An Anglo Italian collaboration based on a true story: an unusual 'concept album' about vinyl as musical entertainment, as opposed to vinyl as human tragedy, the music and lyrics are inspired by industrial disasters in the Venice area during the 1970s and 1980s when too many workers & citizens died by cancer in the name of money & profit. Kevin Hewick contributed with a universal message about life, death, vinyl and the dignity of workers in the VCM/PVC factories. This second “unfolk” release is a departure from the “folk-oriented” first cd into unknown territories mixing electronics with bass chords & unusual song-structures (often based on free improvisation): it features 10 modern “protest” songs plus 6 instrumentals. Beautifully mastered by Jon Astley at Close To The Edge studios (U.K.) the cd comes in a Ltd. gatefold cover with a 32 page booklet with English & Italian lyrics. Alessandro Monti was born in Venice in 1960. He worked on many records & International projects as a producer & musician: “The Wind Collector” with Gigi Masin and “Master Cylinder” by Caveman Shoestore (T/K) among them; he finally released his first solo cd “Unfolk” independently in 2006 to critical acclaim (see Cd Baby entry). Kevin Hewick was born in Leicester in 1957. A brilliant songwriter, during the early 80's he released records on the Factory Records, Cherry Red & Les Disques Du Crepuscule labels; he worked with producer Martin Hannett, New Order & the Sound, he shared the stage with Martin Carthy, Roy Harper, Kevin Coyne, Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, Durutti Column & many others (see www.kevinhewick.co.uk for full discography & updates). (...)"The album is essentially a collaboration between Italian composer and musician Alessandro Monti and English singer and lyricist Kevin Hewick (with a phalanx of other musicians brought in to flesh out the sound).  Hewick, an intermittent presence on the fringes of the UK underground since the early 1980s, sings in a distinctively English, Bowie-inflected tone.  His texts are long, wordy and shatteringly powerful, giving voice to the desperate, the vulnerable and the doomed (...) Monti’s music is resolutely unfussy, giving the lyrics room to work their insidious effect.  At times recalling REM, at others the angular modern rock of Porcupine Tree, the songs hover ominously on currents of fuzzed-out bass and delicate mandolin.  Incendiary guitar solos add to the sense of drama, while several short instrumental pieces ratchet up the tension with glitchy, sinister drones.  This is a dazzling, audacious and unique piece of work. (Originally published in The Sound Projector 19, 2011) (...) "Unfolk utilise their small collection of instruments to great effect. The majority of songs feature little more than mandolin, electric bass and some keyboard swells, though at times strings and electric guitar are thrown into the mix. Regardless of instrumentation, Unfolk always display a remarkable amount of restraint, always seeming willing to hold back where most bands would let go. This less is more approach creates a very sparse and eerie soundscape, invoking images of abandoned factories and long forgotten about machinery. Which is no doubt the idea. The idea of producing a concept album about industrial fallout in a time when substance in records is scarce is a brave one. Whilst the lyrics may seem a little clunky at times and lack a degree of subtlety that might be a little more appropriate, and even though it clocks in at over an our long, The Venetian Book Of The Dead is a challenging record. It’s also one that challenges the listener, and engages them. It requires repeated listeners and ultimately reveals itself to be a worthwhile, rewarding piece of work. (DrownedInSound)