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Artist: Band: Stasera
Album: …Le Progressioni Del Cuore [2006]
Label: Independent
Website: http://www.staseraband.com
Genre: Alternative Metal, Pop/Rock
Production/Musicianship Grade: 6/10
Songwriting Skills: 4/10
Performance Skill: 5/10
CD Review:

California-based alternative-metal group Stasera hammers out impassioned but yawningly familiar chords in their latest release, …Le Progressioni Del Cuore. Lacking sparkle and innovation, the album is a reflection of the limits of creative ambition constraining many of today’s popular alternative bands.

Harsh? Maybe. But the assault of “haven’t I heard this before?” idioms, saturated in over-emoted and deeply pessimistic lyrics, is what makes this release… thankfully, forgettable.

Its opening track Bottle is chalked full of lines like “Oh I’ll wait the pain away” and “Or let the bottle drown me. I’ve been drowning at the bottom. Won’t you take it away from me?” Despite these unadventurous, look-at-me lines, Nathan David and Dean Dichoso serve up a healthy portion of technically superb guitar riffs to wash out the bitter tastes left in the back of your mouth.

The general themes are pretty much the same throughout – letdowns in the affairs of the heart and outbursts of (teen) angst and attitude. Neither is particularly heartfelt – let alone convincing. But lead singer Jamie Burgin doesn’t think so, as she burns the message clear into your consciousness.

Stasera’s arrangements coalesce into a formulaic sound that’s won groups like A Perfect Circle and The Smashing Pumpkins their international fame. The riffs are much more in line with recent ‘metal’ flare, and occasionally depart into the realm of interesting. There’s no doubt that the infectious choruses on stand-out tracks like Impossible and Shelter will, in fact, catch on regardless of their sameness. Generally, however, on a scale of inspiration, Stasera has delivered a disappointing line-up of repetitive, subpar, radio-friendly songs.

This is not to say that Stasera won’t be filling clubs very soon. It’s just that anyone who takes five minutes to do some music research will see that they’ll find many more releases just like this. But what makes this release so frustrating is that it showcases a competent band with more than enough talent to create something that matches their obvious ambition – so there’s really no need for it to be so lackluster and cold. It seems as though all the good ideas were trampled over in the final stages of creation, to showcase the familiar, “I’m an individual and you won’t ever understand my problems” musical mantra. Perhaps Stasera, will find maturity with experience – until then, the band’s troubled teen approach to music making will not set it apart on the music scene.




The Verdict: 5/10

For more information, please contact Stasera at stasera@staseraband.com

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