Chixdiggit
From Scene to Shining Scene

The Holy Christmas is just around the corner, with its reindeer, fake beards, lights, nativity figurines of Obama and Belen on TV, its children bombarded with commercials, its "volemose bene," collections of deceased singers' hits at 30 euros in the best record stores, its religious fanatics and their "Christmas is not just about gifts and feasts, it should be a moment of spiritual contemplation, reflection on poverty...."

Perhaps as a spontaneous reaction to these and the many other rubbish that the Christmas industry mercilessly shoves at me, in December I start feeling a crazy longing for sweaty afternoons on my beautiful coast of Platamona, with that sun that makes you dizzy; a swim to cool off and see the beach from afar, a thin line of colors that passes between the bright blue of the sky and sea. The long, endless evenings, with that unique atmosphere of small towns near the coast and their people who uncover their skin and crowd the outdoor bar tables, dedicated to doing exactly what I feel like doing, with no plans and no anxiety about the next day's commitments.

"From Scene To Shining Scene" is the third studio album by the Chixdiggit, a Canadian pop-punk band discovered I don't remember how, some time ago, and it manages to sound exactly like my summers: light, naive, carefree, goofy, and repetitive, flat in a good way. Simple melodies, basic musical technique, a voice that reminds me of Eric Cartman, and a few simple, simple choruses. 

They play without pretension (not even economically, they are one of the many bands under Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label) for 20 years, they don't want to save the world with their songs, which mostly talk about girls and everyday life, but in their genre they are one of the bands to which I am most attached; melodies like those of "Aromatherapy", "Melissa Louise & Me", "Thursday Night" and especially "Spanish Fever" (irresistibly catchy) have managed to attach themselves to many summer memories and don't let go, not even among the panettone and wool scarves.

Average rating between 3 objectively and 5 for the emotional value and gratitude I feel for this album, for every time it takes me back under the sun in the middle of winter.