When Andrea Algieri moved from Italy to the States, he brought the name Mbrascatu along with him. Pronounced Mm-brah-ska-too, the moniker is actually the nickname of Algieri's Calabrian grandfather, the man who gave him his first guitar.
Arriving in Portland in 2007, he gathered together a cast of talented players to flesh out his songwriting and is on the verge of releasing his third full-length record in the Rose City. Currently featuring Dylan Dean on violin, viola and backup vocals, John Sabestinas on electric guitar and banjo, Tim Anderson on bass, and Mark Powers on drums and percussion, Algieri once again delivers impassioned lyrics in Italian and provides electric and acoustic accompaniment as well.
Recorded with engineer Jason Powers at Type Foundry, Elementi is said to show a darker side of Mbrascatu and the band is now offering you a first listen to the title track.
"This song is not about human juxtaposition but human qualities that exist simultaneously," Algieri explains. "We are often beautiful when repulsive. We destroy so that we [can] then create (whether conscious of this or not). Our boldness does not exist without fear. This song is borne of our own transitions—the molt from the last chapter of our creative process into the next, the embrace of aging from nothing to lose. This is the theme of the album and of all people: naked and tragic."
