Apofenia is the third studio album by Il giardino Onirico and was released in 2019 on the independent label Lizard Records with a line up featuring Stefano Avigliana (guitars), Dariush Hakim (keyboards), Ettore Mazzarini (bass), Massimo Moscatelli (drums, percussion) and Emanuele Telli (keyboards) plus the guests Alessandro Corvaglia (vocals - from La Maschera di Cera, Delirium), Jenny Sorrenti (vocals - from Saint Just), Jenna “Sharm” Holdway (vocals), David Morucci (sax), Claudio Braccio (sax) and the choir Fuori dal Coro. In my opinion, this is a mature and refined work, enriched by the contribute of many prestigious guests, full of inventiveness and fresh ideas combined with vintage sounds and psychedelic flights that the colourful art work by Marco Marini tries to describe on the cover and booklet. The title refers to the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things...
The long, hypnotic opener “Onironauta” (Oneironaut) is a beautiful instrumental track where the band "resolved to go with bold entreaty whither no man had gone before, and dare the icy deserts through the dark to where unknown Kadath, veiled in cloud and crowned with unimagined stars, holds secret and nocturnal the onyx castle of the Great Ones", like Randolph Carter, the protagonist of H.P. Lovecraft novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. To be honest, I don’t know if the work of the American writer was a source of inspiration for the band, but in my opinion the dark, mysterious atmosphere of this piece perfectly fits the subject matter...
The excellent “Scivolosa simmetria” (Slippery symmetry) features the vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia and tells in music and poetical words of a haunting, obsessive desire that turns into stone, a thought that becomes a prison between dream and reality, delirium and magic. It starts by a frenzied instrumental passage, then the vocals evoke fiery dances upon coloured petals and magic symphonies as the protagonist tries to escape from the dangerous vortex of an ecstatic, suggestive dream that could lead to death...
The excellent “Scivolosa simmetria” (Slippery symmetry) features the vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia and tells in music and poetical words of a haunting, obsessive desire that turns into stone, a thought that becomes a prison between dream and reality, delirium and magic. It starts by a frenzied instrumental passage, then the vocals evoke fiery dances upon coloured petals and magic symphonies as the protagonist tries to escape from the dangerous vortex of an ecstatic, suggestive dream that could lead to death...
“Alétheia” is a long, dreamy instrumental track that starts softly and evolves in a crescendo of psychedelic fantasies and Latin echoes, with a good sax and electric guitar work. After a sudden stop in the middle, there’s a second part that veers to calmer musical landscapes. The title refers to a philosophical term that means truth or disclosure but also factuality or reality...
The title of the following “Mushin” refers to a mental state that is achieved when a person’s mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear or ego during combat or everyday life and features the guest vocalist Jenny Sorrenti. It’s an ethereal, reflective piece sung in English with a slow pace, a spacey atmosphere and a touch of electronica that deals with spiritual issues like time, love and inner knowledge...
The title of the following “Mushin” refers to a mental state that is achieved when a person’s mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear or ego during combat or everyday life and features the guest vocalist Jenny Sorrenti. It’s an ethereal, reflective piece sung in English with a slow pace, a spacey atmosphere and a touch of electronica that deals with spiritual issues like time, love and inner knowledge...
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| Il Giardino Onirico, 2019 |
“Apogeo” (Apogee) is another track with a strong spacey atmosphere that in the first part could recall Pink Floyd while in the middle section, with a good sax work, is more aggressive and closer to King Crimson. The last part is a wonderful crescendo where the rhythm seems to take off for the outer space... In fact, the title refers to the point in the orbit of a heavenly body at which it is farthest from the earth...
“Un nodo all’anima” (A knot in the soul) starts by an acoustic guitar arpeggio and the soaring vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia in the forefront. It’s a beautiful piece that goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere with hermetic lyrics evoking dreams to hold, time spent running after appearances and the desperate need to connect mind and soul to avoid the blades of a deceitful destiny that could hurt you. Mediterranean influences, powerful melodies, flamenco sketches and heavier passages are blended with gusto and personality... A wonderful track!
The long, mysterious “Lacrime di stelle” (Star tears) ends the album with a melancholic mood and mystic, Oriental flavours. Here the voice of the guest Jenna “Sharm” Holdway is used just as a charming instrument to add colours to the musical canvas and put a spell on you in a starry night filled with memories and lunar visions...
On the whole, a magnificent work full of nuances and excellent pieces!
You can listen to the complete album HERE
More info:
“Un nodo all’anima” (A knot in the soul) starts by an acoustic guitar arpeggio and the soaring vocals of Alessandro Corvaglia in the forefront. It’s a beautiful piece that goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere with hermetic lyrics evoking dreams to hold, time spent running after appearances and the desperate need to connect mind and soul to avoid the blades of a deceitful destiny that could hurt you. Mediterranean influences, powerful melodies, flamenco sketches and heavier passages are blended with gusto and personality... A wonderful track!
The long, mysterious “Lacrime di stelle” (Star tears) ends the album with a melancholic mood and mystic, Oriental flavours. Here the voice of the guest Jenna “Sharm” Holdway is used just as a charming instrument to add colours to the musical canvas and put a spell on you in a starry night filled with memories and lunar visions...
On the whole, a magnificent work full of nuances and excellent pieces!
You can listen to the complete album HERE
More info:
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