** by Brad Rose, 2005, Foxi Digitalis online music magazine

"Roberto Opalio forms one-half of the Italian dynamic duo, My Cat is an Alien. To say that MCIAA has become one of my absolute favorite groups in the past few months is a bit of an understatement. During the past year or so, a period in which the duo has released a mountain of space magic, Opalio also found the time to put together a solo album that stands up to any of MCIAA's best works.
"Chants From Isolated Ghosts" is an echo chamber filled with brazen spirits, spelunking the furthest depths of the earth. Three tracks make up this cosmic splurge, and all of them traverse a similar, if not more sparse, plane as MCIAA. Opalio is at his best when he's at his most minimal. The opening tack features barely-there vocals and guitar hum. All the while, the sound of a car alarm or tazer (take your pick) floats in the backdrop. It's an ethereal gem. As it dissolves into a clattering of chimes and archaic guitar wailing, there's a feeling that whatever spirits were trapped, have now been set free. It soars.
The second and third tracks are even more minimalist, but equally impressive. The second has the feeling of being lost underwater, watching as deep sea creatures show off their bioelectrics. It's easy to get sucked into this icy void the track creates. Opalio's vocal exorcisms throughout the album are like a haunted excursion through a winter forest. Everything is stripped of color and life, but the voice adds immense texture and warmth. On the third track, this effect is most powerful. It's a wonderful end to a wonderful album.
This past year has demonstrated one thing clearly to me: the Opalio brothers are among the most talented artists on the planet. Between solo releases and MCIAA, it doesn't get much better. If you've missed the boat, now is as good a time as any to jump on."

** by Eric Hill on Destination Out reviews, EXCLAIM! CANADA'S MUSIC AUTHORITY (CAN)

"As the oft-quoted This Is Spinal Tap sang outlines the "clever-stupid" dialectic, so it also goes in experimental music that a fine line exists between engaging and annoying. Italy's brothers Opalio, better known as My Cat is an Alien, arguably have unlimited passports to criss-cross this line with their whimsical take on space(y) rock. On his first solo outing, originally self-released on their Opax CD-R label, brother Roberto carries on the family tradition of improvising spacious, droning themes made from cheap looped electronics, metallic objects and toy ray guns. Recorded in single takes, the pieces have a meandering quality that fortunately keeps to the "engaging" side of the border, for the most part. The spectral quality, evident in the album's title, is sustained through sounds that suggest residual energy in empty rooms that collide against the objects, rattling their chains, in other words. This spent and evaporating force echoes through the deliberately restrained pace and limited variety of sounds. The last track is a literal chant performed mournfully and accompanied only by an open window, allowing the sound of rain, traffic and distant thunder to enter."

** by Tom Sekowski, May 2005, GAZ-ETA (PL)

Finally, we come to a solo project by Roberto Opalio [the more artistic half of the MCIAA duo?] called "Chants from Isolated Ghosts". This is the most barren and the most effectively minimal work out of this bunch of releases. Perhaps it's the further isolation in the recording studio or perhaps it's the total freedom that going solo allows. The sounds are drone-inducing [as always] but very economically used. Most of the record sounds almost as if it were processed through a cooling fan. It's almost as if on this record, Roberto wanted to stick to only what's essential. In a very non-threatening way, this is an absolutely essential record.
If Sun Ra was still with us on this planet, he would certainly be proud of his children.