Sprecato is the first album in seven years from Maple Death Records founder James Jonathan Clancy (Italy/Canada), and the first under his birth name following previous ensembles His Clancyness (Fat Cat, Maple Death) and Brutal Birthday (Total Punk, Improved Sequence). It is a new kind of singer-songwriter album that bridges the divide between cosmic loner-folk, proto-ambient and the epic, intricately arranged world of vintage Italian soundtracks. Written and recorded between London and Bologna, the initial spark for the album was found in Gli Sprecati (Canicola Edizioni) by visionary Italian comic artist Michelangelo Setola, who later provided Clancy with the album’s cover. Setola’s near-apocalyptic pastoralism runs through the record: drum machines that sound as if they’ve been excavated from the earth meet detuned pianos and guitars; bucolic traces of synths are stretched beyond all reckoning. For the Sprecato tour, Clancy (12 string guitar/sampler/vocals) is joined by an incredible ensemble of musicians from the experimental Italian scene and Maple Death community: Dominique Vaccaro (J.H. Guraj) on guitar, Andrea De Franco (Fera) on synths and Laura Agnusdei on sax/electronics.
