Decibrity Playlist: Ufomammut

I've never been on tour, but I'd imagine that being couped up in a car/van/bus with the same people for hours on end necessitates certain accoutrements. One of the most basic and relevant for our purposes, of course, is the car stereo. The AUX jack may put your entire library at your fingertips, but just throwing your iPod on shuffle may get you left at the next rest stop. Needless to say, the human element's role in any vehicular journey does not begin and end with the driver. Since Ufomammut just wrapped up a brief European jaunt to back its latest effort, ORO: Opus Primum, we asked our favorite Italian power trio to tell us about some tunes—well, five albums to be precise—that they blared incessantly in their van while traversing the Peninsula of Peninsulas. As bassist/vocalist Urlo told us, "[Deciding what gets played is] sort of a collaborative process. We mainly know what we all like and we try to create a good feeling in the van." It's not surprising then that their selections span the musical spectrum, an important facet to any asphalt adventure.

As usual, we’ve compiled the band’s picks into a Spotify playlist for your listening enjoyment. You can also check out Ufomammut in our June (Upfront profile) and July (ORO: Opus Primum review) issues.

Black Merda—Black Merda (1967) A very cool “funkyrockblues” album that is playing every time we switch on the stereo in our van. It has the perfect groove for the beginning of a new day on the road.

Johnny Cash—American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) We all love Johnny Cash, his stories and his deep voice, except for [our drummer] Vita, who doesn't like folk music. ["Sometimes JC can be too 'country' for Vita's tastes and he gets easily bored...and angry," explains a laughing Urlo.] Cash was an artist that never stopped to recreate himself and he did great music 'til the last day of his life. Obviously he is a legend, if that word has any meaning.

Tweak Bird—Reservations (2008) A great record for driving fast: a two-man band, displaying short and intense songs that are fuzzy and heavy with strange and melodic singing. This was suggested by our good friend from Los Angeles, John Srebalus, director of the fantastic Such Hawks Such Hounds. Reservations is one of those records that shows its secrets little by little.

Botch—An Anthology Of Dead Ends EP (2002) One of the most incredible bands ever and one of the most consistent. [Botch was] a band without compromises that got straight to the point in everything it did, from music to ideas. It's also one of a handful of bands that has never thought about a reunion in the last few years. Only for this we should admire them.

The Jim Jones Revue—Burning Your House Down (2010) Great rock 'n' roll. It's so heavy that we all start gaining too much energy and getting really nervous listening to it. There's no metal that can compete with the heaviness of the JJR! Rock 'n' roll is still really dangerous, even after 60 years!

*Pick up a copy of ORO: Opus Primum here

