This record contains all the elements that made their debut a success; strong songs that are lyrically interesting and bulls-eye perfect musically, diversity in material culminating in a well-rounded package, and it's all topped off by the compelling vocals of Francesca.

I first talked to the band when they came on the scene. It was a pleasure to once again speak with Francesca and Tank before the release of Soul Saliva.

antiMusic: Congrats on such an excellent record.

Francesca: Thank you so much.

antiMusic: Before we talk about Soul Saliva, let's back up a bit and have you tell us what the response was to The Angel and the Rain on your side of the world.

Francesca: Our first album actually went way further that we could ever imagine. The sales and reviews were much higher than a first album generally obtains. We really did not expect it but deep down inside we knew that it was just a start for us and that we had to grow.

antiMusic: Since your debut was released in 2006, you've become a mom. How did this affect the recording or creation of the new record?

Francesca: Yes my baby is 11 months now --- not even one year. I actually did all the work on the album while I was pregnant and of course the artistic result on music and lyrics was affected by this event in my life. The lyrics in Soul Saliva are less introspective than the first album, and speak about the world outside, what my baby will find and the future that we've prepared for the new generations. It is also a push to react and survive pain and frustration. I hope that my boy will have the strength to be an honest, good and respectful person.

antiMusic: Soul Saliva is an unusual title. What does it mean?

Francesca: It's a liquid body coming out of your soul. It's how this album is, very instinctive and physical but at the same time it has a very strong spiritual part.

antiMusic: Were you going for a particular sound on this record? Did you want to do anything differently from The Angel and the Rain?

Tank: Absolutely yes! I tried my best to give Soul Saliva a much more rocking sound respecting my personal tastes from the 80s.

antiMusic: The songs from The Angel and the Rain told a story. Did you write the songs for the new record with that in mind as well? If so, what happened with the first record and how does the story continue?

Francesca: My stories have an end. They are usually short and easy to read. Soul Saliva has a too-long story and I did not have the time to translate it before the release. I will do it hopefully, even if my time is getting smaller and smaller.

antiMusic: How did the record come together in terms of which songs came along first?

Tank: The songs of this album were borne over three years but actually it took us a pretty short time to write the songs. We just had other things to take care of that slowed the work a little bit. The first songs that we wrote three years ago were "And Scream", "Get outta here" and "Warriors". We produced them with the cover of "Thriller". In the last year we wrote all the other songs.

antiMusic: Fran, I've read that Thriller was the first record you ever bought and a Deep Purple record was the second. When you first started thinking of doing music professionally, was it your intent to do an MJ song at some point or this song in particular? Does that mean that we'll hear a LoveCrave version of "Soldier of Fortune" down the road? =)

Francesca: WOW I wish so!!!! "Soldier of Fortune" is the first song I played with my guitar and one of my favorites! "Thriller" was an idea that came to my mind about 2 years ago. I'd never thought about it before.

antiMusic: Tank, how did you approach keyboards on this record? I know you did electronic stuff and brought in a pianist on the last record. Same this time? (Very nice piano on "Leon's Lullaby" and awesome string arrangements on "Outsider")

Tank: This time I did not want to do all the work by myself, also because of the lack of time. So I asked a big friend of mine, Max Cassan, to collaborate. He is one of the best electronic music producers in Italy and working with him has been great. He played piano and took care of all the strings arrangements. The electronic part was done together.

antiMusic: There is more diversity on this record, I feel, than on The Angel….. When you write, are you thinking of the live show at any point in the process and come up with the songs to fill that need or is it just about the album as a singular item?

Tank: When we write songs, we don't really put limits on creativity. We understand right away when a song has strong potential and so we go for it. Then if I find out that in one song there is a part where I can raise my horns up during the show… it's even better!!!! hahahah

antiMusic: Tell us about a couple of the songs, either how they came together or something that happened while writing/recording them. "Warriors" (also tell us how that part at the end came about, where you hear the clink of the bottles and you say the word "Warriors" sounding very provocative)

Francesca: hahah we took that idea from the movie "Warriors", one of our favorites. The evil guy calls the Warriors, a city gang, saying "Warriors, come out and playyyy!" in that provocative way…awesome! We had to do that quote! This song in the album has the lyrics that I like most. They speak about a world of robots that rebel and erase the programs in their heads…really cool!

