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Rating: The other day I was reminded of how great the invention of television was. But shortly after, I thought of what it has become, that is, nothing. In "Network," Sydney Lumet made a perfect picture of the future, and every now and then when I walk past that black box at home, I say to myself: "Well, it would be nice to turn it into an aquarium!… Even without fish, it would really be quite the sight!" At least there are other "artistic" solutions out there. For example, in the music field, albeit rarely, even in our old Italy, there's some small shake that makes us lift our heads. Sure, hoping for some good TV show is out of the question; or hoping to see a beautiful Fellini movie, not necessarily in prime time but maybe the second (and not the fifth), don’t count on it. We're only left with the umpteenth edition of the "Maurizio Costanzo Show" or that dump of waste which is "Porta a Porta." I still hope that a madman comes into the studio and starts throwing stones. Even if it's not live, they would still show us the episode, that's for sure. Then there's that great invention which is Advertising: we are flooded with heaps and heaps of empty and senseless advertisements, like that of the monkey who spends every single day with his friends getting high on cocktails made of black pills and milk, and when other groups of junkies steal them, they go into withdrawal and absolutely have to get them back. Bah! My hope is always that something changes, that someone makes a move, that maybe one evening on the news they say they've found "Mr. Him" with his throat cut tossed in a suburban dump. Let's wait and see…
In the meantime, I return to our local "shocks" (obviously underground): it's always nice to find oneself pleasantly surprised listening to something that comes right from here, that talks about situations we know well, our history, our daily happenings, our timeless: "Well, but everyone does that!"…
The "Offlaga Disco Pax" are from Emilia, and with this 2005 work, they struck me quite a bit: rather simple formulas applied to a good dose of inventiveness and courage. Theirs is a kind of electronic music with a reciting voice at the forefront: think of a mix of Suicide and Massimo Volume, obviously with the lesson of CCCP prominently on display, there's no escape. The name of the album shouldn't make you think of a political group, or rather, politics is there, but it isn't expressed through ridiculously rhetorical formulas as many groups still do today. If the lucid resignation of Massimo Volume was philosophical, that of Offlaga is political and social instead. The current situation in Italy is not exactly rosy, this is known, and yet their lyrics do not abandon themselves to nihilistic attitudes, but on the contrary, they energetically express their point of view, with autobiographical and sarcastic hints.
In short, this is not about invoking "The People United (jamás será vencido)," but rather daily experiences and old life photos are cited: it's mandatory for Offlaga to remember, for example, without regrets or nostalgia, that in the 70s, in their Cavriago "The Communist Party received 74% of the votes…" From this album emerge strong portraits of Italy, more or less important, old or current, raw or funny, autobiographical and not. They are polaroids of an Italy that no longer exists, or of an Italy that is living, and that unfortunately is empty. In these aspects, in their own way, lies the entire "sociology" and poetry of the album. Among school memories (the beautiful "Kappler"), memories of first love ("Khmer red"), general memories ("Robespierre").
I'm not interested in the album for the strictly political themes addressed (indeed, to tell the truth, the sublime art of governing the city has long since nauseated me), but rather for the originality. And I’m simply advising you to lend an ear. Whatever your political views or your musical genre preferences, give it a listen. After all, we are talking about Italy. And our beautiful Italian song! Indeed, hand on heart immediately, subversives!!
P.S. For those who are unfortunately devoid of a heart and are powered, for instance, by an artificial valve, at least make a semblance of a Roman salute, it seems the least. Hooray.
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Other reviews
By sodo_caustico
One of those albums that makes you look to the future with optimism.
Recommended: for those who feel like spending a day cruising around in the car, whistling with the arm out the window.
By antimo_d
The OfflagaDiscoPax tell stories from the great cold post-Cold War and the fall of communism... with just the right amount of sarcasm and irony that are evidently essential for survival.
Where the contrasts work well they are fantastic: for example, in the dreamy guitars that support 'Kappler' (MASTERPIECE), realistic lyrics but an atmosphere of abandonment that suggests the protagonist’s letting go after retirement.
By AristarcoScannabue
A militant record by Offlaga, yet full of dreamy hints and delicate moments, as sharp as only sweet memories can be because they are stored in an area of our mind directly connected to the heart.
The whole work is supported by a constant ideological misunderstanding which is the result of political passion reacting with the present.
By Dune Buggy
The essentially original feature of their music lies in combining electro, new wave music, sometimes kraut, with lyrics that are not sung but rather recited.
The listening of these ‘technical tests of transmission’ is first of all advisable in small doses, paying attention to the lyrics, to the stories, more than to the melodic cues.
By expresuntuoso
This is a CD that is COMMERCE. It is based on the basic principles of marketing: finding a target audience being appealing even to a range of people close to this target (or even, as in the case of this CD, creating one from scratch).
The main merit of this CD is having created a timeless bubble, a cosmic black hole to dive into without risking molecular disintegration.
