AS TIME GOES BY

Moogg come from Brescia and began life in 2003 under the name Moog on the initiative of Marco Dolfini (drums, percussion. vocals), Rosario “Penny” Rampulla (bass) and Toni Gafforini (keyboards), one year later guitarist Ivan Vanoglio joined the band and completed the line up. In 2006 the band changed the name into Moogg to differentiate it slightly from the famous Moog synthesizer and in 2007 they released a first demo. In 2009 Penny Rampulla left the band and was replaced on bass by Gianluca Avanzati, former member of other prog bands such as Lithos and NotaBene. With this renewed line up, in 2011 Moogg finally released a debut album on the independent label Mellow Records, “Le ore i giorni gli anni” (The hours, the days, the years). Moogg's source of inspirations range from seventies prog to jazz rock, from psychedelia to Canterbury and every now and again they remind me of D.F.A., another excellent Italian contemporary band. In this album their love for bands such as Caravan and Hatfield and the North shines through but you can find also many original ideas, some nice funky passages, a strong sense of melody and well balanced arrangements.

Moogg 2012

The lively title track opens the album with a touch of bitter-sweet nostalgia and grey and pink colors. When you are young you think that you have all the time to shape your ideas, to find the right sounds for your music and make your dreams come true. Later, as you grow up and the daily grind absorbs your energies, you realize that your time is running short and you have to hurry to reach your goals. You would like to stop for a moment but you can't... “Now I know it / The days are escaping from me / And I keep on running after them...”. 

 

“Classe 21” (The 1921 contingent) is another excellent track dealing with time. The lyrics portray an old man facing a youngster who perceives him just as a burden and finds his stories boring and uninteresting. But in the past the old man was bold and brave, he overcame many obstacles, he fought during the war and every night his past comes back to him and lives again in his dreams... “You seem incapable to think of me as a young man / Films upon films made me believe that my whole past was in black and white...”. The mood is dark while the music marks the contrast between old and new compounding modern and vintage sounds in a very effective way.

The reflective “Il perché di esser me” (The reason to be me) begins softly and the mood is dreamy. The lyrics are about growing up and describe the need to leave behind your childhood. You have to understand what you really want to do in your life, once you have made up your mind you can take a new way but if you look behind for a moment your toys seem almost to be smiling at you asking why you're leaving... “It's time to go away, cheating on nostalgia... Now I drive slowly along this new way...”. Eventually the rhythm takes off and your journey can start. 

“Gli arroganti” (The arrogant people) is a beautiful instrumental track featuring funky patterns and many changes in mood and rhythm. The music seems almost taking you to a party and all you have to do is relax, enjoy the nightlife and get into the swing of things. The following “Responsabilità” (Responsibility) begins with a frenzied rhythm and there's tension in the air. Well, when the party is over you have to take up with reality. You have to pay a tribute to your normality and think of your role on earth. Are you ready to set a family and raise a baby? What would you teach to your children? At least teach them to be brave, they have to set off on a long journey... Eventually the tension melts giving way to a more relaxed Latin rock passage. I know, sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and go with your heart but beware! “Responsibility!”. 
 

Then comes the dreamy, calm instrumental “Lunalia”, followed by another short instrumental track, “Moogugni”. The title is a kind of mix between the words moog and grumbling and as the rhythm takes off again you have better to get ready for another frenzied ride on the wings of your imagination. The long, complex “Welfare botanico” (Botanic welfare) concludes the album with a touch of “green energy” and some reflections about the meaning of life. There's a green sap which runs inside the trees and makes them grow, it gives them energy without a reason... “I wish I were like that sap, vegetal mind / Going up like that forever / Holding tight the life in me / Knowing there's no other way...”.

All in all, I think that this is a very good album and that it's really worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album in streaming HERE

Moogg: Le ore i giorni gli anni (2011). Other opinions:

Michael "Aussie-Byrd-Brother": Anyone who wants to hear an inventive and talented modern band bring the Canterbury sensibilities of Hatfield and the North/Caravan and 70's jazz/rock/fusion kicking and screaming into the modern age, with typical Italian tastefulness and a welcome sense of humour need look no further. Moogg have released a beautifully produced, perfectly played and exciting debut album that deserves plenty of attention, and I can't wait to hear a follow-up. So much charm, potential and talent, and you also won't find a better album to put you in a great mood either!... (read the complete review HERE). 

More info:

http://www.moogg.net/ 

http://www.myspace.com/mooggtheband

http://www.facebook.com/pages/moogg/265768500107356