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Lily’s Puff is a creature born from an idea by Marco Fabro and Chiara Barichello. From the piano of the latter and Marco’s voice the first demo is born, in an essential piano-voice sonorous dimension that is far from Marco’s previous experiences with Sistrum and Monks.
The first demo is very intense and emotional thanks to Marco’s voice and Chiara’s piano and it creates some interest, that became definite with the production of the début album, dated 1999, entitled Domino and published by Radio Luxor/Ende. In this work started a new collaboration with Paolo Corberi, a musician that signed a song and took part in the arrangements of some of the tracks.
Domino is a very emotional and nuanced work that conveys in a complete way Marco’s emotional and visionary intensity held up by Chiara’s never ending embroidery of her piano and Paolo’s stabbing arrangements which melt sounds and noises.
Later on this took the form of the concert- theatre, with the insertion of live performances of texts written by Paolo Zuttioni and acted by Francesca Martinelli. The idea of the concert- theatre was appreciated and rehearsed where the space permitted it.
In 2002 the mini CD the Raven, the Thirst and the Pendulum is published by Nail Records, in a limited edition of 200 copies. This second work mirrored the theatrical dimension that the group undertook since a while. Essentially live recorded, the CD is always based on the interlacement piano- voice and the potentialities of the group further emerge, supported by Paolo’s arrangements too.
Subsequently, Chiara left the group and was replaced at the piano by Simone Sari. With Chiara’s departure, Lily’s Puff constituent parts crumbled and need to find a new balance, luckily, in this case, enriching themselves. In fact, the duo Fabro- Barichello is replaced by a trio in which Paolo Corberi and Simone Sari give new and different solutions, thanks to the introduction of tracks in which the guitar has more place, combining the acoustic- electronic dimension with the piano sound.
In 2003 a new song is published in Rosa Selvaggia fanzine, which seems to introduce this new deal. If Reflecting Eyes were a movie it would be a western that weaves a folk guitar rhythm with the classical melody of the piano.
It is just a sample in comparison to the sonorities that will come out later. In 2004 the second album Crashing Diamond comes out. Its 15 tracks have brought many changes both on the side of sonorous contaminations, and on that of the collaborations of the band. They participate in the album, besides the musician already cited, also Riccardo Vatovec (drums), Silvia Turco (piano and accordion) that also signed two tracks, and Virginia Boemo, that sang and signed a track.
Crashing Diamond is a richer work than the others on the sonorous side. The atmospheres are more varied and to the orchestration already known by Lily’s Puff are added drums, accordion, keyboards, electronics, noise. The long making production of the album permitted to reach an appreciated balance that does not turn its back on the past, but represents an evolution from the past works. The album critiques, both on a local level, and on a national one, were very good and showed both the good making of the product on the sonority and arrangements sides, and on the goodness of the compositions. In the album there is also a cover song Nightporter, dedicated to David Sylvian’s Japan.
The workmanship of this album shows the will of the members of the group to experiment new sonorous situation and to venture in still virgin instrumental paths for the band. So the idea of a new work, that showed better the electronic paths that in Crashing Diamond were just mentioned, is born, together with unpredictable sonorities but also acoustic ones. To this goal, at the core formed by the trio Fabro- Corberi- Sari, a forth element is joined, Renzo Fanutti, who already collaborated with Paolo on other projects in the past and present times.
Renzo’s electronic- surreal vein applied to the realisation of the new Lily’s Puff work: Heaven Frowns, coming out in 2007. This album represents a side of the band that will surprise a lot the estimators, but surely not disappoint them thanks to the passionate rhythmic and melodic energy that it transmits. This work shows electronic sonorities melting with the acoustic ones, with a special attention to the visionary dimension of music in itself. In this album there are also some guests: Virginia, who participated in Crashing Diamond too, and another new voice, Elisabetta Mauro who embellished a couple of tracks.
Lily’s Puff new journey continues searching new atmospheres and proving that, while time flows fast, even now we do not want to lie down on what we already obtained.
Lily’s Puff style is already acknowledged even if this work is more oriented on more electronic sonorities.
But we do not forget the piano and the guitars that are used simply in a different way.
As always, the voice has a particular part and keeps unchanged its expressive strength. From here starts the new challenge with a never satisfied listener.
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