures and compound tom rhythms. Capiozzo accents the transition with a cross-patterned fill leading into a muted restatement of the opening motif. Stratos closes with glissando vocal fragments looped against decaying synth textures.

A5. “Hommage à Violette Nozières” (3:18)

Stratos vocalizes a narrow-interval phrase, repeating through variations in pitch placement and dynamic stress. Tavolazzi alternates electric bass pulses with acoustic strums, while Capiozzo maintains a brushed 7/4 pulse. Fariselli supplies static organ chords on a 17th-century replica organ, holding long tones beneath the spoken sections. After two minutes, Stratos switches to vibrato-heavy intonation, ending on a controlled vocal swell. Rhythmic motion pauses several times, emphasizing tension between beat and breath. The piece concludes with a single organ tone under an unresolved vocal interval.

B1. “Ici On Dance!” (3:27)

Tavolazzi leads with a pulsing two-note motif, repeated and varied across 10/8 subdivisions. Fariselli traces lines around the pulse with distorted Odyssey fragments, weaving microtonal runs that cut through the center. Capiozzo interjects with backbeat snare accents and cymbal phrasing that expands and contracts the time feel. Stratos scatters phonetic fragments in stereo panning, later merging them into a stammered call-and-response with bass. The arrangement compresses in the final 30 seconds, locking into a sharp accent sequence before breaking off abruptly.

B2. “Acrostico in Memoria di Laio” (6:12)

Piano introduces a syncopated 16/15 theme, repeated in slight rhythmic displacement as Capiozzo joins on kick and toms. Tavolazzi plays trombone in short bursts beneath the rhythm section, while Stratos enters with rapid vocal phrases spoken in shifting tones, interrupted by yelps and glottal fry effects. A central section dissolves into half-time, allowing Fariselli to alternate between Polymoog sweeps and rhythmic octave phrases. Midway through, Stratos adopts a baritone voice, delivering narrative fragments over descending synth pads. The track closes with a muted chord progression on electric organ under vocal asides and abrupt modulations.

B3. “FFF (Festa, Farina e Forca)” (3:49)

Capiozzo begins solo with a wide-panning tom-and-cymbal display. Tavolazzi enters on acoustic bass with pizzicato lines, overlapping with Fariselli’s organ drone. Piano states a rapid left-hand pattern offset by right-hand chords, looping through syncopated variations in 4/4 and 3/4 alternation. No vocals appear; rhythmic shifts dominate the forward movement. Each instrumentalist contributes melodic fragments that spiral away from the central pulse before rejoining the pattern. The piece ends with Capiozzo accelerating into clustered rolls, dissolving into silence with a final piano sustain.

B4. “Vodka Cola” (7:27)

Arp Pro-Soloist lines dart between upper-register tremolo swells and pitch-bent sequences. Stratos introduces the main vocal phrase over a rhythmic loop that alternates between 7/8 and 10/8. Tavolazzi switches between electric bass and trombone, inserting brass stabs under Fariselli’s chordal flares.

Midway, barking dog appear in rhythm with percussion breaks, accompanied by whispered vocal refrains. Chorus voices briefly appear, blending into a jazz-swing bridge that evokes pastiche without breaking the structure. Final verses feature a slower phrasing pace, with Stratos sliding between octaves in falsetto. The track concludes with fading piano tones over ambient synth fragments, leaving Tavolazzi’s bass to sustain the final phrase.

Tracklist:
A1. “Il bandito del deserto” (3:13)
A2. “Interno con figure e luci” (4:05)
A3. “Return From Workuta” (3:02)
A4. “Guardati dal mese vicino all’aprile!” (5:10)
A5. “Hommage à Violette Nozières” (3:18)
B1. “Ici on dance!” (3:27)
B2. “Acrostico in memoria di Laio” (6:12)
B3. “fff (festa, farina e forca)” (3:47)
B4. “Vodka-Cola” (7:20)

Credits:
Demetrio Stratos — vocals, electric piano, ocarina, Hammond organ, piano, synthesizer, organ, songwriting, lyrics
Patrizio Fariselli — organ, synthesizer, polymoog synthesizer, composer
Ares Tavolazzi — acoustic bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, double bass, electric bass, trombone, pocket trumpet, backing vocals, ocarina, composer
Giulio Capiozzo — drums, balafon, composer