OF MUSIC AND WIND

Mutazione is the second full length album by Forza Elettro Motrice (F.E.M.), a band from Meda, Lombardy. It was self-released in 2018 with a renewed line up featuring Alessandro Graziano (vocals, violin), Alberto Citterio (keyboards), Paolo Colombo (electric guitar), Marco Buzzi (bass), Pietro Bertoni (trumpet, trombone, euphonium, glockenspiel) and Emanuele Borsati (drums, marimba, percussion, acoustic guitar). The new vocalist is up to the task and the band confirms to have excellent song-writing skills and great musicianship. The result of their work is an interesting concept album about the end of a love and the necessity of change that could recall in some way La Torre dell'Alchimista's Neo and I'm sure that Italianprog lovers will appreciate it.

The opening track, “Il palazzo del chaos” (The Palace of Chaos), is just a short instrumental introduction that leads to the following “Io mi trasformo” (I'm Changing), a wonderful piece about the need to continuously adapt to the constant changes that life throws at us. The music and lyrics evoke the image of the protagonist walking along a path aimlessly, lost in his thoughts. At a certain point, as everything around him changes, the protagonist questions his true essence. He becomes aware he’s changing instinctively, almost without realising it, just as the world around him constantly transforms. The protagonist understands that he must always act and change, transforming himself to become what he really wants. So, he becomes music...

“La cura delle cose” (The care of things) is a bittersweet reflection about how time can change a relationship if you don’t pay attention to your partner. What we don’t take care of it is destined to get lost and this is true in every aspect of our lives. It is also true in love, it is a constant of life. Here the protagonist becomes aware of a relationship that is fading out and that we are nothing but the time we give to ourselves...

The title of the following “Musica di vento” (Music of wind) is a pun that means in the meantime Music of wind and I become music. This track is a slow, dreamy ballad about the need to write music and lyrics, expressing oneself through sounds and words to those who care to listen to. The piece opens with the notes of a piano, then the narrator explains that his songs are born without any self-awareness, simply from the desire and pleasure of writing and singing, a magic of thoughts full of meaning for those who can appreciate them. But once written, these songs have a life of their own, independent of the author. Who will listen to?

“Mai tardi” (Never late) is a great instrumental track with some funky-jazz passages and various changes of atmosphere. Then it’s the turn of “Il cielo di sè” (The sky of our ego), a beautiful piece, complex and heartfelt, describing the emotional turmoil and uncertainty surrounding the end of a relationship. The protagonist is alone under a cobalt-blue sky and he almost seems like a veil ready to be blown away by the wind. The piece begins with a strummed acoustic guitar part, then the music and lyrics take unexpected paths. It's the beginning of an inner journey, with thoughts tangled in nests of wind. Disappointments are like stones, but in the protagonist's head there's a thin rainbow calling him and inviting him to continue his journey...

“Attesa” (Waiting) is a short, melancholic and dreamy piece for solo piano, violin, and vocals. The music and lyrics evoke the furrows that time carves into the protagonist's soul, sowing a dark and tormented wait. The wait for a return to normality. Then it’s the turn of the brilliant instrumental piece, “Mutazione” (Mutation) which at times reminds me of Le Orme and marks the change in the protagonist...

The long, complex “Se c’è una buona ragione” (If there’s a good reason) closes the album. It begins with three minutes of sustained rhythm tinged with electronica and a disorienting, filtered and distorted voice. The piece then evolves in other directions, leading to a finale that speaks to the wind and recalls King Crimson. The lyrics poetically reiterate the concept of the need for change and evolution, even in personal relationships. Change is the future that looms and calls for itself, and it shouldn't be feared. If there's a good reason, change is necessary, even if it means breaking up with your partner and ending a relationship. For the protagonist, the time has come to accept change and move on without worrying about the end of a love that still struggles to fade. The return to reality is marked by the "voice" of a ticket machine...

On the whole, a wonderful work, even if it needs reiterate spins and the comprehension of the lyrics to be fully appreciated.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/femprogband/#