Dari
Sottovuoto Generazionale

I am about to write this review, noting that I am 18 years old, I play the electric guitar and have a good knowledge of rock and music in general, even though due to my age it can't be as extensive as that of other, older users. I will try to maintain as objective an attitude as possible regarding what I am about to review, although this is really difficult in the eyes of most people with functioning brains. That said, I will proceed with the actual review, which is about an "emerging" band that has gained popularity thanks to MTV and the Internet: it is the Dari, and their debut album "Sottovuoto Generazionale."

Let's start by analyzing the album title: at first glance it might seem that Dario, singer and guitarist as well as the leader and composer of the group, wanted to title his record thinking of the degeneration and collapse that the current generation is undergoing in various fields, so one might think, "ah, see, a young person who thinks about the decay of their own generation and looks at it critically!"; nothing could be more wrong. In an interview easily found on the web, Dario himself states (here summarized): "Some have pointed out to me that the title might put my generation in a bad light, but I don't think it's like that, because practically vacuum packing is that practice that allows you to remove air from something by making it last longer, so it is a positive thing. The meaning of the title is that in my opinion we should vacuum pack this generation, trying to bring out their rice, their mayonnaise, their vacuum-packed candies." Now, skipping over what the real meaning of bringing out mayonnaise and candies from people is, I can honestly say that the only thing that could give hope to this band has been trampled and denied by the leader of the same group. 

After analyzing the title and the singer's own words, many of you might have already lost the will to read and find out who these Dari are, but if you want to understand what the generations of today, aged between 9 and 14, are listening to, you can continue with the reading.

The group self-defines as an exponent of the emotronik genre, which means a mix between Emo and Electronic, although personally I find very little Emo and even less Electronic. And it's clear, by Emo I don't mean that pseudo-teen movement that loves to dress like undertakers on Halloween night and preach death and depression at every adverse event, but I mean the Emo music genre, which now has few valid exponents. They say they are inspired by Depeche Mode, but they didn't take absolutely anything from them, the only thing they have in common with Depeche Mode is the fact that Martin Al Gore (guitarist of DM) and Dario use a Gibson guitar. Speaking of this group's look, one might really wonder whether music is now judged by appearance or by the actual Music, given that more and more bands focus on "strange" looks (and I have restrained myself). However, trying to regain an objective critical sense, I am going to describe some songs by the aforementioned Dari.

The first single preceding the album is titled "Wale (Tanto vale)" it starts with an intro of guitar that sounds catchy, but, wait a minute, I've heard this before... doesn't it resemble the intro to "Fall To Pieces" by Velvet Revolver? Yes! Actually, it's exactly the same notes! I thought it was strange! The song develops on a simple chord sequence, which to the most untrained ear might even sound catchy, but which is actually something heard and reheard far too many times; the lyrics are the usual banality about a girl who finds the aforementioned Dario too much of a loser to give herself to him, and hence she doesn't even give him a chance even if he insults her parents by inviting them to screw themselves. Note how the band exhibits a high level of Italian by writing the name "Vale" with the well-known letter of obvious Italian origin "W".

From listening to this first song, one can already tell that this band is the usual commercial stunt to stupefy a bunch of little girls, but my exploratory spirit in the field of music gave me the courage to listen to some of the other songs on the CD, hoping to change my opinion of this group.

The second song on the album is titled "Tutto regolare", characterized by its extremely repetitive lyrics, in which the phrase "tutto regolare" is repeated no less than 14 times within two and a half minutes, and in which the three verses are exactly a copy of each other, both musically and lyrically speaking. I still have to understand the sense of the song, even though it's not such a complicated text to read. Extremely boring.

"Per piacere" is noted for the total lack of any meaning in the lyrics, as well as for the overly predictable and banal melody. Despite everything, it is the "least bad" of the album regarding melody, if we really have to name one "least bad".

The last example I bring is "Minimale Maxibene", to highlight the high use of the Italian language by these guys and the banality and emptiness of content that abounds in this CD. This sounds more like a nursery rhyme for infants than a song from 2008. Terms like "chissene", "Minimale", "Maxibene" abound in this song, which is supposed to express sorrow for a relationship on the rocks, but as I have already said, it just seems like a poorly done nursery rhyme.

Essentially, after listening to three or four songs, I have personally asked myself: Why? Why? What is the point of putting together 4 guys who are no longer children (Dario is 26 years old, despite behaving and talking like a "bimbominchia") and making them sing this garbage? Looking at the bassist, I realized just how low we have fallen: it's clear this isn't his kind of music, yet he lowers himself to play in bands like this to get a bit of notoriety, because that's what people want, that's what is deemed "cool" by the current generation. This won't do. Being able to play four chords in a row isn't enough to make a mark in the world of music, and I find it really horrible that the appearance of singers is lately considered almost more important than the music they produce.

In conclusion, I can say that this is, alas, yet another album by a group that relies on the usual commercial tactics and a "trendy" look to attract the huge masses of child-adolescents, who regularly fall for it. I have tried to maintain as objective and polite an attitude as possible, even though these outrages which I consider insults to music really make me shudder and anger me, especially when I think of so many much less famous bands, but with much more passion, that would deserve to emerge as undeservedly as these groups do. I hope the members of the group realize the path they've taken, and have the good sense to start making music out of passion, and not for money and fame.