After
the release of their first official album entitled Perigeo
(2012), Il Giardino Onirico started to re-work on the ideas of their
2010 demo titled Complesso K. In 2013 the band released a new,
enhanced version of the demo on the independent label Lizard Records
with a line up featuring Emanuele Telli (keyboards), Stefano
Avigliana (guitars), Ettore Mazzarini (bass), Massimo Moscatelli
(drums, percussion), Dariush Hakim (keyboards, effects) and Marco
Marini (vocals). The title of this new work is Complesso K MMXIII
to differentiate it from the original demo recordings and in my
opinion the result is excellent.
 |
| Il Giardino Onirico 2013 |
“Complesso
K” is a long suite divided into four parts plus an introduction.
The intro begins with narrative vocals and a dark, spacey
atmosphere... “Oneiric is the way you
take when the sundown closes the night curtain and its arms stretch
out stealing streets, deserts, whispers...”. The words evoke
strange psychedelic visions, musical harmonies and orgies of sounds
and colours... Close your eyes, the words will follow you down into
your sleep like a mystic incantation while a strange journey begins
and the rhythm rises.
Well,
the title of the suite refers to a K-complex and gives you a key to
approach this work. A K-complex is an electroencephalography waveform
that occurs during Non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep. According to
wikipedia sources, unlike REM sleep, there is usually little or no
eye movement during this stage. Dreaming is rare during NREM sleep...
People who do not go through the sleeping stages properly get stuck
in NREM sleep and because muscles are not paralyzed, a person may be
able to sleepwalk... The mental activity that takes place during NREM
sleep is believed to be thought-like, whereas REM sleep includes
hallucinatory and bizarre content.
Part
I and II are completely instrumental and feature a wide range of
influences, from Pink Floyd and Eloy to Goblin and Pholas Dactylus.
There are many sudden changes in mood and atmosphere but I never have
the feeling of aimless improvisation. Lights and shadows, notes and
images move in a quickening tempo like clouds in the sky. In the end
of Part III the narrative vocals come back adding new evocative
images... You'll sleepwalk on beaten tracks along your old steps,
past and present will blur, forgotten lives and lost memories will
come back, you'll live new passions and abandons... Classical
inspired piano patterns are intertwined with psychedelic parts, dark
organ rides alternates with brighter musical colours but the mix is
always well balanced and never boring. The instrumental Part IV
concludes the suite in a crescendo of positive energy... You're going
to wake up!
On
the whole, a very good album made to stir your imagination
You
can listen to the complete album in streaming HERE
Il
Giardino Onirico: Complesso K MMXIII (2013). Other opinions:
Michael
Aussie-Byrd-Brother: This talented group of musicians have now
released two top-notch albums in a row, and `Complesso K MMXIII'
shows just how much potential the band still has, while also hinting
at many exciting directions they can go on future releases. Never so
dark to be pitch-black and overwhelming, always with an atmospheric
and thoughtful edge, Il Giardino Onirico perfectly balance frenetic
energy with subtle and delicate touches, and their music is always
endlessly melodic. They deliver heavy colourful instrumental
arrangements played with skill and precision, and heavy prog and
space-rock fans should really investigate the band right away...
(read the complete review HERE)
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