Breus

One of the most original and influential metal bands of the '80s, capable of giving a decisive twist to sound contaminations and painting metal itself with new colors. They "refounded" themselves two years ago, releasing a massive and incredibly fierce album.

It's nice to meet other admirers of Deca. Phantom is an excellent work in terms of sound (it contains some of the most extraordinary electronic sounds ever heard), but perhaps it's a bit lengthy and repetitive. Brian Eno used to say that repetition is a form of change. Well!.... Certainly, Deca has done better.

There's no vote for the record... which for me represents a gem of synthpop lightness from the early '80s. The OMD, among other things, were soon relegated to a supporting role, ending up as supporters for Depeche Mode at the end of the decade.

One Allevi album is worth another: overhyped in the most classic Italian way, this artist owes much to a well-connected manager and to the fact that we always arrive twenty years late. The music Allevi produces is trite and recycled, offering nothing new either on a compositional or emotional level, because a thousand before him have done the same exact things. To shout genius when listening to these records means lacking musical culture and not understanding the mechanisms that drive an artist's success.

Nickelback are astonishingly bland. Rock flatness that only Americans could enjoy. But since today, the more banal the music, the more it's shoved down our throats through the media, making us believe it's the best out there, in the end, I can't blame Nickelback: they do their job and enjoy the dough. However, I do blame those who are blinkered and unable to evolve... and to understand that there might be something more original and intense out there.

I think this is an underrated album, especially by fans of Air, who have approached it with prejudice and failed to grasp one fundamental thing: 10,000 Hertz was a creative attempt to take a step forward from Moon Safari... only to quickly lose the courage to dare and retreat into familiar territory, with two copycat albums that ensure a quiet life.
10,000 Hertz contains very well-structured pieces, with unique melodies, ironically electro sounds blended with lounge and ambient landscapes.
I’m sorry, but it’s a great album.

In comparison to Ligabue, Vasco Rossi is Mozart. And I've said it all, considering that Vasco, aside from his early albums, has done nothing but grind the same melodies and the same lyrics endlessly, reinventing himself with an admirable audacity. Ligabue makes cookie-cutter songs, of only two types (the raspy ballad and the square rock), expressing a level of musicality and originality equivalent to that of a concrete mixer. One fact remains: the proof that to sell records, go on extravagant tours, and be considered an idol, all it takes is a manager with a lot of money and connections.

This album would deserve a 4 if it weren't for the fact that before it there's Night Time, of which Brighter seems like a more apocalyptic knock-off, but not for that reason more aggressive or successful, considering the style of Killing Joke. Where Night Time strung together eight tracks more extraordinary than the last, with a perfect balance of sound, rhythm, and lyrics, Brighter indulges in content and rounds the sound towards a more "pop" or at least more traditional conception. A nice album, above the average of that year. But thinking about what Coleman and company have produced...

Allevi is a classic case of a musician who, thanks to powerful promotion, enjoys a lot of credit among the public despite offering ideas that are hackneyed and overused, which thousands of other pianists have already presented before him, better and with more creativity. He doesn't possess particularly exceptional piano technique, nor does he have an original writing style (on the contrary)... and he relies on a certain emotional intimacy that has guaranteed his success precisely because it is accessible to everyone. Frankly, I found his concert extremely boring... and to think that (you know it well) I’m a lover of music that is quite "heavy." Overrated artist.