lux

No one noticed that instead of Half-Mute I wrote Half Minute referring to the Tuxedomoon album, make attention please.

The CCCP were not a revival because they reinterpreted; no one sounded like them, not even in America (because foreign influences exist, it's true, but they are filtered into a new synthesis at a strictly musical level and with an attitude of someone who knows how to communicate a lot with the minimum of expressive means... and Ferretti's vocal style... intellectually wild...unique). In Litfiba, I don't see this reinterpretation; "Eroi nel vento" is the (stereo)typical standard new wave piece with narcissistic '80s keyboard sounds, plasticized post-punk drums, and poses that are almost 10 years old and look like they come from those who are manic-epileptic. I also think of Steve Albini, who was starting to create music in that period and was already ahead by more than 10 years. I've always liked talking about the international scene because a broader perspective is obviously the most complete, exhaustive, and truthful. I can be and/or feel like the most handsome guy in the neighborhood (obviously I'm not...), but as soon as I move to the neighboring area, I'm no one anymore; this clearly means that I suffer a bit from provincialism.

"Litfiba before El Diablo were a textually, musically, and conceptually different and seminal group in the Italian rock scene of the eighties".... the opening lines of EZ's review. The Litfiba were obsolete since '85, and could only make an impact in the barren Italian rock landscape. Of a completely different caliber was the first and beautiful album by CCCP, genuinely personal as an expression of Italian rock (also from '85). Then think what you want, of course.

Ahah, what the hell kind of ranking is this... especially compiled by whom? Instead, listen to this story about rock... in '77, the self-titled album by Suicide and Marquee Moon by Television come out; in '78, The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu; in '79, 154 by Wire; in '80 it's the turn of Crazy Rhythms by the Feelies and Half Minute by Tuxedomoon... damn, I almost forgot about Devo with their debut in '78... not to mention the classics by Cure and Joy Division... damn, where do we place Killing Joke? And the No-Wave movement? I also forgot about Siouxsie and the Banshees... the early Sonic Youth... eeeh, these new generations of Deb, I find them just like the ones back in the day :-)

But why does no one admit that even with Desaparecido, Litfiba were already a new wave revival band? I understand that the Italian rock scene has almost always been a faded and servile copy of Anglo-American rock, always lagging behind the times, but I really don't understand in what way these Litfiba would have been seminal.

S4DOLL, what do you think of Uncharted 2?

The best after Mulholland Drive, even better than Lost Highway. Of course, there’s also a certain Eraserhead to consider, mmm...

Well, these are the most visited reviews with the most comments: so? I suppose jazz reviews generally don't deserve the disdain of a Liga or a Vasco, and therefore prove to be emotionally more neutral. And objectively, a 3 given to a minor work by Miles Davis is less shocking than a 3 given to this brutal musical culture disgrace, no matter how deliberately provocative the review was.

Goodbye, Rock!

Well, in all honesty and after a couple of years since the review, I must acknowledge that Low is the best slowcore band that has ever existed, not just for their individual albums, but especially for the consistent quality of their entire discography over time. They've managed to maintain high standards with minimal (or almost no) means. 5 to their career.