Negramaro
Negramaro

Let's go back a few years... it's 2003. In the province of Lecce, a band takes its first steps in the alternative music circuit, mainly thanks to numerous live performances in local venues and pubs. The big step happens during the first Coca Cola Live@Mtv, where the six musicians manage to establish themselves in the mainstream circuit by opening the concert. 

Now forget La Finestra, Sugar, Sanremo, the San Siro concert... these were Negramaro then, before the national success came. Their self-titled debut album, released in the same year, is perhaps one of their most successful works, but certainly the most genuine. Being self-produced, the presence of Corrado Rustici is absent, which a few years later would make a mess with his forced arrangements, a bit pop and a bit rock (basically a middle ground). The album is probably known by few, because often in the discography of the Salento band, it is almost never mentioned. This is because many believe that their true debut came the following year with 000577 (which contains most of the songs present in "Negramaro", but with different arrangements): a colossal mistake. 
The sound, even though raw, is certainly harder. The guitars are scratchy and dirty, the sounds more raw. The voice, less sharp than usual and different from how we know the young Giuliano Sangiorgi, creates the right balance with the sound that makes this album unique. It starts with "Es-senza", composed of a nice initial guitar riff, while the drums really do a great job. The voice is aggressive and strong, in a great crescendo of emotions. "Solo" shows us the more "melodic" side of the band; the six strings are omnipresent, but the melody drops in tone, making this piece quite catchy. It returns again to stronger canons with "Apnea", opened by powerful percussions. Moreover, electronics appear for the first time in the album, which we will also find in subsequent works; precisely the frequent use of these instruments within the track makes it very similar to the early works of Muse (those of Origin Of Symmetry). "Come Sempre" instead is a splendid ballad that greatly resembles "Shiver", the first single of Coldplay. The track is one of the best on the album, so much so that a slightly different version (the softer one from 000577) was chosen by RAI to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The fifth track is "Zanzare", a mix of scratchy sounds and synthesizers (Sangiorgi also uses the distorted voice effect) while "Evidentemente" is a melancholic song for acoustic guitar. The poignant and pressing "Genova22" brings us back a bit to the old Italian singer-songwriter music: the true gem of the album. "Mono" revolves around a small psychedelic interlude on the keyboard, accompanied by the scratchy guitar and the rhythm of the drums. "Si è fermato il tempo" is chilling, probably the highest peak of the CD: composed mainly of a melody reminiscent of Oasis, the song reaches at times again that pinch of psychedelia present in the previous track, but the execution standard is decidedly different: here everything is at full throttle. "K-Money" is introduced by a strange noise of voices, then once again marks the return to electronics; the short guitar solo in the middle of the piece is beautiful. "Gommapiuma", an innovative track that sees the addition of winds (you won't believe it, but it is so), then leaves space for the beautiful instrumental "Notturno" that closes the album.

It is infuriating to think what the band could have done if they had followed the path set by this album, which remains undoubtedly one of the best, even though known by very few. I have nothing to say about the following albums ("Mentre tutto Scorre" and "La Finestra" would have been excellent works without some slip-ups, while fortunately "San Siro Live" and "Casa 69" marked a strong return to origins) but, you know, as the saying goes: "Wealth is a good servant, but it is the worst of lovers".

A word to the wise is enough.