Immanuel Casto
Freak&Chic

From a musical standpoint, "Freak&Chic" doesn't offer any particular innovations, following the usual electro motifs, now necessary tricks to make good singles. The real novelties are found at the end of the CD and give us information on its interpretation since at first glance it might seem the usual rehash of sexual wordplay and irreverent tunes. Instead, the album serves as a compendium of the trends and themes previously addressed by the Diva and can be considered the turning point of an already established tendency towards commitment and social denunciation.

From the very first track "Freak&Chic," a strong resemblance to Colombo by Baustelle is evident; it is a metaphor for the evil within the capitalist system, as F. Bianconi would say, the manifesto of appearance, of the now recurring parties in Sardinia and at Pineta, of trash TV; a sanctuary of trash, between sex orgies, racism, and branded bags that, despite flaunting monetary wealth, show a clear poverty of spirit. Casto's style is one of extraordinary decadent realism, marked by a feeling of disorientation and a premonition of the end, leaving a bitter taste.

Following is Zero Carboidrati, a famous single from 2012 which, although it became the anthem of #BoicottaBarilla, hides a biting critique of the frantic pursuit of a perfect body; the base, full of the typical atmosphere of gyms, provides a backdrop to the hammering slogan of "I want lipo!"

Sexual Navigator is the classic Diva single, much loved for both its musicality and its humorous and innuendo-laden lyrics. It's not inappropriate to draw a comparison with Anal Beat from 2008, now one of his most successful tracks, although the music leans more towards Escort 25 than the famous porn groove.

Tropicanal, on the other hand, evokes tropical atmospheres. If the initial triplet describes the classic gesture of applying sunscreen at a seaside resort, you can already sense a strong sexual charge, evoked by words like "gaia" "godo" and the rhymes “infrante /sfrante,” “duro/paguro” and “gabbiani/ani,” recurring throughout the track, idealizing the relaxing freedom of a gay cruise. Already a summer hit in 2013, it will surely reappear this summer.

Sognando Cracovia, a fantastic collaboration with Romina Falconi, talks about the hunters of Slavic inheritances. "Two golden teeth, a subsidy worth envying [...] You and I in this do ut des, love at the borders of the east." The theme of pleasure has just given way to that of personal interest, and Casto's denunciation has become less veiled.

Anusmouthhand reflects fetish atmospheres with a vocoder repeatedly uttering the title. It is insipid but conveys oppressive atmospheres symbolizing a mystical crisis.

Next is Redemption, a dubstep piece to which Immanuel entrusts the task of breaking up the album. This track marks the departure from Casto's usual product. The music itself, with its angry rhythm, perhaps denotes an inner conflict of the lyrical self, now tired of the pleasures of the flesh, surrenders to a techno ballad titled Comunione e Liberazione. The music, classic porn groove, is sterile (in a positive sense) and almost celestial. Far from being a denunciation of the Church, as might be expected from the title, it is instead a true declaration of love, reminiscent of Battiato's La cura. We have moved from the mundane sphere and have elevated; finally, human feelings appear as if the century had forgotten its Apollonian nature and rejected the ethical-Christian vision of healthy values to embrace a Nietzschean spirit of dissolute and senseless life. It begins to feel like a disease corroding him, his rejection of reality, and the ensuing detachment, which evidently is mutual because "how can you love someone else when you can only love yourself?" By now, the self hates itself because it has separated from the pack and, bearing higher values, realizes it does not live up to them ("how can I love someone else if I can't even love myself").

Unfortunately, Immanuel dies. We do not know if it is a suicide, though it is unlikely, given the unshakeable feeling of dirt that we can connect to Gaber's La puzza. Since I Died describes his spirit, now free from the oppression of a standard imposed by capitalism and media, rising above the irrationality of an ambitious society. Life is seen as a disease, death as the final attainment of perfection. It seems the only way to deserve a person's love is to die. Hence the invitation to join him in a higher dimension, free from earthly constraints and struggles.

There is no way of escape, it is a tribute to death, which the lyrical self sees as the only way out. "I have closed with the past, clean and immaculate [...] for I have never felt so perfect." The anxiety of doing and the stress of life are gone; all those apparent pleasures enjoyed on earth were instead the cause of anxiety. Finally, when dead, Immanuel can reunite with his ideals. A guitar riff and classical instruments follow, celestial symbols of peace and a higher dimension, contrasting with Redemption's claustrophobic atmospheres. The track then ends with metallic and digital sounds. It is undoubtedly one of the best pieces Immanuel has ever written.

This album focuses on the identity crisis of the individual within mass society based on "you are only what others think of you." This homogenizing system leads us to misunderstand that many behave like the herd not to feel excluded. Bearers of old values, we deny the new generations; while they, feeling part of a distant and moralistic system, end up feeling like small cogs in a big machine and accentuate their diversity, unfortunately becoming all the same. It is a perverse system to which the artist finds no escape.

This album truly leaves a bitter aftertaste.