my cat is an alien

my cat is an alien ~ what space is made for [3xcd] (elliptical noise, 2011)

"instantaneous composers, performers and audiovisual artists, Italian brothers Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, introduce humans to their new creation: 'What Space Is Made For' is the first step in the new parallel universe they call 'multi-layered instantaneous composition'. their highly original music has been brilliantly celebrated as staggering sound sculptures, mesmerizing trance-state minimalism, impressionistic noise, pure hallucination of dislocated inputs and outputs, a haunting ambient mantra, cathartic tribalism, a visionary voyage through three millennia of cosmic music. the truth is that My Cat is An Alien sound like nothing else in music now and ever.

the monumental set 'What Space Is Made For' has been recorded in their secret base on the Western Alps, and unlike their previous works, it's mostly made of short pieces and songs. in addition to their (un)usual instrumentation (electric and acoustic guitars, space toys, percussion), My Cat is An Alien have self-made, modified, and assembled / disassembled primitive electronic equipment. so the result may sound their most experimental as well as their most accessible work to date." elliptical noise

what space is made for es el bucle infinito de dos hermanos que son definitivamente de otro planeta, inabarcable, abstracto, absorbente, painting petals on planet ghost emitiendo mantras desde los remotos alpes occidentales, prayin for the light to last forever, fragmentos suspendidos en el tiempo (oh sunrise),...

"Torino is a very peculiar city and its spirit has influenced our conception of music and art. we think its austere, dark and surrealist atmosphere, its autumnal early-morning fog permeate all our works. we love watching its skyline from our balcony at sunset, when the dark shadows of the Alps surround the dead chimneys like black ghosts dancing around the last flames, just before black falls." maurizo & roberto opalio

listen & buy ~ part I ~ part II

private Art Edition of 20 copies

painting petals on planet ghost

painting petals on planet ghost - fallen camellias (a silent place 2008)

"Second full-lenght album from Italy's Painting Petals On Planet Ghost, aka Maurizio & Roberto Opalio (My Cat Is An Alien) and vocalist Ramona Ponzini. 'Fallen Camellias' is a tribute to one of the greatest poetess ever, Japanese Yosano Akiko, whose work in literature in the early 1900's is considered as manifesto of the Japanese Romanticism. Imagine a Vashti Bunyan or a early Marianne Faithful singing sweet melodies in Japanese language, and you can have an idea of the musical and poetical universe of Painting Petals On Planet Ghost...The songs of 'Fallen Camellias' are built on acoustic guitar melodies and are made of the same pure, melancholic essentiality of the legendary Nick Drake... In the heart of winter covered by snow, let 'Fallen Camellias' be your warm blanket, as well as the promise of a new future spring. Here's a special Painting Petals On Planet Ghost's dedication: 'For those who drink the wine of love springtime is forever'." a silent place

foto: smarsham

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painting petals on planet ghost

painting petals on planet ghost - oounabara (opax, 12 inch vinyl 2006)

"This 15 minutes song is the key-work follow up to their acclaimed debut album on Time-Lag Records. Here Roberto and Maurizio Opalio, aka My Cat Is An Alien, act in the darkness of the outer space, while Ramona Ponzini lights up the autumnal air with her enchanting voice, along with her Japanese percussions and wind chimes; by reitering one only Japanese word (whose meaning is 'Ocean'), she creates a universe of pure magic. Radical minimalism, folk, psychedelia are the main terms that rule this mysterious chant and intimate prayer; but what you'll find here is extremely far from any unuseful relation with what you already know, representing 'Oounabara' a totally still unknown dimension of what the music of today should be: a window on Tomorrow."Whether electric or acoustic, the music here is deliciously paced and almost fragile, as if the whole thing were made of glass. The sounds are both somber and delirious as they gradually unwind. The sounds are made of acoustic guitar, tape loops, mystical percussion and of course, Ponzini's voice. I can just imagine these sounds wafting down off the Western Alps in Italy, where this music was recorded. Surreal fantasies begin to form as I think about it. This album deserves a full-length review's worth of appreciation for its otherworldly beauty but I am humbled by the record and can find no more words to do it justice" Adam Richards, Indieworkshop

1-sided 12" lathe cut + DVD-R (Opax Records)(special lathe cut vinyl edition by Peter King in New Zealand; private press edition of 50 copies, with original Ramona's copper-gold ink drawing on the flipside of the vinyl; also included a Roberto Opalio's silent short film on DVD-r inspired by music + art, playable together or separately; handnumbered)

ramona, maurizio y roberto interpretando una asombrosa coreografía de voces y percusiones mínimas, minimales y frágiles. pinchando en el link del sello se puede ver el precioso vinilo (de una sola cara) marrón café...ay!

my cat is an alien / corsican paintbrush

my cat is an alien/corsican paintbrush - split (foxglove-opax records 10 inch vinyl 2006)

"Turin and Tulsa collide in this match made for the cosmos from the silver dust that permeates the atmosphere. Both these duos have been kissed in the third eye by the astral goddess, and the sonic ruins left behind leave nothing to chance. Minimal, cathartic excursions through starfields and galaxy farms are etched in stone on each side of this acetate beauty. My Cat Is An Alien contribute a piece recorded live on the radio. It is another side to their ever-evolving musical persona. the Opalios know how to get so much out of so little, and this piece is no different. Corsican Paintbrush, the husband-wife duo of Brad Rose & Eden Hemming, pour two wounded birds out of their hat. It's a feline-themed love affair, for sure. There's magic in these walls, and each duo does its part to crack the code. With copper-on-black silkscreened covers and limited to only 50 copies, it's time to get yourself a piece of space debris."

el disco empieza bien, con la clásica marcianada de los hermanos Opalio. una retransmisión en directo desde el planeta kfjc (toy piano, space toys, mini-xylophone, toy mics, vocals) con entrevista surrealista incluida y unos ruidos extraños que no se sabe de dónde vienen... después de esta locura un final feliz con dos canciones de Corsican Paintbrush. nadie como Eden & Brad para hacer que las flautas y los banjos desafinados suenen tan dulces como en ese minibucle extraterrestre titulado The Temper of Bastet. portada preciosa además...ya sólo por eso ojalá que la colaboración tenga continuidad. y si no, siempre lo recordaremos como el perfecto aperitivo de "Diamonds".

maurizio opalio

maurizio opalio - way up to 'enfer' (opax records cdr, 2006)

Steffen Basho y The Tower Recordings se dan la mano... sin duda uno de los trabajos más bonitos del gato extraterrestre.

"First ever solo album from da udder brudder, My Cat Is An Alien’s Maurizio Bianchi, a set of beautiful solo acoustic guitar improvisations that skirt the same kind of limp pools of magic that they smudged all over the killer Painting Petals On Planet Ghost LP on Time-Lag. The kind of avant hypnosis of both Jack Rose and Steffen Bash-Junghans seems like a major touchstone here but Maurizo has his own pulse and the whole set moves in primitive flamencos of lung that are genuinely affecting. Highly recommended. Hand-numbered edition of 100 in wraparound card sleeve w/art. " (click en Painting Petals: samples de la estratosférica Ramona Ponzini)