Fiub
Ciubirismeicheuan

A duo, guitar/vocals (Gabriele Ferreri) and drums (Pierangelo Mecca), an impactful sound, very direct, at times rough and terribly rock. No beating around the bush to review "Ciubirismeicheuan", the debut full-length from the Bergamasco group after the already commendable "Brown Stripes EP".

Signed with Jestrai, Fiub produced, in 2006, the most beautiful album in the label's catalog. A sound obviously indebted to desert rock, especially Queens Of The Stone Age (self-titled period), Kyuss, Stooges, Brant Bjork; thus seeking an alternative path to the continuous comparison with the more renowned and illustrious White Stripes.

The formula is as simple as it is effective: saturate the guitars with Bigmuff, shoot off riffs of few chords, and hit the skins as hard as possible. Their past as hardcore-punk musicians (Gabriele was a drummer with Mugs, Pier in Longwinded) is definitively left behind: the musical proposal increasingly aligns with the primitive rock'n'roll sound of the late '60s - early '70s, without necessarily referencing the revival conducted by Danko Jones and company.

"Slowly Wind" is the track that characterizes their sound: guitar in open E (often tuned to D) which allows covering the absence of bass; a reasonably flexible voice that shifts from murmured tones to shouted ones; a drumbeat that is consistent and relentless. "Pipòu" has the classic guitar riff that sticks in your head and you end up whistling it in the most unlikely places. "Suicide Booth" is a long stoner ride pervaded by the sound of the theremin (played by Davide Eseni) that concludes with a bluesy jam. "Clocks" is the unexpected track, with harmonic riff underpinned by synth (used by Luca Ferrari of Verdena) supported by sounds dear to the Velvet Underground as well as Sonic Youth, and interpreted by the voice of Martina Togni, which seems to echo the never too lamented Nico.

The production is satisfying, although improvable under certain aspects (compressions, cymbal sound; in the "2nd lady" track the recording is dull and clean). It would be optimal to recreate the sound they manage to develop live on the record, thus creating a wall of roughness and power that few groups have as of late.

"Ciubirismeicheuan" is appreciated in its simplicity and its overall success: if they manage to further break away from their influences, they could become one of the indispensable groups in the personal rock playlist. I won't dwell on explaining the meaning of the group's name or the lyrics. I leave room for your imagination for this.