Giubbo

Poletti, do you know what comes through from your review and your comments? A nice dose of inconsistency. You never miss an opportunity to let loose with your film knowledge by analyzing shots from Antonioni's films, only to come up with this "act of love," as you call it. It's fine to have fatal attractions (in fact, anyone who doesn’t is not proving to be alive), but to equate The Simpsons with the directors of the past... what sense does that make? It's like saying my fridge is more beautiful than Australia... what sense does that make? And then you say, "everyone's dead"... so what? When Matt Groening dies, will The Simpsons go from "genius phenomenon that unites everyone" to "a tale for fake intellectuals dead inside"? Not to mention that the "everyone's dead" directors are the same ones you praise in another 1000 of your comments. So there are two possibilities: either you're schizophrenic, or your younger sister is posting comments under your name. Oh, one last thing: the scene of the crowd advancing with torches in hand and military steps... are you sure the reference is Frankenstein? Or just a simple "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"? Maybe I'm wrong, but don’t amplify everything related to The Simpsons.

In my opinion, it’s an amazing album. Honestly, I didn’t know it before; I listened to it just for fun. Well, it literally won me over. I’m eager to listen to his previous albums. Damn, if they’re on par with this one... the voice as an instrument, you’re right. And all of it on this bubbling wave of dirty electronics. Angelic voice in prayer over a carpet of hellish, or rather, concrete, existential sounds. It’s the clash of these two characteristics that makes the album a masterpiece, in my opinion. But how do the other albums compare to this one? In stores, you can only find this.

Andymonroe, did you download or buy this album? No, because as a fan of theirs, I wouldn't even think about downloading it. Finding it in stores was out of the question. So, I had it sent from Chicago (they're from Chicago and among their local collaborations, there are also the Tortoise).

votes:

Oh my God, in this album (which I consider a real gem, just like its predecessor "rawar style," of which I wrote a review) I can simply hear so much dub, which enriches certain spot-on narcoleptic melodies and other cheerful ones with a more punk spirit. The lo-fi electronics are, as usual, excellent, the Casio keyboards are fantastic, and the noir breakbeat rhythm of "heatray" is superb. This is one of the most underrated bands of recent years. They deserve more fame. I saw them live in Brescia. I had a blast, especially when the singer came down from the stage and started singing while climbing onto a table, where just a few seconds earlier a couple had been exchanging cuddles. I’ll let you imagine their happiness...

Flinstone, in fact, Padua and Venice have always been more dynamic, "less sleepy" than the other cities in Veneto. Verona has a great history (not only because it is a Roman city but also in the following centuries) and if we look at the map, it is located at an important crossroads, between the Milan-Venice axis and the Brenner-rest of Italy axis. Given these important foundations, I don’t understand the social behavior of Verona as a small town that is not just a stopover. Perhaps one of the most significant factors is the university: Padua has a university dating back to the 13th century; it is now an important institution that influences the entire city. Because of this, people from all over Italy have been going to study in Padua for many decades, leading to exchanges of ideas, etc. In Verona, the university has existed for 20 years and has always been quite sluggish. Also, there are no major events in Verona (other than that Vinitaly nonsense... I mean, nonsense at a social level). Poletti, why don’t you answer me about the movies?

Flinstone, in fact, Padua and Venice have always been more dynamic, "less sleepy" than the other cities in Veneto. Verona has a great history (not only because it is a Roman city but also in the following centuries) and if we look at the map, it is located at an important crossroads, between the Milan-Venice axis and the Brenner-rest of Italy axis. Given these important foundations, I don’t understand the social behavior of Verona as a small town that is not just a stopover. Perhaps one of the most significant factors is the university: Padua has a university dating back to the 13th century; it is now an important institution that influences the entire city. Because of this, people from all over Italy have been going to study in Padua for many decades, leading to exchanges of ideas, etc. In Verona, the university has existed for 20 years and has always been quite sluggish. Also, there are no major events in Verona (other than that Vinitaly nonsense... I mean, nonsense at a social level). Poletti, why don’t you answer me about the movies?

Dear Flinstone, I must admit that your statement about me "turning the tables" makes me chuckle a bit, as you expected. I assure you that my phrase "Veneto, land of bigots" = "there is no Veneto that is not a bigot" is an equality that I have never intended to flaunt. Furthermore, it seems truly a bit absurd and forced to interpret my statement in the way you have, especially since we're talking about things on a broad scale, thus impossible to categorize precisely. According to your reasoning, one should never talk about things that go beyond the details, because we risk saying imprecise things. For example, saying "today was a beautiful day" is already incorrect, because there must have been at least a second where I wasn't thinking about how happy I was. My point of view (my point of view, even before the opinion itself) is diametrically opposed to yours. I actually believe that Italians tend to consider themselves a bit superior, the smartest (be careful, I said tend, meaning I don't mean to imply that everyone is, mind you). But this is my personal opinion. The fact that not all Venetians are bigots, just as you said (and I repeat, I never meant to say otherwise), is proven by the fact that some of them choose to live abroad. Many do so more by choice than necessity. Or perhaps it's precisely this act of leaving, and thus getting to know (one of the noblest functions of the brain, as I mentioned earlier) different people, new customs, new realities, that washes away any possible bigotry within them. Those who instead huddle in their small towns, in their little realities, come into contact only with nearby people, from whom they absorb teachings without much thought, without elaboration. With this mechanism, groups like the yellow-blue brigades (the far-right Verona fan club) or Lega were born, which arose from the "fear of the alien." Notice how the alien previously was the "terrone," then the "negro" (much more different from the terrone, thus more dangerous), then the "Romanian," and finally ending with the Chinese.

Poletti, for example, I think one of the most talented young directors is Wes Anderson. I had an absolute blast watching The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, even though I recognize that it's a (deliberately) academic film, a straight-A student sort of work. But that irony... I find it irresistible! Have you seen it? What do you think?

Flinstone, I’m responding to you. I don’t think I spoke in clichés, given that I experience this reality with all my 5 senses. In fact, since you tell me you no longer live in Veneto, perhaps you’re the one who, not knowing things in depth, or at least not living "inside" it, speaks a bit in clichés. What do you say? Anyway, the fact that I say Veneto is a bigoted region doesn’t mean I claim that everyone is bigoted (I also have many friends who are not bigoted, just as you consider yourself), but that most people are. This seems obvious to me, just as it's obvious to say that saying "Italian cuisine is the best in the world" doesn’t mean claiming that a rustic dish eaten at a service station is better than any other non-Italian dish. When speaking on a large scale, as in this case, whether we like it or not, generalizations are made, but it’s still possible to establish a "trend" of how things are. My personal definition of a bigot: someone who has a view of things and their consequences that reaches only a few centimeters from themselves. Being bigoted, in short, doesn’t mean being stupid, but not being trained to use the brain in its noblest functions.