Review: Vision Of Lisetta Walkers ‘PortalstalkeR’
After fronting for twelve years the Roman three-piece post-rock stoner Otehi, with whom he had five releases (four full-length albums and one EP), Calabria (Southern Italy) born, now living in Rome, singer-songwriter, guitarist, psych space traveller, and science fiction visionary, Domenico Canino aka Dom Mastiff, has decided to give Otehi a little break.
His focus is now on a new musical venture, exploring a different aspect of music that has already been secretly bubbling over the last couple of years (and at the same time sprinkled, albeit lightly, into the sound produced with Otehi), experimental space music, an adventure which is part of Canino’s ‘science fiction’ saga that involves his own created outer planetary character under the name of Vision Of Lisetta Walkers.
As the story goes, Lisetta is the imaginary planet in a faraway galaxy whose inhabitants suddenly found themselves threatened by three nearby austere planets (Du Taal, Sario and Karman) which are close to a portal that leads to a more liveable parallel universe. Enter the vision of Lisetta‘s nomadic space travellers who are eager to find these portals that will lead their population to salvation.
This is a space rock saga born by a mind fuelled with the inner desire to enter a fantastic space world and sharing his inner emotions with others. His Self-Titled EP released last October didn’t give much of a clue about the Lisetta planet and its inhabitants. Once you start listening though, you’ll find yourself inundated by a feast of multiple mixings of flowing ethereal space sonic instrumentation made of fluorescent acid space moments, secreted by Lisetta‘s magic throughout helping to find their way out through the portal.
a feast of multiple mixings of flowing ethereal space sonic instrumentation…
Canino starts to guide us on his galactic saga through the vast yellow waters of Bahirina that’s overlooked by a red sphere giving Lisetta’s inhabitants a chance to fly away in search of other secure planets as their ticket to salvation. As we enter into the second chapter of his cosmic saga, PortalstalkeR, all is revealed and comes into place.
The only survivors of Lisetta’s inhabitant space travellers are now laying their hope in the hand of their only courageous PortalstalkeR who will desperately search for the gateway to take his people to safety, hanging his hopes on their Magician Prediction. Here the sound is captured with an overflowing succession of voice/rhythms, where the dusty desert cosmic atmosphere creates fluffy clouds that are painted with eastern vibrations and a fuzzy distorted guitar sound. It’s surreal and hypnotic, transforming into a healing process for the tired and combative PortalstolkeR who’s looking for a caravanserai to rest.
You can hear the more experimental side of Motorpsycho and the ambient feel of FSOL (Future Sound Of London), sparse and lost at the same time. Lisetta’s PortalstolkeR’s aim is to Find The Portal for a changing landscape that can bring their people a spiritual release and peaceful living. Where there is a will, there is a way, and these cosmic warriors’ are right on target. The Vision Of Lisetta Walkers saga and its search for a portal to escape to a more peaceful and ‘pure’ planet is enthralling, lysergic, fascinating, and although they may need our help, we Earthly people can only watch and hope for a successful outcome.
Another epic tale of Star Wars science fiction orchestrated, performed and mixed with cosmic dust by Domenico Canino (guitars, flute, launeddas, synth, drums, composition). What’s in store for us on the third chapter is to be seen. But for now, follow the stardust’s wake to track down Lisetta‘s cosmic travellers and imagine being blessed on a gallivanting space oblivion.
Label: Mirabilia Records
Band Links: Bandcamp
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
