Cetomedio
Ketchup O Maionese?

In the current punk scene, there are few bands that are original and bring something new to the genre. Cetomedio from Vicenza describe themselves as a mix between Dead Kennedys, Skiantos, Vandals, and... 883. With such an introduction, many things should already be clear. It's an album full of amusing ideas and rich in irony. And, beware... Cetomedio are masters in using "reverse irony"... and this often leads the band to be misunderstood. Right from the cover, one can smile: George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden are compared to jars of ketchup and mayonnaise!

The tracklist starts (after an introductory speech where the band congratulates the listener for the purchase) with an instrumental piece, "Punk per le Libertà", which merges the anthem of the Forza Italia party with the song "Faccetta Nera". It follows with "Cowboy del Nordest", a rhythmic and well-constructed country-punk piece (if you allow me the definition) where they denounce the lack of humanity in the affluent and productive northeast. Then comes the punk rock of "Toghe Rosse" (where irony abounds) and "La Rivincita dei Nerds", where the band rightfully points out that the world is now in the hands of those who were the outcasts in the eighties, the "nerds" indeed. It continues with the melancholic "Burghy (La Canzone del)", where the band pays homage to the large fast-food chain, unfortunately taken down by McDonald's. The true "masterpiece" contained in the record is "Vancimuglio (Scenderemo Nelle Autostrade)", presented as "the anthem of the warriors of Vancimuglio," where, in a rhythmic and powerful punk rock, they sing the praises of the defenders of the breeders' freedom, against the oppressive state that imposed milk quotas on them. It closes with a quartet of thrilling songs: "Austria uber Alles" (which illustrates how Haider's Austria is a real paradise), "Mike Bongiorno Is Dead" (where it's hypothesized that Bongiorno died in the 70s and was replaced by a robot because his loss would have destabilized the State), "Birra Sborra e Divertimento" (better known as "Seghe", where the group recounts when the members were 17 years old) and concludes with "Burger King (La Canzone del)" (where Cetomedio urges the "comrade burger-eaters" to hold strong, because the fight against McDonald's will continue thanks to Burger King). The only slightly weak episode is perhaps "Il Mondo dei Pompieri", in which a utopian fairy tale world is portrayed where firefighters save kittens and everyone is happy.

Technically, the band has grown a lot since their beginnings, and to bear witness to this, within the album is a multimedia track containing all their demos in mp3 and 3 video clips: the two videos of "Burghy" and "Cowboy del Nordest", and a live of "Sbrega la Negra". In short, over forty minutes contained in a highly recommended album, but remember the warning on the cover: "Parental Advisory - Explicit Irony!"

ps: while you're at it, and since the band has only recently started to perform more frequently outside Veneto, take a look at http://radiopadania.splinder.com/ and try to catch them live... you won't regret it.