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Rating: Pushed by dozens of overly positive feedback, I listened with great attention and critical sense to the new work of the Criminal Party, a famous Italian "Garage" band.
I do not deny that I haven’t had the pleasure of listening to the band’s previous works, so I cannot judge the historical and evolutionary path; I will therefore limit myself to talking about this album, which is being released now.
Since I have only read compliments and ovations, I believe it makes sense to clearly define the negatives of this release as well. Let it be clear, they are not serious and do not undermine anything, but for the sake of completeness of information, I am expressing a 360-degree judgment.
Is the work long-lasting? Yes, the tracks do not get tiring; on the contrary, listening to them makes you want to listen to them again.
What convinces me less:
The singing sometimes seems a bit in a Musical style, with two resonant and sometimes redundant voices. Some tracks perhaps feature a vocal mixing slightly invasive compared to the musical sound, the single "What about you," for my personal taste, would have needed a bit more vocal grit and seems more narrated than sung.
The bass, in some cases, is mixed low, and to be fully perceived, the low frequencies of one's system need to be highlighted. Clearly, I imagine this is a deliberate choice due to the genre, but personally, I would have appreciated it being more present, even considering the quality of the lines it presents.
Some tracks (Dangerous Mind, Sonething Wrong) feature a somewhat dark mixing; it can be liked or not, but I have to admit it really seems recorded in a garage, and this means the producer hit his emulation target.
Some other tracks present the opposite problem (We Hate You, Rebel World); they are too clean, ending up seeming a bit fake. I imagine this is a choice aimed at emulating the Clean Post Punk Californian style of the 70s, but personally I love the energetic push present in many other tracks more.
Mention for the guitars, always present, pure even when distorted, harmonious and full, for the keyboards often Californian style, and mention for the drum lines, loaded as rarely happens anymore in records today, truly played at top levels for the national level in this area.
I conclude by complimenting this work, beautiful in every track, and if this is their aura, I hope to see them live here in Rome soon. I believe that live, it will be an even more spectacular album. (JimmyP)
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Other reviews
By bambi2016
"Compared to the past, where generally the working class bore the brunt, it is now clearer than ever that we are also faced with a weakened and impoverished bourgeois class."
"The sounds proposed on the record are the usual ones, very garage and punk, now expertly handled by the band, with the addition of some well-executed pop brackets."
By Summer68
Music with a capital "M" is not made with 4 rhetorical words lined up, with 2 electronic rhythms.
It’s an album that, when played in the car, will keep you wide awake and accompany you anywhere.
