Tonino Carotone — Cassette

Intro

Tonino Carotone sounds like a 1950s Italian variety star who spent the last twenty years playing in underground punk squats. His music is a rich, dusty tapestry of Mediterranean sounds, blending the theatricality of classic chanson and canzone with the raw, unpolished energy of the Patchanka movement. It is the sound of a brass band playing at a wedding that has slowly devolved into a joyous, drunken riot.

What truly sets him apart is the juxtaposition of his 'Tony Pokerface' persona, a dandy in a worn-out suit, against lyrics that are deeply cynical, surreal, and often hilariously blunt. He inhabits a space between the romanticism of Adriano Celentano and the whiskey-soaked grit of Tom Waits, delivering anti-love songs that feel more honest than any ballad. His voice, a sandpaper rasp, carries a weary wisdom that makes even his most absurd jokes land with emotional weight.

Start with the album 'Mondo difficile'. The title track and the iconic 'Me cago en el amor' perfectly encapsulate his ethos: life is hard, love is a mess, but the music must play on. It is essential listening for anyone who prefers their pop music with a bit of dirt under its fingernails and a sharp, satirical edge.

Tonino Carotone (born Antonio de la Cuesta, 9 January 1970) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. His stage name "Tonino Carotone", which is translatable in English as Tony Pokerface, is inspired by his great idol, the Italian pop pianist and singer Renato Carosone. The majority of his childhood and adolescence were spent in Pamplona, Spain. In 1995, Tonino moved to Italy, where he gained success five years later after releasing the single Me cago en el amor (a slang idiom from Spain meaning "I curse love", but literally translatable as "I shit on love") from his debut album Mondo difficile ("Difficult World"). In 2003, Tonino released another album, Senza Ritorno ("With No Return").

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Our Catalog5 Albums · 2000 · 2023