Banda Bassotti
Avanzo de cantiere

LA RECENSIONE

Okay, I admit it, I only discovered Banda Bassotti recently and for a long time they were a gap in my musical knowledge. So I threw myself headlong into their music and I can say one thing: damn, what a record.

It took me a moment to figure out the band; and it’s easy to say: they had something extra. Too elegant to be skinheads, too gritty to be mainstream, too violent to be beat, too rock and roll to be punk, too long to be hardcore, too rough to be singer-songwriter, too working-class to be alternative, too... too Italian to be ska. And among all this, they were the perfect blend in the percentages from the aforementioned genres. Because they were assholish enough to be skinhead, catchy enough to be mainstream, lean enough to be beat, danceable enough to be rock and roll, rebellious enough to be punk, direct enough to be hardcore, engaged enough to be singer-songwriter, enough outcasts to be alternative, and Italian enough to be ska.

Alright, not everything about them was 100%, and even on the left there are skeletons in the closet, like the accusations of "rossobrunismo" that have been thrown at the band over the years. But here in our hands, we have a record in front of which Banda del Rione, Talco and who knows how many others have bowed their heads. Actually, they've studied this, they've lived with it. The album cover shows exactly what the record is: four workers. But in the background there’s a huge writing: a star, sickle, and hammer. And then the faces of these men aren’t just anger. I mean, their knuckles are as hard as stones that could crush cheekbones with a caress, but in those eyes you see lives. And that’s exactly what they do. Maybe other bands told the story of some specific aspects of working-class life, but Banda Bassotti take you by the hand and tell you about their whole existence. With a touch of political romance.

The title track opens in a very typically Italian beat-rock tone and then shifts into high gear. And that’s it, hands down, one of the highest points of Italian rock. The lyrics analyze the whole reality of a true rebellious proletarian: police, drugs, protests, dreams of red armies. Musically, the song is a gem; it pays meticulous attention to melody and never lets up, offering perfect musical arrangements and a chorus that would be an understatement to call textbook. “Beat-Ska-Oi!” is equally exciting, though maybe not quite as flawless—another manifesto of the band that reveals their more ska-oriented side. But the heights rise again with "Luna Rossa", a track that uses the technique of a full choral chorus instead of a counter-chorus. For those who know, it’s the same choral setup as the historic "Droga arma del potere". The wild violence shines through every pore, but the almost singer-songwriter foundation surprises with the following “Comunicato N°38”, where the alternating female voice creates a kind of "Il cielo è sempre più blu" (and I mean that positively, because to me Rino was a genius)—heart-wrenching, slow, and long—just as this album tends to be in contrast to typical punk tradition. “La Conta” is cute but questionable, listing names of people involved in terrorism in previous years. “Potere al popolo” isn’t innovative but is captivating—more straight-up punk, done right—followed by the syncopated “Viva Zapata!”. Syncopated, did I say? Wait a couple of minutes and you’ll find yourself dancing like drunken peones, shooting in the air. Another bullseye. Cabrones! Their ska soul is once again openly celebrated. Just a tip; it’s a detail, okay, but one that matters: when they shout “Viva Zapata!” there’s a backing voice echoing “viva.” Okay, it’s nothing, but it’s a perfect example of how consciously they structured their songs. "Un altro giorno d’amore" has a street punk rhythm, and with open, ringing guitars and an athletic drumbeat (just how I like it), it brings out a track that shows that punk side, which in my opinion greatly influenced political and punk-metal that lives in Europe’s underground. Besides, I don’t really believe Banda Bassotti never listened to heavy metal. The lyrics also highlight something typical of certain ska fringes—an attention to themes that many Oi! bands could only dream of. I think this is a child of the Italian singer-songwriter tradition, later brought back by groups like Modena City Ramblers—another band that knows its ska. Sublime "Mockba ’993", with a constant rhythm and perfect melodic intuition. The chorus keeps you waiting but hits you right in the chest; a clear highlight of the record. More Central American marvels in "Carabina 30-30", en español. A song more about atmosphere, it breaks the album's continuity but is nice even though not a standout moment on its own. A worthy closing track, "Andrò dove mi porteranno i miei scarponi", opens with hard rock riffing and an Oi! vibe. And indeed, they shout it: "Oi!", and off goes probably the most Oi! track of the record.

The album delivers exactly what its title promises. Awareness of being outcasts, never whining, always active, never indulging in empty self-pity the way skinhead tradition sometimes risks. It’s lively. It’s a recollection of nights of real fear from the Years of Lead, it's the true atmosphere of street brawls painted almost gothically ("Luna rossa" above all), it’s the love for rock and roll that pours out into thrilling guitar solos, it’s meeting beneath the arcades downtown when everything is about to explode, it’s the fatigue of the worker, the ultra, those who say no to drugs. And in this sense, I believe it’s one of the most Italian records punk has ever produced. It combined the elements that made punk internationally relevant with those that characterized Italy in that era.

And in all this, in this struggle, with no nonsense, this is who they were. “Sono un avanzo di cantiere, rifiuto questa società, che ti ringrazia a cazzi (calci...) nel sedere e toglie il pane a chi non ce l'ha.” My rating: 93/100.