Fuori!

Recensione album

Italian music is generally associated with opera, power metal, or cheesy crooning, not pop-punk, but Finley are catchy and rambunctious enough to make up for this perceived deficiency. Most tunes on Fuori! are midtempo rockers with larger-than-life aspirations that bring them close to the realm of post-grunge, while the tendency to throw in the occasional dance beat is reminiscent of the Bravery. On the whole, this is a perfectly typical piece of commercial rock that would not raise an eyebrow if squeezed between blink-182 and Foo Fighters on some guitar-centric radio anywhere in the world — with only the Italian lyrics making Finley differ from the rest of the pack — and in a style where lyrics, frankly, do not play much of a role. But despite its derivative nature, Fuori! still earns a place under the sun for two reasons, the most important being that this is just damn catchy stuff, with simple but invigorating riffs, a lot of youthful energy, and just the right amount of sappiness. The other thing is that the band's Italian heritage prompts an amusing insight into the nature of pop music, or, more specifically, the spiritual kinship between trashy Europop and mainstream rock. The two have little common background and are further separated by rock music's frequent delusions of grandeur, but some moments on Fuori! — which dwells firmly on the melodic side, even providing some moments worthy of Adriano Celentano in the beginning of "Meglio di Noi Non c'è Niente" — confirm that those guitars are only needed to make the kitschy pop more entertaining. A guilty pleasure, in the end, but there is really no reason not to enjoy it if it's done as well as here.