aluatta - Foolish Game

Aluatta

Foolish Game
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

Fresh and funky, Aluatta are slippin’ into a groove like nobody’s business. They’ve got the greasy bowling shirt, late night frolic sound that will cause boogie syndrome in no time. The guitar and drums are dancy and square-cut, the vocals perfectly delivered in a cross between Alien Ant Farm and Primus. This energetic team of sweet sound hails from Genoa, Italy, where the salami is delicious and apparently so is the music scene. Take a bite of Aluatta and see what I mean. What might be even harder to believe is that this album was formed through spontaneously recorded jams. I think that method is pretty rad, but hard to refine and maintain focus with. So hats off to these guys for putting it together and for jamming like bosses in the first place. Let’s peel off the plastic and get into the meat shall we?

The first track that really grabbed me – “Time’s All You Need.” It starts out with a great build that could lead to something Incubus or maybe even My Morning Jacket.  The break unleashes a tasty guitar line that will force your head to bob. Vocals move into The Offspring vibe and things accelerate to a modern day Red Hot Chili Peppers. Aluatta uses all these great bands as their inspiration and meld certain elements into a creative blend that isn’t cop out imitation, but something new altogether and very signature.

“Tighten Up” drips the groove with patience and puts more emphasis on melodic structure in the chorus. It’s a quality song that rings single or second release in my book. Things return to simple funk on “Good Idea” while “In My World” flares up with bright and mild thrash funk a la early 90’s 311. The train shuts down with a much slower feel and serious tone than its predecessors.

“Post Atomic” might not be the way I pictured this album to end, but it does have a sense of closure. Clocking in at over five minutes it’s easily the longest cut on the record thanks to the extended instrumental toward the end. Necessary? Not really. I’d rather hear them flesh out with something on the up. But funk is my favorite jazz sub genre so I’m game with whatever turns Aluatta takes. They’re a varied group that lean toward the nasty, but still have the maturity to come off as artistic and not amateur. Stylistically sound, and technically on point.

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