Review: Cirrone “Uplands Park Road”

Powerpop
Cirrone is a band of (mostly) brothers: Alessandro Cirrone on guitar/vocals, Bruno Cirrone on bass/vocals, Mirko Cirrone on guitar/vocals, and Ferdinando Piccoli on drums. Banging out their brand of Kinks-inspired powerpop from Italy, their new record, “Uplands Park Road” has been near the top of many best of 2011 lists on the powerpop circuit.

The album was recorded in Italy and mixed in Los Angeles by famed producer Todd Burke (No Doubt, Johnny Cash, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few). The 13 song collection mixes ballads with uptempo rock tracks, with some softer acoustic moments thrown in for good measure. The band strived to make each song strong enough to stand on its own, with an overall mood that is sunny, optimistic and sincere. As we often expect from a group of siblings, these guys deliver some excellent harmonies.

The album, including its upbeat title track “Uplands Park Road”, is an ironic autobiographic picture of the band living in London, trying to get into the Hall of Fame without having any money in their pockets. “Here Is My Song” boasts a breezy acoustic introduction and its groove settles down comfortably into your ears in no time. The talented musicianship is quickly evident in the layers of guitar that support the song structure. “Let The Wind Blow” is another well-crafted piece soothing to the ears, entangling a bit of country flair with Beatlesque melodies. “All I Know” is a contagious mid-tempo rocker with another sing-a-long chorus, while “Brand New Life” is an epic ballad on the scale of “Hey Jude”. As if these tracks aren’t good enough, “How Does It Feel” left me speechless. The band sounds great whether they are rocking along with horns as in “Here We Will Go” or waltzing through a simple fingerpicked acoustic beauty like “In The Sun”.

Cirrone has completed an exceptionally well-constructed set of songs here that no fan of classic or modern powerpop should be without. Check them out if you miss The Beatles, Badfinger, or The Raspberries.

Cirrone – Official site. Get the record here.