Q: Few days ago your latest work was released on dharmasound.com. Why “Ailanthi”? Why “Part one”? Why “Roots”?
Let’s start from the middle: “Part one” because this work is the first part of a concept, part 2 and 3 will follow in the next months. “Roots” because in this part we are going to show our influences, our roots. So these songs are a bit more progressive than the rest of the record. There will be other plants parts to be discovered in the next parts. Why “Ailanthi”? Because the concept is about the ailanthus, also called the “Tree of Heaven” for its long and thin branches of bright wood. It is a chinese-native tree, imported in the west to breed a silkworm that had no intention to live in Europe and in America. The tree instead found a favorable environment and here has no parasites. In addition, it infests everywhere because of its rapid growth and while it is used to give stability to terrains, it is dangerous for the buildings foundations. It is very beautiful, and resists pollution, but it can’t be used as an ornamental plant in the cities, because the female plants produces thousand of seeds infestating everywhere and the male plant has stinking leaves. Sorry for this science lesson : - ) but I believe it is a very interesting plant, symbol and metaphore of a lot of things. It cheated us, promising everything and giving us nothing. It helps us, but wants a lot in return. It is a friend tree, but you have to pay a lot of attention to it. It is like Yin and Yang, it is a symbol of the opposite principles of the world. And it charmed me, I found myself spending hours just looking at the ailanthi forests you can find everywhere the man is too lazy to do something. I believe there’s a terrible beauty in all this, in every corner where there are trees of heaven it is clear that the humanity has failed. Moreover, the Roman Empire ruins are now covered by oaks, while the ruins of our cities will be soon covered by ailanthi.
Q: Is Ailanthi a sort of “change of direction” work? Some electronic sounds heard in “3 & ½ years of rainy days” seems to be replaced by some more acoustic stuff.
I would not consider it a proper change of direction, we always worked on merging different and apparently incoherent kinds of sound. I’d like to call it a step further, the real changes of direction will come in the next parts ;) Moreover, Maurizio Serafini played reeds and flutes also on AmberDrops (2001) and we like very much working with him.
Q: Let’s talk about the songs from Ailanthi. Is “she wants a child” autobiographical in some way?
Obviously yes.... I think you can’t write about things that don’t touch you, so everything I write is a piece of my life. But in this song I also wanted to make a parallelism between a woman who needs a child to be saved and the whole humanity who needs the coming of a new kind of youth, because soon it will be too late to save from itself.
Q: In “Diamond days” your need is a pair of wings to fly away. It’s a recurring theme in your songs. What about this need of freedom that comes out from your lyrics?
Diamond days is about those neverending depressing days when you feel grey and you would do anything but the things you are doing. The only way to escape is from above, hence the need to fly. Flying is a recurrent dream of mine, learning to fly without wings, levitate on buildings, squares, trees, with the subtle fear to fall down because I am doing something against all the physics laws. Surely this subconscious need reflects in the lyrics I write.
Q:”Beauty is all around you. The worst you can happen is not realizing it”. That’s what you wrote about your work and it’s sound very “oriental” as “Gods of nothing” itself has a strong oriental feeling. Are you interested in that kind of life philosophy?
Yes, but not in a particular way. I mean, every philosophy attempted to improve the human condition, so you can find many positive teachings in all of them. Chinese and Japanese philosophies but also Christianity, Islam, Jewish and Indu faithes. The problems begin when people get estranged from these teachings, so christian charity becomes power struggle, Islam becomes jihad and chinese philosophy becomes misrespect for human rights.
Q: One last question: are the release date of Ailanthi pt2 and pt3 already scheduled?
Not yet, but be sure you don’t have to wait for a long time...keep checking dharmasound.com website, you can never know when a tree comes your way ;)
