Krisma
Nothing To Do With The Dog

THE REVIEW

Krisma, or Cristina Moser and Maurizio Arcieri.

A couple connected not only by a lasting liaison that extends artistically to the present day but also in private affections, Krisma (Chrisma in the early part of their career) have represented, due to several eccentricities as well as equally traceable peculiarities expressed throughout their artistic arc straddling the late seventies and the early bustling eighties, a unique case within the often fossilized Italian Pop scene.

"Nothing To Do With The Dog" recorded at the famous Atlantic Recording Studios in New York City between February and May 1983 and released for the US market with the more ergonomic title "Fido," turns out to be the fifth effort over long distances composed essentially of a handful [seven actual tracks plus three brief instrumentals] of icily synthetic trac(k)s, for a scant half-hour in total. Released in Italy with the assistance of the newly founded Franton Rec., it was intended by the Authors to be the seal and the definitive unlock of their expressive ambitions with a subsequent transversal affirmation of the ever-growing interest directed towards them due to the intriguing works preceding it: the memory runs to that "Clandestine Anticipation" of the previous year accompanied by the videoclips of the tracks "Miami" and "Water" broadcast by the rigid state Networks thanks to Carlo Massarini and His anticipatory TV show "Mister Fantasy."

I’m digressing. As usual. Forgive me.

As mentioned: pioneers, at least within domestic borders, in a certain way of understanding and organizing new audio/video technologies in music: the work in question was completely shaped thanks to the help of a "simple" Casio MT 65; Krisma with this abstractly icy (by the standards of the time) monolith, which, to be fair, cannot and should not be fully considered their best creation, actually reach the peak of their electro-propulsive push: a multifaceted wave/electro-POP of exclusively synthetic origin where the treated and sinuously attractive vocal lines of Kristina tend to evert the warmer and more human side of the musically robotized partnership.

Besides the electro-playful opening track that serves as the title track (if I'm not mistaken, the first single released from the album) among various others, I would mention the martially synthetic "Carefully," the particular rereading of "I'm Not In Love" of 10CC-memory, and also the multi-rhythmic "I Must Know Your Name" as moments endowed with greater visionary strength within a piece of work that in certain marginal episodes (the three interlocutory percussive experiments named "Drumming") does not always manage to maintain a high tension of the remarkable innovative push that serves as the inseparable trait d'union of their unusual and forward-looking artistic journey.  

From an interview of the time:

"Don't you feel a bit detached from what are the especially Italian musical realities?"
M.A.: "With a bit of presumption, we could say that it's others who are out of tune with us."