In the must-read book Love is a Mix Tape, Rolling Stone magazine critic Rob Sheffield says ‘There are all kinds of mix tapes. There is always a reason to make one.’ I couldn’t agree more. This Valentine’s Day, surprise your significant other with some authentic Italo-romance. Here are a few tunes that will propel your hearts and ears into a palpitating frenzy of indie lust, where moons and pizza pies never appear in the same sentence.
1. Thony ‘Flowers blossom’ / Smoky voice, sweet melodies. An intimate folk song.
2. Bob Corn ‘My Sweet we’re Bright’ / Cat Stevens from Modena, bound to bewitch.
3. Comaneci ‘She’ / Guitar strings are plucked as if they were delicate flower petals.
4. M+A ‘Down the West Side’ / Sweep your beloved across an imaginary dancefloor.
5. Iori’s Eyes ‘Something’s coming over me’ / Warm uptempo bass, get your groove on.
Celluloid Jam
6. Celluloid Jam ‘You and Me’ / Electro-pop perfection, from Florence with love.
7. Godblesscomputers ‘Closer’ / Sensual and surging soul-tinged ambient-pop.
8. Matilde Davoli ‘Going Down’ / Matilde’s earthy voice collides with an arabesque of aerial riffs and synths.
9. His Clancyness ‘Crystal Clear’ / Sing-along rock chorus: ‘When I have no light, be my torch’.
10. Ofeliadorme ‘Stuttering Morning’ / Banjo and electric guitar like fingers entwine.
11. Calcutta ‘Cosa Mi Manchi a Fare’ / The new craze, his dadaist love lyrics are praised as poems among Italian indie connoisseurs.
12. Colapesce ‘S’illumina’ / Magnificent like most simple things, the perfect ending…or beginning.
Matilde Davoli
