IW Campania Selections - The Final

Here we are, we've reached the end. In the other reports, we tried to let readers breathe in the atmosphere of these selection nights, to bring them with us into a musical world that's not very visible yet very much alive. This time I want to change approach. No "we arrived at seven and ate cake", in other words. The game is up now; the contest is over, the winner has been announced. We've tried to let you live through the journey that brought us here: now I want to give a presentation of the six finalists, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses we've come to know over these months, treating them as equals, fully equals, to the more renowned (but not necessarily better) bands usually discussed on these pages. So I'll proceed in the same running order as the final, with the exception of the winners, Sula Ventrebianco.

Rosso Rubino: Winners of the "ethno" category; a sextet from Benevento (Lorenzo Catillo vocals, Giovanni Francesca guitar, Pasquale Pedicini piano and accordion, Dario Miranda double bass, Luca Aquino trumpet, Aldo Galasso drums). Band formed in 2003 but overhauled in 2007; average age 30-35, ten tracks (a self-released record, "Tecniche d'approccio") as their calling card. Songwriting substance, jazz nuances, pop songcraft: Rosso Rubino are a well-balanced blend of all this. They certainly lack originality, but that doesn't undermine how enjoyable they are. In their live performance they showed great tightness, atmosphere and undeniable instrumental command (reaching their peak in the final). Attention should also be paid to the lyrics, snapshots of everyday life, with a touch of snobbery, irony and, why not, poetry (from "Atletico Sposalizio": ⟦Q1⟧). Rosso Rubino's biggest problem, the one that kept me from fully preferring them, is that they're good; but just good. They have no particular rough edges, but no peaks either: they lack that ability to hit you straight in the heart, one way or another. When they manage to color their songs in depth too, they'll be a band worth listening to, and not just a listenable one.

Track recommended by the space: Domenica sera

Natege: Electronic duo, Enzo Lanza (Melke) from Scafati and Giuliano Orlando (Maegen und Craft) from Pompei, both on laptop and mixer. Barely in their twenties, they launched their joint project in 2007. We chose the duo over the solo projects for the final because it adds each one's strengths together, while limiting both of their weaknesses. Lanza's unmistakable melodic sense pairs beautifully with Orlando's rhythmic and ambient research. Their live performances, complete with a television set at center stage, have been evocative and profound, and in doing so have masked the band's biggest limitation: few tracks, solutions still too similar to one another and not sufficiently varied. Already, the unveiling of the new "Switch", more danceable, rhythmic and noise-driven, shows there are alternative paths available, simply not yet explored due to the very nature of the band (a recently formed side project). Their cerebral IDM, which also winks at the experimentalism of the '70s, is still searching for its definitive form, but the path they've taken is undoubtedly the right one; and, crucially, the talent is there. All that's left is to work on it.

Track recommended by the space: Geburt

Naadir: Quartet from Salerno (Diego Dati vocals, Emilio Pantuliano guitar, Stefano Esposito bass, Fabio Liguori drums). A band formed, unfortunately, way back in 1999, but which only found its finished shape (in terms of both line-up and sound) in 2006; average age 25. I admit I hadn't rated the band highly at first: everyone makes mistakes. They fought for the overall win right down to the wire, and deservedly so. They make, quite the racket, they do. Hardcore, funk, but also hard rock and metal, all mixed together. Clear reference points are Faith No More and System of a Down; but there's also something different, something personal, especially in the way they use the funky element, purer than in those illustrious references. Live, they showed huge drive and power, even overflowing the first time round (better in the final, where by holding back a bit they were more focused). What they still need to refine are the transitions between power and melody, at times a little disjointed or executed imprecisely. Becoming more assured in their songwriting will help them make the leap in quality.

Tracks recommended by the space: La Delta; Booby Prize

Nembrot: Trio from Saviano, Naples (Pasquale Pierno and Gregorio Cassataro guitars, Carmine Morelli drums). Formed in 2001 but reassembled in their current line-up in 2005; average age 30. The trio works on the more avant-garde side of rock, trying to build compositions as alternatives to its traditional classic forms (the song, but also the progressive suite), channelling themselves into one of the strands with the biggest percentage growth in fans today: noise. On record Nembrot still show their limits, partly inherent to how hard this kind of music is to listen to in the first place. Live, though, it's a different story. Their first performance was the best of all the ones we heard; in the final they paid for cutting the percussive element they'd relied on the first time (the interplay between sheet metal and drums), with a live set that leaned more on hypnosis than physicality; and the result only captivated in fits and starts. The impression, as Francesco said some time ago, is that something is missing on the instrumental level: he suggested a violin, and it's anything but a far-fetched idea. This isn't a band that will ever sell who knows how many records; but the experimentation they're pursuing is of good quality and could lead to even better results.

Track recommended by the space: La vecchia storia dell'incudine e il martello.

She's a Man: Winners of the "urban" category, runners-up overall; trio from Naples (Gianfranco Pellegrino vocals, Mirko Iapicca and Vincenzo Miele laptop and mixer). A band formed only in November 2007; average age 22, and already about ten songs written. The trio's electro-soul is built on incisive rhythms that manage to be both harmonious and dirty, dark and sensual at once; and on a black, feminine voice. Green, sure, but already with personality and a large stock of good songs in the bank; some imperfections live, especially on the final night, are made up for by the atmosphere their music is able to create. With this look, these ideas and this music, in England they'd have hordes of label scouts on their trail, and maybe they'd also get some valuable advice on how to beef up and vary the style and sound of their creations (horns, guitars). Here, who knows what future awaits them. In the meantime, go listen to them.

Tracks recommended by the space: Seventh Sense; Carnal Red Desire

Sula Ventrebianco: Winners of the "rock" category and Overall Winners; quartet from Bacoli, Naples (Sasio Carannante vocals and guitar, Peppe Cataldo guitar, Marco Torrese bass, Aldo Canditone drums). A band born in 2007; average age 24. Their approach to rock is the same as quite a few other Italian rock bands: trying to blend guitars, drawing on varied sources, with melody rooted in the Italian tradition. Whenever I need an example, I always turn to Afterhours. Their guitars, even coming after grunge, never sounded grunge; they were the offspring of an idealized kind of rock that didn't really exist, one heard about rather than lived through: and so they ended up being something different. On top of that, they've always had a kind of singer-songwriter attitude, going back to the days of "Dentro Marylin". Sula move along that same seam: there's a bit of hardcore in them, but they're not a hardcore band; a bit of noise-rock, but they're not a noise-rock band; a bit of indie-rock, but they're not an indie-rock band; a bit of hard rock, but they're not a hard-rock band. And they carry melody within them, even distinctly Neapolitan melody (see the ballad "Fix"). That's why I put them at the top of my list: because their songs are the best around, even though they haven't yet found the perfect formula (the shifts from rock to slow passages need work above all); and precisely for that reason they could still get even better. Live, they showed tremendous drive and energy, along with a few passages still to be polished (again, some of that down to the very structure of the songs themselves); but in the stretches where things flowed smoothly, they were thrilling. They'll be heading to Italy Wave, and that should open a decent route to visibility; but honestly, what matters most to me is that they work, work, work and find that perfect formula, which really isn't so far off.

Tracks recommended by the space: Contorni e muri; Cosa

I'll wrap things up here, after thanking the legendary Gino Fastidio, who closed out the night with an a cappella, on-his-knees version of his iconic "Buste". I invite you to check out the bands that seem closest to your own tastes; and to look around in your own backyard too: you've got them there as well, and they need a hand. Otherwise, nobody should complain about Amari anymore.

(03/04/2008)

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