aaamusic | On 11, Dec 2011

When a band is great live, they have nothing more to prove. And these guys are. A Classic Education, hailing from Bologna, Italy, have already toured the world and supported some of the most inspiring bands on the planet (Arcade Fire and Okkervil River spring to mind; maybe because I’ve witnessed both shows, maybe because both blew me away). Seemingly undaunted by the pressure, A Classic Education came across as a vintage indie gang, a cult band in the making, who treat the music lifestyle as it should be treated, like religion.

Their debut LP Call It Blazing only goes to boldly confirm all this. Its clever indie is the kind achieved through true commitment, through Morrissey and Spike Jonze and Camera Obscura, which gave life to a curios anglo-americana hybrid of an aesthetic that only a band from neither of those countries can pull off. For instance, if a song like Can You Feel the Backwash reminds you of Best Coast, then another like Billy’s Gang Dream counterbalances it with a distinctly more 80s, part-Bunnymen-part-Mary-Chain feel. Tales of ambition, regret, and sharing a small world with someone else are delivered with wit, and some quirky basslines. Through all this Call It Blazing is a tight, cohesive record, with a clear image and identity, which is more than many can claim. As I said, they had nothing to prove, but they do it anyway.

Author: Chiara Amoretto