Masoko
Bubu'7te

STOP. This album has an exceptional flair. A tempo, an air, a manner, a conduct, a carefree attitude that only "Mi Alleno Contro Un Muro" by I Fichissimi had, but STOP, because it's transposed in a purely POP key. Do you like Gaznevada, the Cars, the Replacements from Hootenanny, the Gang of Four, in short the New-Old-Wave-Poppy-Neurotic? Masoko, or better known as the Bloc Party of Centocelle, will make you spend half an hour tapping your foot, dancing, or simply shaking your neuronal connections.

The lyrics are much more than down-to-earth; they're delivered swiftly straight at you like pigeons in Piazza San Marco. They would seem simple oddities, yet they are stuffed with more or less obscene, more or less silly, more or less anxiety-inducing allusions.

The bridge of "Comfort" is emblematic in this sense: "The hot tub, the freezer with ice, visionary moments, musical instruments, air conditioning, I have the grass and the salad, a porno to finish, another to start."

The music of Masoko is a collage, a chaotic mosaic where the guitars shine. I love collages, I am an amateur collagist. This is the italo-pop that should (should have) climbed a few more charts. But nobody paid attention to them. It was the year 2006, the Italians were busy winning the World Cup, they had other frills on their minds.

So light and intangible that it leaves no mark, the Roman quartet seemed not even to try seriously in the recording phase. A real pity because perhaps you'll come upon the right day like me, where they will shine on par with other more renowned foreign bands like Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and above all the already mentioned Bloc Party. Understanding that playing with certain metrics "requires time and unique dedication... September has arrived" (quote from "Prima Colazione").

Favorite track: "Alfonso."

PS: Forgive me, Mr. Car Wrecker, I created your double. I obviously realized it after writing this whole review... I don't want to get de-banned, I swear. It's just that the album in question should be (re)discovered and considered for what it is: a little jewel of (sometimes) charming Italianity.