A total of 5 tracks spanning 22 minutes and 40 seconds, Riccardo Cantarelli’s “Il leone simulante e la gazzella che danzava” which translates to “The Stimulating lion and the dancing gazelle” exudes a profound, bittersweet atmosphere, weaving raw emotion and vivid storytelling, captured metaphorically and expressively. This is something that can be described as a tender dance between gentle vulnerability and restrained power, much like the dynamic between the lion and the gazelle. The melodies are hauntingly beautiful, built around minor guitar scales with unexpected major lifts, representing fleeting moments of hope.
In the first jam “La gazzella che danzava” for example, the guitar rhythms ebb and flow, mirroring a carefree gazelle dancing on the horizon. The strings exude quite a poignant tale that is underscored by the emotive lyrics and evocative vocals. The second jam, “II leone simulante” is also a poignant and cinematic journey through love and loss as the textured guitar playing leaves listeners with a bittersweet ache and a sense of wonder.
In “La gazzella che denzava (Semi-Acoustic guitar version),” the warm, intricate fingerpicking patterns form the backbone of the sound, oscillating between arpeggios and resonant chords that capture the gazelle’s restlessness. Riccardo’s vocals are intimate, cracking with emotion, embodying the gazelle’s weary strength.
What is general in all tracks is that haunting long whistle, layered harmonies, solemn guitar plucks, and raw, soft, and plaintive vocals that feel like a confession whispered to the wind. Riccardo has been able to create a moment of fragile beauty, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds as he vividly captures the essence of lost love between two lovers, symbolized through their unspoken connection and separation.
If you want to experience something somber, stripped back, mournful, and sparse that captures a bittersweet reality of wasted time and lost chances, then “Il leone simulante e la gazzella che danzava” is your best chance…give it your best shot and let’s its melancholia give you a sense of release and peace you long desire!
