Altre di B – Miranda!
Miranda! is the third full length release from Italy’s Altre di B and this road-tested four piece has certainly grown exponentially since their debut a number of years ago. The dedication they’ve shown in further developing their craft pays off with this release – the ten tracks on Miranda! are fully realized and crackle with colors that you don’t normally find in the alternative or indie rock scene. It’s a thoroughly modern sound that Altre di B presents while embracing fundamentals that make the songs work at their base.
The guitar is an important instrument on Miranda!, but the synthesizers and drums are just as important to the success of these songs and there’s melody present in nearly everything they do despite being buried, sometimes, by the wealth of ambient sound swirling around the performances. This ten song collection is a product of the band’s growing talents and extensive live experience, but there’s a tremendous amount of personality coming through on these tracks.
Pungi is the album’s first single and introduces new fans to the band’s sound while reaffirming their virtues for the band’s long time fans. They make a massive racket with guitars despite only being a four piece, but they show a great understanding for melding that with their electronica approach. This song has a thoroughly alternative rock sound mixed with the electronic touches, but the album’s second song Salgado goes off in an entirely different direction.
This is a much moodier number with an almost funky slant, but there’s no question the arrangement has real teeth and alternates quite dramatically between guitar and electronic instrumentation to achieve its final effects.
The song LAX has a circular quality and some dissonant passages contrasting with more light-footed, melodic passages. It shifts into a harder guitar gear for the song’s chorus and the massed vocals it brings to bear during those moments is ideal for the song. There’s such restless energy defining this tune that it dovetails nicely into its title and the album’s concept.
Erevan returns the band to more atmospheric territory and the understated qualities about this song, built around its rhythm section punch, succeed admirably. There are few occasions on Miranda! when the band resists the temptation to add post production touches to the vocals and Erevan is no different, but they wisely use such gimmickry and it works quite well. The drumming is particularly effective on this song, though a standout from first track to last.
Reverb treated synth lines weave around melodic guitar phrases in the opening for Heathrow and the dreamy like qualities of the performance abide until the song’s final quarter where the six string really unleashes its full power.
It’s pure grit and grunge with the guitar workout Tapis Roulant and the vocals are more than up to the task of matching the sonic intensity. This has an entertaining post punk energy crackling off every second and will undoubtedly be a successful live number.
Miranda! has something for every conceivable listener. Those who enjoy melody will find a surprising amount of it laced into the songwriting, guitar fans will enjoy it, and higher brow fans of art rock or experimentation will appreciate the intelligence that goes into weaving together the electric guitar and synths. Altre di B’s third album is impressive by any metric.
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