Afterhours - Quello che non c'è (2002)

The album

Afterhours is one of the most important rock bands in Italy. With their music they have deeply influenced the italian rock scene in 90s and 2000s. "Quello che non c'è" is their 2002 album, the first after the departure of the historical guitarist Xabier Iriondo.

This album has been mastered by Paul Libson, who has mastered other very important rock releases in 90s and 2000s, like Afterhours "Hai paura del buoi?", Massimo Volume "Club Privè", Verdena "Solo un grande sasso" and others.
Under an artistic point of view, this album is another masterpiece of the band, along with "Germi", "Hai paura del buio?", "Ballate per piccole iene". All great releases for those who appreciate rock music with grunge influences.
The first track, "Quello che non c'è" reflects about the fact that we desire always something that we don't have, but offers also a way to happiness:

"The key for happiness is the disobedience to what doesn't exist"

The track is musically great, a ballad with a superb crescendo in the final part, and with a relaxed and slow mood in the first and central parts. Bass and drums build a deep and pulsating foundation, while the melancholic voice and the tired guitars build together the melodies on the surface.
The following tracks have the same mood: slow and reflective ballads, to be listened consecutively, without interruptions. The artistic peak is in "Bungee Jumping", a great track with a big emotional impact and a quiet complex structure for a rock track. Here too the steady bass line builds the sonic carpet on which the guitars riffs and the voice power explode in the choruses. The classic structure verse - chorus is repeated two times, followed by a post rock and psychedelic parenthesis; in the final part, the structure verse - chorus returns, where the climax is reached just at the end of the track, in the last powerful chorus.

The sound

Under the audio aspect, this album is a little gem. The sound is always incredibly warm, slightly dark, but defined too. Bass frequencies are dominated by the bass guitar (the kick isn't very strong) and are always deep but well defined. Mid frequencies are never harsh, but always warm without being muddy. Finally, high frequencies are always perfectly balanced, with very controlled transients; this makes me think that this album has been mixed on an analogue tape, with its characteristic high frequencies saturation.
Moreover, what can be distinctively heard here is the tube sound: that typical saturation with fat low and mid low frequencies, that creates deepness but also definition in the low region of the audio spectrum. It's difficult to tell if this sonic effect has been created only in the tracking and mixing stage, or if it has been increased in the mastering stage too. I believe in the second hypothesis, because this particular sound is recognizable in many other releases mastered by Paul Libson. This tube sound can be created or boosted in the mastering stage by the use of tube equalizers or compressors.
In summary, this is a great album, with a precious sound, and I suggest it simply to everyone who loves music.