Sheena
Live Recorded Demo 2006

When they say that Italian indie rock is not in good shape, they might not be too wrong.
Perhaps things should be taken as they come, without being too picky, intellectual snobs about Italian music.

And so it happens that one day in my mailbox, I find a CD, a demo to be precise, from a band from Padua, the Sheena, distributed by a very new record label from Rome, Peteran Records.

This caught my attention. An independent record label, although small, that takes the trouble to distribute widely the demo of an emerging band, which on its own, probably armed with goodwill, envelopes, stamps, blank CDs, would only achieve provincial or at most regional visibility.
Of course, demos, as such, should be taken for what they are. That is, raw products far from the sound quality of finished products that we find in stores and elsewhere. They are emerging bands, and they indeed need to emerge. It seems like a very good way to me.

The demo in question, "Live Recorded Demo 2006", is recorded live, and being such, I must say that the recording is more than decent. Despite the name - "Sheena is a punk-rocker", I believe it’s among the best songs (punk and beyond) of all time - Sheena's sound coordinates are fundamentally in the Italian alternative rock scene, see bands like Marlene Kuntz and Verdena, but also in the post-rock scene, for some guitar riffs that create more or less hovering atmospheres in noise-rock outbursts.
It starts with "La Ricomparsa di G", halfway between Verdena and a punk-rock band. It's an excellent track. The drums sustain the entire song well along with the guitars and bass, which juggles a simple yet effective Verdena-like groove. The singing strikes, despite not excellent recording, for originality and intensity, particularly in the chorus, which creates quite a good atmosphere, also due to a good lyric ("se ripenso alle parole di vendetta/che urlavamo noi/non riesco a ricordare/di essere").

The following "Sunday Rain" is an entirely instrumental track centered around a simplified post-rock. The drums are good, at times seeming to be taken by a percussive obsession that accompanies the wavering guitars. Some guitar interplays might need better crafting, but some are definitely spot-on, and the final "downpour" makes this Sunday rain pleasant to listen to, without too many hitches.
"New Wave" opens with a very long intro made of very dark post-rock, introducing a sung part that isn't perfect but dark and psychedelic just enough. It's a long song – over 8 minutes – ending with a long instrumental part, hiding the band's influences. On one side, guitar interplays continue the melancholic talk undertaken in the verses, and on the other side, a noise outburst, almost punk, closes angrily a good track, perhaps a bit too long and with some imperfections, but showing a positive desire for experimentation, which if properly cultivated, might yield great results in the future.

The last track "Flux", opens with a burning intro reminiscent of the very early Placebo and continues with an impactful verse supported by a good noise-rock guitar riff. It loses a bit of punch in the chorus where the guitars perhaps need to be "boosted" more.

All in all, "Live Recorded Demo 2006" is a good start for Sheena, a band that certainly has much to learn but already shows good skills and ideas.