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It was apparently a goal of Italian outfit Giardini di Mirò â?? six key players plus an ensemble of additional musicians and vocalists (an indie Unkle? Thankfully not) â?? to shake the post-rock tag they'd been labelled with following their well-received early material, yet after just one listen of 'Punk... not Diet!', it's hard to categorise them any other way. Perhaps then it's best to simply forego categorisation completely, and just enjoy what is a gem of an album without any puzzling genre-related hang-ups. The true beauty of the record lies in its little subtleties â?? a little trumpet put to good use here, a woozy accordion there. Songs like The Comforting of a Transparent Life, Given Ground and Last Act In Baires are the soundtracks to dreams yet to be dreamt, and although lengthy albums are usually there to be abhorred, 'Punk... not Diet!' isn't nearly long enough at forty-five minutes. The unnecessary squelching samples on a couple of tracks are a minor gripe, but not nearly enough to detract significantly from an album that, should you be wise enough to pick it up, will have you endlessly telling your friends how great it is. It is simply one of the warmest-hearted records of this year or any other, and a truly delightful listen from start to finish, be it post-rock or not.

Mike Diver
CWAS #13 - Autumn 2003

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