Gazzelle
Post Punk

From the series 'you go back to where you felt good'.

Because yes, in the end, you always end up appreciating more the modus operandi to which your ear is accustomed. Simplistic aside.

This happens to me with Flavio aka Gazzelle, in this 2019 truly full of surprises (not always pleasant ones). In most cases, just a guitar and a piano; what else do you need when your song holds up well enough to convey everything with just a few chords?

Post Punk is nothing other than the expanded version of the album Punk, released in 2018 under the label Maciste Dischi. Gazzelle achieves gold record status for the third consecutive time, but that's not the point I'm focusing on (who cares about sales, I'm a listener). The point is that these tracks are fantastic in their simplicity; they are the perfect attire for an autumn that will welcome a cold but reassuring winter.

Even the hit Polynesia denies the compulsion of a summer at all costs. It gets to the essence I emphasize when listening to tracks like Sopra. Most of the lyrics impressed me with the finesse used in combining the darkest melancholy with typically pop romanticism.

To get an idea, I recommend Sbatti (which I think is my favorite at the moment) and SMPP (Stavi male pure prima). These are among the most stripped-down, if you will. The first makes me think of the prelude to something great, but maybe it's just my impression. The second is sharp; at times it seems to rise from the dark current it plunges into, but I really don't think there's any escape.

It would be easy now to make a speech about the current Italian scene to place Gazzelle "in his place" between one guy and another guy (I had written the names of some well-known people which I later removed, as I want this review to focus on this guy). This is written by someone who certainly doesn't have the truth in his pocket, but cauldrons and scenes don't exist. I don't feel like cataloging at all. Whatever sonic refinement you wish to compose, you must have fundamentally valid pieces that lend themselves well to the most intimate execution. They're just songs. Whether they are liked or not will certainly not be a matter of pairing.

They are not anthems, they are a hand on the shoulder; and for me - in music - that is a great compliment.