Afterhours: twenty years of “ballads for small hyenas”

“Between small hyenas, the sun also arises if it is convenient”: an indelible, indelible photograph of the cynicism and mediocrity of the society in which we live. “Ballate for small hyenas”, one of the most representative albums of Italian alternative music, eighth afterhours projectremains one of the best records of their career: it will be reprinted in spring in a special edition and celebrated with an ad hoc tour starting from June. To celebrate the twenty years from the release, in fact, Manuel Agnelli has decided to return to the stage with the band of the time, made up of Andrea Viti (bass), Dario Ciffo (violin, guitar) and Giorgio Prette (drums). Why has “ballads for small hyenas” became, over time, one of the After jewels? When he came out, despite the excellent positions in the standings, He suffered the comparison with his glorious predecessor, published three years earlier, “What is not there”and therefore the light was not perceived immediately.

But this is a bit of a classic of after fans who, On several records at first criticized, they then recreated. That of “ballads for small hyenas” is a light that today, in fact, it is clear and crystalline: “Ballad for my little hyena”, the symbol of the disc, has become one of the band’s most listened and loved songs. On Spotify, in terms of listening, it is second only to “It is not forever” and has over six million streams. The album at the time was worked for the most of the time in the studios of the Cave di Catania and co -produced by Greg Dulliformer leader of the Afghan Whigs, who also recorded several parts of the project and actively participated in the next tour: The album, as Agnelli has repeatedly explained, was “son of a precise period” And it turns out to be musically very different from “what is not there”. It is darker, more reactive and above all black: precisely this last element, perceptible in pieces with special rhythms such as “The white widow” or “Fresh meat”which also offers the title to the review for new talents launched this year by Agnelli, is the son of Dulli’s magical touch, which brought the band to a corrupt and dark funk. And in general he offered an injection of groove to training.

Inside there are other pearls: the tear “There are many ways”that Lamb in his career has proposed the explosive several times only to the plan “Judas’ blood”the psychedelic “The thin white line”which opens the tracklist. There is also a more melancholy and ethereal piece, “Andrea’s birthday”beyond “Who knows how it is”one of the songs best played vocally by Agnelli and unjustly remained a step below, compared to others, in the general perceived. The album has four different covers that represent the shapes of the group members with their companions/wives, all the shapes have been obscured. The shots were curated by Guido Harari and Thomas Berloffa. On the ranking front the disc passed the record of the previous “What is not there”, reaching second place in the sales rankings. Before the tour in the United States of 2006, always on the push of Dulli, A version in English was also released, “Ballads for Little Hyenas”containing an unpublished.