Tank: It's my favourite song. I think it totally represents the new sound of The LoveCrave. It is the most arranged song of the album and it took us many ideas and effort to complete it as we wanted.

antiMusic: "Fade"

Francesca: Just a love song. We wrote it with the acoustic guitar in five minutes!

Tank: Like Francesca said, we wrote it in five minutes! This is why it works! We are actually playing it often in unplugged sessions in radios cause it has just a few chords but good melody.

antiMusic: "Get Outta Here"

Francesca: I love to play it live! It speaks about a woman who gets beaten by her man and she decides to kick him out at the end.

Tank: It's the hard rock song of the album but it includes many rock styles, from the '80s to the grunge melody. It's great to play it live cause it makes a direct impact on the audience.

antiMusic: "Outsider"

Francesca: Wow …my favourite song, a flight from a skyscraper. It speaks about the other face of freedom. Sometimes being free can also make you feel so alone.

Tank: The song was born from one of Simon's bass lines and it grew step by step. It is probably the most artistic track of the album and this is why we all love it…especially for the final solo! heheheh

antiMusic: "The Other You"

Francesca: This song could belong easily to our first album. It's a connection to the past and it has a great chorus. It speaks about the secret part that everybody of us hides.

Tank: The more gothic style track. It could be cool as soundtrack of a dark movie. It is a very complex song with many different rhythmic parts. We wrote it during the night in my home studio after 5 or six beers!

antiMusic: "Leon's Lullaby"

Francesca: A slow song, a hope for the future of my little son Leonardo.

antiMusic: Is there any song on the record that came out differently than you expected?

Tank: Not really, every time I have to produce a song, I usually have in mind exactly how it will turn out.

antiMusic: Tank, you've mentioned in the past that you're more "major" while Francesca is more "minor". Was there much "conflict" when putting the record together this time out?

Tank: hahahah No. We are never in conflict because we both realize when a song is coming out well and we respect each other's opinions. Undoubtedly I am more "major" since I lived through the '80s music and being fan of great bands like KISS, Def Leppard and Journey.

antiMusic: Did you play around with the arrangements for "Thriller" very much or did it come out the way we hear it right off the bat?

Tank: We actually did it in one afternoon. Francesca came up with the idea of doing this cover and right away I thought about the riff. With Max, we gave shape to the whole thing. It was really fun!

antiMusic: Tasty solo at the end of "Outsider". We need more of that from you. How do you go about determining whether a song needs a solo or not?

Tank: Thanks a lot! If I were younger, I would have put solos everywhere hahahaha. Now I can understand when the space and the atmosphere makes sense for a solo and I never force a song to it. It has to be a special moment like the end of "Outsider". It really came out from my heart cause we kept the first take in the recording.

antiMusic: Fran. with a background in graphics, you created the artwork surrounding the first record including Rain. Has this character been with you pre-The LoveCrave or was it created with the band in mind?

Francesca: Rain was a gift of my friend Marco Callegari who created her thinking of me. We worked on her together then and made her look in a perfect way for The LoveCrave. We love to see her on the covers.

antiMusic: You've mentioned doing something larger with Rain in mind in terms of your stage show. Are you any closer to having this happen?

Francesca: Unfortunately not! If we were KISS we would give the 3D glasses to the audience and send Rain around the hall! We can't now of course but we have tons of ideas.

antiMusic: Will you be able to tour, considering you have a young son?

Francesca: It's hard to tour for me. We just got back from a two-week tour and I was missing my son so much. I have to tour so I am trying to get organized and bring my boy with me. That would be awesome!

antiMusic: Do you (or the band as a whole) live for the studio or the stage?

Tank: I like both moments. They are part of the same story. They are both very difficult and creative moments at the same time.

antiMusic: What is the plan for the band for the rest of the year now that Soul Saliva is finally out?

Tank: We actually just signed with an American label, Metropolis Records, so this album will be printed and distributed in the States and in Canada as well. The release date is August 24th. We are all very happy cause one of our dreams is to play in the States…so I might meet Paul Stanley somewhere! ahahahha

antiMusic: Anything else about the record that you want to mention that I didn't ask you (special features, guests, etc.)?

Francesca: I only would like to thank you for interviewing us in a very professional way and for supporting us. We need your help more and more now that we will reach the other part of the world. Thanks again Morley!!! And rock on!!!!!

Tank: Not really. I just want to say thanks to you again and to all the people out there who support us and follow us. We need everybody's help so thank you so much!