Gem Boy
Fiches (canzoni d'azzardo)

Ask me what the Gem Boy are famous for and I'll naturally answer: for their old songs, which we all sang when we were little, especially the famous (and now overused by users under the age of 13) "Orgia cartoon" and "Ciò il pissellone". 

The latest effort by the Bologna band, Fiches (beyond the double entendre, just to say that a leopard never changes its spots) no longer offers that mix of "Cazzo, figa, tette, culo, puttana" that made us laugh so much a long time ago. The lyrics are still oriented towards irony, but this time the GB offer more sarcasm and less gratuitous vulgarity.

Apart from the intro "Wow", we jump straight to the title track of the album, "Fiches", which deals with previous articles in science magazines, Focus in this case, including research confirming that a man thinks about sex every 10 seconds or so, global warming, and energy issues. It concludes with Carletto trying to convince fans to tackle more serious topics but failing."Puffetta al concerto" addresses the issue of young girls, those who go to their idols' concerts and stand where TRL broadcasts. The problem is that the protagonist is too small and thus gets crushed by the crowd, missing the concert and, in the end, fainting. Musically, one could say that, with that slow rhythm and choir, it would be a classic ballad, with a nice solo. Trio Medusa in the finale. "Pastiglie" tries to imagine what would happen if men came in pill form, explaining the various advantages, including cleanliness and the fact that they can easily be mistaken for candy or aspirin.

"Tarzanello" recounts the misadventures of a funny (indeed) Tarzanello, and this time there's little to no swearing. In fact, Gem Boy tries to convince that the song is harmless by having a child sing the chorus "Jambo jambo tarzanello della giungla sei il re, un pò secco e molto bello, Hakuna Matata Auimmauè" (we are not told who he is). "Postalmarchet" is instead a memory that many of you will probably have regarding "certain" catalogs and "certain pages". The song is sung in a manner that resembles certain songs heard on the radio, but maybe that's just my impression.

Gem Boy also tackle topics that play a part in everyday life like "Che avevi capito?" about double meanings, and others a bit less common ("Di che cacca sei?"); they revisit the theme of Japanese cartoons ("Hanno ucciso Jeeg Robot" which is not a parody of "Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno" by 883).

The end of the album sees keyboards prevail over guitars ("VIP e NIP" about the differences between important people and those who are not, "Maledetta Z" about accent difficulties, and "Un'ottima linguina" about an embarrassing situation at a restaurant).

In conclusion, "Io non vi con più" which deals with a breakup with a girl using cellphone metaphors and "A.C.D.C." about insults that are always directed at dogs (be careful with the chorus, it sticks and doesn't come out of your head!).

Never boring or trivial, even if not perfect, Gem Boy aims to be forgotten for what they were and to show that they can also create music. Not the best of the absurd, but still among the best.