By Keith Walsh
With Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blaster Noise Machine, Onceweresixty combined two EPs into an eight -track collection that finds them expanding their sonic palette by adding a third member, while continuing their run of great sounding tunes with meaningful messages. (My new interview with Onceweresixty is at Popular Culture Beat).

With “Don’t Get Stuck,” a tune with no sense of urgency, but rather a cooly relaxed mix of atmospheric guitars and subdued synths and a practical message, Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blaster Noise Machine is off to a good start. Bandmates Marco Lorenzoni and Luca Sella have been playing together since 2001, and there’s a strong sense of cohesion as they play together, while the keyboards and saxophones by Enrico Grando, who joined after 2021’s The Flood, add textures that become essential elements of the ethereal, post rock sound.

“Running” follows with a tune about the aftermath of a romance, with gritty, realistic lyrics. ”Weird Times” is a mellow tune about coming to age in a world of flawed people, with guitar textures something like those of Mazzy Star. Nostalgia permeates “Back In The Days,” it’s another mellow downtempo tune that has something of The Velvet Underground to it.

“Pills” is a weird and catchy anthem about a faded starlet, with some of the coolest guitar sounds I’ve heard. Rather than busting into a raging pace, the tune maintains a jangly edge. Onceweresixty recorded Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blast Noise Machine  at Villa Albrizzi Marini, in the Venetian countryside, and the atmospherics that pervade the recording add a definitely cool ‘it’ factor.

“Into Town” reflects on a loss of innocence, though the reflective lyrics and in fact the maturity demonstrated through the album suggests that loss of innocence is not irreversible nor entirely devastating in the long run. ”Consequence Of Capitalism” is an psychedelic kind of folk tune, that encourages us to take the joy of each moment, despite the world’s woes and systems fluxing towards perfection with still a long way to go

“All That Glitter” is an odd and slightly dissonant, and here Grando’s saxophone makes a eerie appearance. The darkness of the song might encourage us not be fooled by appearances but to cherish what we have at this moment, if my interpretation of this excellent album is correct. Incidentally, a live performance video of Onceweresixty at Villa Albrizzi Marini shows that the sounds on Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blast Noise Machine don’t rely on much in the way of studio trickery — it’s all down to the outstanding performances and sound sculpting of the individual band members.

Just as the unconventional punctuation of their name suggests, Onceweresixty are primarily concerned with creating something that’s uniquely their own. The combined talents of Lorenzoni, Sella and Grando work together in a mix that’s both nostalgic and guardedly optimistic as they each add something special to the popular music.  Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blast Noise Machine is welcome addition to the post rock genre and alternative music in general. The 2021 album by Onceweresixty, The Flood is also quite good.

‘Loco Sunset Blvd/Ghetto Blast Noise Machine’ On Bandcamp
‘Loco Sunset Blvd’ On Spotify
‘Ghetto Blast Noise Machine’ On Spotify
Ugly Dogs Records
Interview With Onceweresixty

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