cptgaio

I don't find her that despicable; if she put in some effort, she could come up with some pretty nice stuff in my opinion... by the way, the Sanremo piece, maybe because it reminded me of the dearly loved Nada, I quite liked it.

I don't know what that (A) is doing there, and it was "a lot of meat on the fire"...

A lot of meat on the fire, thanking those who have passed by I’ll say my piece on the issues raised: A) I don’t believe the intent of the operation is to try to change who knows what (the question mark at the end of the title gives an indication of the ironic take on the matter) but rather to make a wider audience aware that certain artists exist: I agree that some phrases about the "ghettoization" of Indie and the piece on XL could have been avoided, but I remind friends who have come here that it's still an invasion into the world of classic showbiz and one must adapt to it in some way; after all, the After and their "cheerful" company are not the first among the "unsuspecting" to do so, nor will they be the last. Of course, they are Italian, and we tend to be a bit harsher on our fellow countrymen than on foreigners regarding "ethical" issues, but at least in this case I would overlook that and focus more on the musical discourse, which, anyway, from a "commercial" point of view, will not change the cards on the table in the Italian music industry by 90%. What I mean is that for once we should consider these guys as if they were on a trip to a country that isn’t their own and not judge them too harshly if they wish to sell a few hundred more copies of their albums (because I doubt the final numbers at the end of the day will deviate from this kind of figure). Regarding the purely musical discussion, what I think I wrote in the review: I find it a heterogeneous collection but made with good taste and featuring many high-level songs, sold at an acceptable price and born from an admirable underlying idea. Thanks again to everyone!

Oh my God Hb, honestly I wouldn't know. Often, however, it happens that the exclusion from that collection is due to contractual constraints et similia. Then a lot depends on whether the artist has a record coming out with the Sanremo piece in the meantime...and the After, even if in an unusual way, have it.

I haven't seen it yet, but "gut feeling" tells me it might not be so bad. There's talk that they changed the ending, and that has always bothered me. We'll see; however, the 4 reviews that appeared on DeB all (if I'm not mistaken) give it 3 stars and express fairly unanimous opinions, so I think it will be something without infamy and without praise.

Here, I acknowledge that it's Feiez (thanks to Larrok). @Fusi: it's a matter of attitude, exactly :-D

Yes, "Damned Sixteenth" is just as effective! Thanks to you too, Carl!

So, I thank Gustavo (I think I forgot to do that earlier...) and then, in response to Carlo, I have to say, when it comes to the Zu, even though I've known them for years, only this last "Carboniferous" evoked something more than mere technical admiration (which, as we know, isn't enough for us to love someone or something: maybe it's a certain kind of "metallic" atmosphere, but I truly believe it's a significant record for Italian music, despite many initial doubts related to their past). As for the Zen Circus, I believe if you like rather angry punk atmospheres (even antique ones ;-) ) they will suit you well. Anyway, in the review, if you click on their name in the TbT, you end up on their MySpace where you can listen enough to form an idea... (key lyric "when I was twenty I was a jerk," a phrase quoted obviously as a reference and not as a critique of dear twenty-something debaser users, to be clear...;-) ) @Ashanti: Oh my, you’re asking me a difficult question and it depends on where you look at it from (and in this case, it also depends on what they had in mind...the country in general or just its musical landscape? Listening to the lyrics, I'd say the first hypothesis). Provocatively, I might think that no record alone "makes something better" but that it's the listeners and users who determine its relevance and social importance, often beyond the intentions of those who conceived, wrote, and performed the record (this is one of the reasons why, even though I don't adore them, I find the Beatles fundamental, to give you an example). But this is indeed an "ethical" discussion that humanity will always be divided on, as Donjunio and I are on Nirvana...(you don't think, Don, that you're the only one who sparks debates ;-) eh!), because in the end, we'll never know if what we like is something we've decided completely ourselves or if it's shaped by others. Never, and I say "never" with as much objectivity as I'm capable of. So from that perspective, I would say yes. If I have to choose a less "romantic" and more scientific attitude, the answer is no: and I'll spare you the statistical data on how little it matters to the average Italian (if we’re talking about real life and not music: because musically, I think this episode will remain irrelevant for the future of the Italian scene). Thank you all!

Feyez...sorry.

I don't adore their latest albums, but (and I believe we’ve discussed this before) I think "Italyan, Rum Casusu Çikti" is among the most beautiful Italian albums of all time, and they are always a great show live. As for the question about Feiez, I share your opinion, although more than in the lyrics, it's really certain musical stylistic choices (especially in the latest album) that left me a bit puzzled. I know the band’s struggles and all the hard work they've put in, but my point was more about their approach to the audience, which, unlike many "gloomy" bands, has always been characterized by a more straightforward and explicit communication (with all the merits and defects that implies). To make a comparison, the way of communicating of the Afterhours was completely different: it was based more on "Impact" than on interaction, and at that time (the mid-'90s), I loved that. I believe this is a common characteristic of all Italian "indie" bands. That's why I say that comparisons with the Eelst are difficult... completely different "way of life" ;-)