I bought this CD to use as the music for a fashion show.  It worked perfectly and I now listen to it daily.
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It is already well known that, in addition to world champion football, Italy is home to some champion quality jazz as well. You all know your Contes, Frisinas, Idea 6s, and whatnot, but have you already discovered Mop Mop, an interesting new project from Bologna? It seems that for many people, the answer is still "no". That may all be about to change in the near future, though. 

Mop Mop is the brainchild of Andrea "Bill" Benini, a multi-instrumentalist with a liking for 60's Italian soundtracks. Also a drummer for the live combo, Benini received a suggestion to take his business on wax after a successful festival date in 2002. Although The 11th Pill was first released in 2005, the album had already been recorded in 2003. It was re-released in 2006 by P-Vine. 

The first three tracks introduce Mop Mop's sound quite aptly, I think. Cool vibes, spare paino lines, tight grooves. All executed in a style that stays true to the traditions of Italian jazz. At the same time there are subtle electronics bubbling under. Capo Est, the second track, is a hotbed of snapping percussion, inspired piano work, and some killer muted trumpet. Somehow the track vaguely reminds me of St.Germain circa 2000. The wonderfully quirky scat vocals make it a winner at its own right. 

Frank & Stein is a trippy number, which probably sounds familiar if you've been to the band's website, which, I might add, is amongst the coolest in the business when it comes to design. The cover art of the 11th Pill follows suit, of course. Minimalistic brilliance. 

Three Times Bossa and Habanero 80 are other Mop Mop originals that caught my attention. The track that I find to be the zenith of the album, though, is Fior Di Loto. It isn't groovy, dancefloor-friendly, or hard-hitting at all. Instead, what we have here is a beautiful ballad. If many of the other selections on the album are carefree walks in the park on a sunny day, this one is a sunset on a solitary seashore. 

It's delighful to notice that all through the album, the Mop Mop originals are stronger than their reinterpretations of tunes by other people. Especially Amarcord and Swan's Splashdown are examples of tracks that just can't live up to the standards set by the other compositions on the album. Or maybe the melodies there are just a bit too familiar? 

At the end of the day, Mop Mop manage to keep things interesting without going paricularly deep in their approach or pushing the envelope in any obvious way. The 11th Pill is a strong effort. Still, I've got the feeling that the upcoming second album will show us the current state of this project in yet a more thorough way. According to Benini, the second offering will see the band moving towards a more dancefloor-friendly sound and experimenting with different kinds of vocalists and instrumentalists. Let the "looking forward to" begin, then. But first, check out the 11th Pill.
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