Diaframma
Il futuro sorride a quelli come noi

THE REVIEW

“Diaframma is not a punk band.” Federico, you may not play punk (at least not punk tout-court), but it's undeniable that the spirit is there. A flagbearer of Italian independent rock, Fiumani has been traversing the peninsula for three decades, offering his “singer-songwriter punk,” accompanied by good sidemen, without worrying too much about trends and genres that are fashionable today and forgotten tomorrow. He himself, until a few years ago, candidly admitted not even having a computer at home. In recent years, however, he's repeatedly launched the “Christmas Gift” initiative, a series of EPs and live bootlegs downloadable for free from his Myspace.

Fiumani sometimes really seems like someone living in a world of his own. After the dark new wave “shadows” of the Eighties, he dedicated himself to a mix of punk, poetry, and singer-songwriter spirit which, over twenty years later, not only remains pleasant to listen to but even comes across as convincing. How he always manages to have “something interesting to say” is unknown. Let it be clear, if you write fifteen studio albums over twenty-five years, you can't expect a masterpiece every time. In fact, Fiumani often tends to be quite inconsistent, alternating memorable tracks with merely decent ones. The fact is that this “Il futuro sorride a quelli come noi” is certainly one of his most inspired works and perhaps the last truly noteworthy one for now, with much of the discography from the last ten years often considered rather tentative. Fiumani could write in any year of any decade, but the final result would hardly change. The themes (or rather, I would now call them real obsessions) are always the same: women, tormented loves, the regret of missed opportunities. This same album could have been written in 2001 or 1991: the difference, in all probability, would have been very little. On one hand, the formula is now well-established (frankly, it's unclear which direction any attempt at renewal could take), on the other Fiumani almost always delivers results that meet expectations. People almost never scream “masterpiece,” and it's never a complete disaster. An excellent way to “float” with class and skill in a recording industry that's increasingly in crisis.

But the songs? Extremely valid, as mentioned before, also thanks to the excellent work done by Federico's “team”: Riccardo “Foggy” Biliotti on bass, Alessandro Gherardi on keyboards, and Alessandro Gerbi on drums. “Donna guru” placed at the beginning does its duty, with its rhythmic pace and ironic lyrics, “Il futuro sorride a quelli come noi” alternates between a “fired-up” punk first part and a more melancholic and reflective one. The best comes as the album progresses, with tracks like “Il telefono”, a rather sunny piece, the evocative “Siberia 2”, which revisits the atmospheres of the debut, and “Telenovela”, where sexual references long characteristic of Fiumani’s writing are not lacking. A special mention for “Movimento”, perhaps the most successful track of the entire work. In closing, we (re)find “Un giorno balordo”, an old piece from the Eighties that here gains new light.

In conclusion? In conclusion, “Il futuro sorride a quelli come noi” proves to be a heavyweight in the discography of Our Ones, an album of absolute value that would truly be a shame to miss. And once again, given the results achieved, one must wonder if the niche success that Fiumani has always sought is precisely what has allowed him to arrive so “intact” and credible to the present day. 

Tracklist:

1.  Donna Guru

2.  L'intensità della vita

3.  Il futuro sorride a quelli come noi

4.  Il telefono

5.  La mia tenera amica

6.  Siberia n°2

7.  La rivolta

8.  Canzone brutta

9.  I figli sopravvivono

10.  Telenovela

11.  Movimento

12.  Un giorno balordo

Lineup: 

Federico Fiumani: vocals and guitar

Riccardo “Foggy” Biliotti: bass

Alessandro Gherardi: keyboards

Alessandro Gerbi: drums