MY CAT IS AN ALIEN - "When The Windmill's Whirl Dies" LP (Eclipse)

Further cosmological explorations

Do these boys ever sleep ?!!? Probably not, would be my guess, judging by how prolific they continue to be. And you might think that, as prolific as they are, the quality of their output might be suspect occasionally, but there's been no evidence of that yet.
And this is another outstanding release to add to their canon. Once again the brothers Opalio, Roberto & Maurizio, take us on a musical interplanetary journey via their Space Room in Turin, Italy. Track 1 begins ominously with a steady whirr and Roberto's almost whispered vocals, barely perceptible at times, painting a
bleak picture of nighttime desolation, as he takes us "dancing with the dark shadows". The piece evolves via swirling electronics over its hypnotic 22 min. length. Tracks 2 & 3 are all instrumental , with Maurizio's unorthodox and somewhat psychedelic guitar work coming more to the fore, in amongst the space toys and electronics that percolate throughout these pieces. Another fascinating trip.
(Terry Tyke, 2005, KFJC Library)

THUJA/ MY CAT IS AN ALIEN - "From the earth to the Spheres, Vol.2" split ART-LP (Opax Records)/ CD (Very Friendly/Cargo UK)

Further adventures in extraterrestrial insanity

What a series this is turning out to be ! The next installment has turned out to be even better and more riveting than the first one. This outing sees My Cat Is An Alien's band of brothers, Roberto and Maurizio Opalio, splitting duties with Bay Area Jewelled Antler outlaws, Thuja, who are Rob Roger, Loren Chasse and Glenn Donaldson, and it's their fractured folk and experiments in sound that occupy the first half of this release. Guitars are scraped, plucked and tapped, while some strange, droney sounds hover in the background. MCIAA occupy very similar sonic territory, and begin their latest space adventure with some strafing feedback before things settle into some tasty guitar extrapolations with a steady hum accompanying their considered interplay, which builds to a healthy squall before subsiding and trailing off into
the stratosphere. Where will they take us next ? Sublime.
(Terry Tyke, 2005, KFJC library)

MY CAT IS AN ALIEN - "Il Segno" LP (Starlight Furniture Co.)

"The Sign" is an abstract, atonal slab of improvisation from the Italian brothers, Roberto & Maurizio Opalio, stretched over 2 sides of this limited edition (300) piece of vinyl. Side 1 runs close to 16 mins. & consists of detuned guitar drone with Roberto talking us through his lyrics of nihilistic desolation depicting "mirrors with no reflection". If this is about their hometown of Turin, you may want to consider vacationing elsewhere ! Side 2, at just over 14 mins.,continues where side 1 left off, but is all instrumental and less acerbic and desperate than side 1, which makes it easier to listen to but not as compelling.
(Terry Tyke, KFJC)

MY CAT IS AN ALIEN - "The Rest Is Silence" 2xLP (Eclipse Records) Spacey soundscapes

The Opalio brothers, Roberto and Maurizio, have resurfaced from their Turin sound laboratory to bring us this sprawling 4-sided epic of restrained sound explorations. Whereas previous releases have featured their powerful improvisatory skills and spoken-word vocals, this album seems to be much more deliberate and planned without losing any of the spontaneous feel. The brothers' guitars are prominently featured, both acoustic and electric, as they lead us on 4 lengthy workouts, adding space toys and key-boards and their haunting vocals along the way. It's all very elemental (the track themes are air, water, earth, fire), with trk. 2 having an almost bluesy feel to the guitar as a it lopes alongside a constant drone, keyboard and single guitar notes.
(Terry Tyke, KFJC)

THURSTON MOORE/MY CAT IS AN ALIEN - "From The Earth To The Spheres, Vol. 1" LP (Opax)

Extraterrestrial insanity

This is volume 1 in a series of limited edition split vinyl releases on My Cat Is An Alien's Opax label with MCIAA on one side and a "guest" artist(s) on the other, with a unique art piece by Roberto Opalio of MCIAA coming with each piece of vinyl. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore is on side 1, and it's a major departure from his SY work, being a 21 min. track with Moore pounding away mercilessly at a piano keyboard for the most part. He introduces an almost dancey rhythm beat along with electronics and some samples about halfway through for a nice change of pace, then rounds out with more piano-bashing. Side 2 is MCIAA. with 1 20-min. track that starts out slowly and gently before building to a mountain of guitar overload and feedback, which is totally amazing. This series is off to a great start & It'll be hard to top this.
(Terry Tyke, KFJC)