Album Review: I Gondolernes By by Dario Campeotto & Otto Franckers Orkester
Alright, let’s dive into this Danish gem of a pop album, I Gondolernes By. Released under the Sonet label, it’s one of those records that sneaks up on you—like, “Wait, why am I still humming this two days later?” Spoiler alert: It’s good. Really good. But not in some overblown, "OMG-this-is-art" kinda way. Nah, it’s just plain charming.
The standout track for me? Hands down, “En Italiener.” The song feels like strolling through Venice with gelato in hand, but also like overhearing someone spill their heart out at a café table. There’s something raw about how Campeotto sings it—he doesn’t oversell it, y’know? He lets the melody breathe and lets you fill in the blanks yourself. Plus, Otto Franckers Orkester adds these lush orchestral touches that make it feel cinematic without being cheesy. Like, imagine an old black-and-white movie montage where the protagonist realizes they’re falling in love—but instead of cringe dialogue, there’s just this tune playing softly in the background. Yeah. That’s “En Italiener.”
Then there’s the title track, “I Gondolernes By,” which hits different because it’s so vividly place-based. You can practically smell the Venetian canals (okay, maybe don’t think too hard about what those canals actually smell like). This one sticks with me because it’s got this dreamy, almost hypnotic rhythm. It reminds me of lying on a rooftop somewhere warm, staring at the stars while everything around you feels impossibly far away. And yeah, sure, some might call it cheesy, but isn’t that part of its charm? Sometimes music doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel—it just needs to transport you.
What’s wild is how I Gondolernes By manages to feel both nostalgic and totally fresh at the same time. Like, if you handed this album to someone from 1965, they’d nod along like, “Yeah, makes sense.” But play it today, and it still holds up. Maybe it’s the simplicity. Or maybe it’s just that we all secretly wish we could float around Venice in a gondola eating pizza and pretending life is perfect.
Anyway, here’s my random thought to wrap things up: Listening to this record made me realize that Denmark has no business making Italian-themed songs this catchy. Seriously. Shouldn’t they stick to hygge vibes or whatever? But hey, I’m glad they didn’t. Props to Dario Campeotto and Otto Franckers Orkester for pulling off something as smooth as tiramisu—and twice as sweet.
