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For his fifth studio album, musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Federico Albanese finds deep wells of inspiration in the northern Italian countryside to which he returned in 2022 after eight years living & working in Berlin. From the evocation of natural beauty in the title to the free-flowing music it contains, Blackbirds and the Sun of October is an album that is inseparable from the place in which it was conceived and developed.
Blackbirds and the sun of October is a title that just felt right from the start – I wanted to find an image that could perfectly capture the essence of the place and time where the album began to take shape. The blackbirds, the autumn light – there was a sense of magic in those moments that I wanted to translate into music. It conveyed all the elements that made this album what it is.
Federico Albanese
The sense of freedom that inspired the record is also reflected in the range of instruments and influences Albanese brought together to create it. He blends classical traditions and time-worn instruments with modern electronics and experimentation to create a whole range of moods and textures while his penchant for achingly bittersweet melodies keeps the music grounded in organic beauty throughout. Albanese even works in some of the region’s colorful history with a pair of tracks that reference the legend of the knight Aleramo who served Otto I the Great and fell in love with the emperor’s favored daughter Adelasia eventually to be named the Marquis of Montferrat. It is all of these threads – natural, cultural, historical, and musical that makes Blackbirds and the Sun of October the lovely musical tapestry that it is.
I can sense the freedom in this music and there’s more positivity in it. I can feel it’s something different that before. I felt freer to do things that I normally wouldn’t do, like adding drums, or writing a suite for just piano and cello that could be 400 years old.
Federico Albanese
Blackbirds and the sun of October is available on vinyl LP and digital from XXIM Records. Note that Federico will be touring Canada, Europe, and the UK in the coming months – see his website for more information.
More Info: Album Links | XXIM Records | Federico Albanese (incl. tour info)