Skiantos
Kinotto

LA RECENSIONE

The Skiantos formed in 1977 in Bologna under the spiritual guidance of Roberto "Freak" Antoni.

After their first two albums (respectively "Inascoltable" and "MONOtono"), they recorded their last "masterpiece" in 1979, which undoubtedly secured them the title of Most Demented Group of the Peninsula.

Cover: "Kinotto" with Dissolving Action

"Mi Piaccion Le Sbarbine" is the manifesto of prank-rock labeled Italy, with Freak Antoni and Jimmy Bellafronte declaring their love to the so-called "sbarbine" accompanied by a muted guitar. "Non ti sopporto più" is a grand piece, where "Bellafronte" with his terrifying voice spits his anger at the audience only to resort to fists in "Ti rullo di Kartoni", one of the most famous tracks of the Skiantos.
It continues with "Kakkole": "If you don't feel like talking, I can't blame you, no, but you must pay attention to the boogers, ... I just want to pick my boogers, pick my boogers, ..." and there's no need to say more.

Another piece not to underestimate is the song "Gelati" where a softer guitar allows Freak to express his thoughts on ice cream. The title-track is dedicated to the drink that "cost a fortune at the milkman's" and inspired the band in their compositions. "Freezer" with its robotic voice in the chorus brings back the new-wave sound that moved the band away from primordial punk. "Il rock ti dà lo shock" is a rock'n'roll to forget, highlighting the first tonal falls of the Skiantos. "Tu sei bellissima" is the first love song written by Freak and Bellafronte where in the background a piano accompanies one of the band's most successful lyrics. The following track is "Fagioli" which was released in February 1980, right after being excluded from the Sanremo Festival.
With this track, the Skiantos reach their peak expression in the Italian new-wave scene, typical of the '80s. In the definitive version, this album re-presents "Fagioli" in live version and 45 rpm version, "Largo All’Avanguardia" played in a 1978 audition and the very simple "Sono Rozzo, Sono Grezzo" where Freak and Bellafronte duet and have fun insulting their audience in a 1978 live show.

An album very original that presents, at least in Italy, a group that knew how to adapt to the times without ever abandoning the profound absurdity and self-irony that allowed them to be born alongside other bands like 'Gaznevada'. It is the last valid album of the band that, over the years, has re-presented the usual music and turned into a boring and cumbersome caricature of a rock group. This does not detract the validity of this album which, together with "MONOtono", constitutes a handful of songs that will mark, in every sense, rock made in Italy.