Velvet
Dieci Motivi

The current Italian music scene is nothing short of bleak.

Among people who don’t even write their own songs and probably got their break by cozying up to the right record executive at the right time, fifty-something singer-songwriters (well…) with nothing left to say living off songs full of assorted vulgarity and music videos where they chase after bikini-clad twenty-year-olds, and pseudo-artists passing off the same old song as a novelty that’s been played for twenty years, finding people who make music purely out of passion is tough.

This is how the Roman band Velvet started: "Boyband" threw them into heavy rotation, and what was supposed to be a satire on a prevailing trend of the time (Backstreet Boys, 5ive, ‘N Sync…) unwillingly turned them into chart material for young girls. The first signs of discomfort appeared in their second work "Cose Comuni": there are still nods to Fimi-Nielsen, but in some places ("Perfetto Perdente?", recommended for the die-hard fans of Blur's "The Great Escape", and the splendid "Funzioni Primarie") things get interesting.

But in "10 Motivi" the transformation is astounding: the guys truly show their talent. Slamming the door on their old record label (which wanted to continue in the same vein as the first two LPs), they return with the single (and album opener) "Luciano Ti Odio": just to set the tone, threats of lawsuits rained down from various record executives (guilty conscience?) due to the lyrics, which, incidentally, never mention anyone directly ("I’m the insect in your ear/ the infection of your emotions"). Musically, the guitars become sharper compared to previous works, and radio-friendliness is sacrificed to make room for a melody that may be less catchy but more appropriate for the lyrics. "Miele" follows the same path, further weighing the six-string. "Ti Direi" is the first jewel: it begins obsessively with a very basic musical composition, only to explode at the end in a whirl of guitars and drums. And, if "Sette Secondi" excessively mimics the sounds of Subsonica, "Un Altro Brutto Giorno" is a fast-paced and inspired rock piece influenced by the blackout a few years ago during Rome's white night. "Miss America" pushes the brit-rock accelerator and was discarded from an old Sanremo (consequently, a great piece…), while "Il Mondo È Fuori" boasts a rather catchy chorus characterized by falsetto singing overlaying some obsessively repeated words. The rhythm of the piece closely resembles the old "Columbia" by Oasis. "24 Ore" is, to be honest, negligible; conversely, the following "Non È Sempre Un Gioco" is perhaps the best track on the entire record, with its guitars reminiscent of that great piece that was "Politik" (Coldplay) and its deep, incisive vocals.

The album closes excellently with "I Tuoi Guai (E Ne Hai)", with its shouted chorus and the long instrumental guitarist coda at the end. In the post-Sanremo (sic) version of the album, the negligible "Dovevo Dirti Molte Cose" and "Confessione Di Una Mente Pericolosa" are added. Well done, Velvet: one album alone won’t be enough to completely erase the reputation they have (rightly) built, but a better start than this was hard to imagine.

Full marks, awaiting further confirmation.