Fishbone
The Reality Of My Sorroundings

Those who consider nu-metal a child of crossover are mistaken. The Crossover itself was born as one of the most unruly genres ever. The early Peppers were perhaps too challenging for the average listener, but the common formula was to put into music the extreme zest for life that characterized a minority of musicians in the '80s, years invaded by new wave and therefore by depression and frustration; an icy coating that Crossover aimed to thaw.

It was a never-accomplished feat, considering that the true standard-bearers of the genre (R.H.C.P. and our Fishbone) found their way only in the late '80s. Another fact to specify is that bands like Rage Against The Machine or Faith No More did not share the crossover philosophy, influenced by politics or grunge, these groups would be the real promoters of the nu-metal phenomenon, which ultimately deviates from pure Crossover.

This album, "The Reality Of My Surroundings" is perhaps the perfect work of the genre, considering also that excellent works like "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" did not have the exuberant spontaneity always preached in this musical field (while remaining praiseworthy albums). Seriousness is zero; pieces like "Fight The Youth", a sort of satire towards metal, play with remarkable freshness; the fusion of trumpets and rough guitars reaches here unattainable peaks of accessibility. The songs follow one another without ever seeming similar; the heterogeneity is absolute. Our guys do not hold back even regarding the form of the songs; indeed, they move from acrobatic nursery rhymes to ska rhythms like "If I Were A… I'd" (repeated four times) to suave and quirky serenades like "So Many Millions". "Asswhippin" is a simple tribal rhythm accompanied by whips and screams. There are songs that it's an understatement to call unrepeatable: "Housework" does not stop for a moment, a frantic race without a goal, an accurate fusion of frantic rhythms and instrumental charisma.

Off-key clamor like "Deathmarch", hypnotic ska-rock like "Behavior Control Technician" (a breath of fresh air), madcap punk like "Pressure" and bewildering tropical trips like "Junkies Prayer" are the essence of the album, incapable of giving itself a definitive form and therefore seminal in the world music scene. The enhanced reggae cadences of "Pray To The Junkiemaker" accompany us to the impressionistic anthem of "Everyday Sunshine", as pleasant as it is multi-ethnic. Not to forget the splendid digressions of "Babyhead", "Those Day are Gone" (perhaps prophetic) and "Sunless Saturday", two delicate sketches of what could have followed and was probably the real death of Crossover. The balance, musical, personal and existential, the antithesis of the genre itself.

A courageous album, not easy to digest, given the stylistic variety in which the songs move and the originality of the compositions. It might not be as well-known as other much more fortunate works of the period, but "The Reality Of My Surroundings" is fundamental to fully understand what Crossover was.