Perturbazione

Formed in 1988 in Rivoli near Turin, Perturbazione began life as a high-school outfit centered on vocalist Tommaso Cerasuolo and drummer Rossano Antonio Lo Mele. Guitarist Gigi Giancursi and bassist Stefano Milano entered the fold the following year, with cellist and pianist Elena Diana arriving in 1994. After playing numerous local shows, the band issued its debut single in 1996 and followed with the album Waiting to Happen two years later. Cristiano Lo Mele joined on guitar that same year, prompting the group to shift to Italian-language material on the 1999 EP 36. Drawing from guitar-pop acts including the Smiths, R.E.M., and Belle & Sebastian, Perturbazione sought to refresh Italy’s alternative pop landscape by relentless touring and by contributing tracks to various independent compilations. Wider notice arrived with the 2002 release In Circolo; the animated clip for its second single, “Agosto,” gained heavy rotation on Italian MTV and earned the Videoclipped the Radio Stars Award. The band further collected the Best Italian Tour prize at the 2003 Meeting for Independent Labels in Faenza. Its 2005 album Canzoni allo Specchio expanded the audience and drew strong critical praise. In 2006 Perturbazione supplied an Italian-language track to the Belle & Sebastian tribute A Century of Covers, and the following year the group issued its first major-label effort, Pianissimo Fortissimo, through EMI. Beyond regular touring and recording, the members have taken part in assorted art and theater ventures, among them composing and performing a live soundtrack to the silent classic Maciste at Turin’s Museo Nazionale del Cinema.