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Rating: Italy in the early '80s is still fully immersed in the '70s; the new decade won't truly begin until after the first half. Only then will the beautiful country experience the return of individualism, ostentatious capitalism, and reckless, volatile finance managed by managers raised on a diet of "Capital" or similar.
Then comes the end of it all—the prosperity built on nothing, inflation, Tangentopoli, the great theft of '92, Berlusca. In 1981, PFM gifts its fans an incredibly real piece of work, as if the group foresaw the impending collapse, addressing themes such as loneliness, suburban life, and meaningless, empty entertainment akin to a "Weekend."
The protagonist of the album is the city, the sprawling metropolis (Milan?) seen from its outskirts, a land of hopes, illusions, pains, and deceptions. The old baroque rock, alien to the real world, is no more; even the classy pop of "Suonare Suonare" has given way to a metropolitan sound: direct, simple, yet still melodic and well-executed.
Premoli is no longer in the band, replaced by the versatile Lucio Fabbri, leading to a sharp turn towards harder sounds. The keyboards now accompany the music, no longer shaping its evolution. The opening of "Come Ti Va" is indicative of this new direction; Djvas's bass sets the rhythm alongside Di Cioccio's drums, while Mussida's guitar enhances everything with skillful chord progressions that gradually define the melodic line, as the piece grows and eventually explodes in the finale. A less complex sound, reduced to the bare minimum with a rough singing style are the main features of this work. Some classics from the band are found on this album, such as "Quartiere Otto" and "Chi Ha Paura Della Notte," two captivating tracks well-suited for live performances.
In "Quartiere Otto," the theme of the suburbs and its dispersal, both physical and spiritual, is fully explored. "And rebellious nights have passed through my fingers/ I remember them all, and we played at life/ And so many things to discover, caressing it on the skin/ She talked to me, but I was away hunting among the stars. "Chi Ha Paura Della Notte," on the other hand, addresses the theme of amusement, with the night seen as a separate world, a sphere for lost souls, or those pretending to be, only to plunge back into the usual tiring weekly routine.
Mussida greatly limits his maneuvers but still provides beautiful moments, often referencing the minimalist style of Andy Summer from The Police, which is particularly evident in "Weekend." In other tracks, however, he confidently rides the sound wave, consistently proving himself to be one of the best guitarists in the world. Likewise, Djvas's bass delivers fluid sequences of low-frequency notes, and Di Cioccio shines as a great drummer once again.
PFM delivers a good album, engaging and easy to listen to as a whole. The subsequent "Pfm?Pfm!" from 1984, however, shows a band struggling, finding it difficult to adapt to simple and banal sounds but still managing to make a mark on the charts with "Capitani Coraggiosi," a laid-back yet pleasant track.
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