Le Porte Non Aperte took form in Florence in 2010 thanks to the
initiative of Daniele Cancellara and Jacopo Fallai and their passion
for the Italian Progressive Rock of the seventies. After a period
dedicated to composition, rehearsals and some concerts on the local
scene, in 2013 they released their debut album, entitled Golem,
on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records, with a line-up including
Sandro Parrinello (vocals, piano, acoustic guitar), Marco Brenzini
(flute), Jacopo Fallai (electric guitar), Filippo Mattioli (organ,
synth, backing vocals) and Giulio Capitano Sieni (drums, percussion)
plus the guests Daniele Cancellara (bass), Maria Paula Calderon
(vocals), Saeed Aman (vocals) and Sanaz Partow (vocals). According to
the liner notes, it is a conceptual work inspired by the
"Imprevedibili" movement, a group of anarchist
intellectuals rooted in Tuscany in the 60s and 70s and tells the
story of a man who, through an introspective journey, tries to free
himself from his own conditioning. The colourful art work by Silvia
Brullato try to give a visual form to the musical and lyrical
content...
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The album begins with a beautiful solo piano passage and background
voices. “Preludio al sogno” (Prelude to the dream) is a just a
short instrumental introduction that, according to the liner notes in
the booklet, codifies the passage into the dream world of the
subconscious and serves as an impromptu prelude to the story. The
joyful yet decadent atmosphere depicts a fractured human condition
within which the story of the Golem is set...
“Il re del niente” (The king of nothing) introduces us to the
story's protagonist, played with remarkable energy and strong
theatricality. He is a man who feels like a king, but whose kingdom
exists only in his mind. His imposing castle has walls made of wind,
his loyal subjects are figments of his imagination, but he still
feels like a king, albeit a king of nothing. A king who wanders alone
in his gardens, a prisoner of his madness...
“La città delle terrazze” (The city of terraces) describes the
surreal landscape of the city where the king of nothing rules.
Monuments, shopping malls, a breathtaking view that can be enjoyed
from the terraces of the houses. However, the inhabitants have lost
their joy in life, suffocated by the cumbersome presence of their
lord. There are no riots, but the colours fade, the inhabitants have
lost their memory and the ability to laugh at themselves. The
atmosphere created by the music and lyrics here is truly sharp and
neurotic...
“Binario 8” (Platform 8) depicts a crowded train station where
long lines of people can be seen waiting to depart towards the
unknown to forget their future. After some hesitation, the
protagonist trades his dream for a ticket and dashes through the
crowd to find a seat on the departing train. On endless tracks, he is
following a mirage in search of new emotions and his reality...
A brief drum solo takes us into the hypnotic atmosphere of the next
track, “Il vicolo dei miracoli” (The alley of miracles), which
leads into the dark alleys of the mind. A voice reminds the
protagonist that unpredictability is what separates man from beasts
and machines, and that unpredictability is the path to freedom from
the slavery of those who speculate on mass opinion. If statistics are
used to make predictions, unpredictability makes them go haywire...
Harsh electric guitar riffs and flute notes over a frenzied rhythm
introduce “Rigattiere dei sogni infranti” (Junk dealer of broken
dreams), a description of the delirious and visionary encounter
between the protagonist and his alter ego. This new character offers
illusions in exchange for dreams and demands fragments of dream
matter from the protagonist in exchange for freedom. The result is a
clash between memory and the consciousness of the ego, resulting in a
punishment for disrupting the order of the universe...
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| Le Porte Non Aperte, 2013 |
The disquieting short instrumental piece that follows, “Nemesi”
(Nemesis), according to the liner notes, describes precisely this
punishment. Here the liner notes also cite the Isaac Asimov's novel
Nemesis as a source of inspiration...
In the long, complex “Oceano - Nel canto della sirena” (Ocean -
In the singing of the mermaid) the protagonist finds himself on a
creaking wooden boat, sailing aimlessly on the ocean of memories,
filled with regret and melancholy. Lost and confused, always
searching for an impossible dream and haunted by a siren song that
torments and intoxicates him, forgetting all logic, the protagonist
finally finds the strength to scream for his freedom...
The atmosphere in “Giardini di sabbia” (Gardens of sand) becomes
calm and relaxed with just piano and flute to back the vocals. The
protagonist finally lands on a distant island where he can rest.
There, in the sand gardens, dreams are free but the ego must face the
solitude of thought. The protagonist feels traversed by emptiness,
unable to grasp his dream. He has finally arrived where wings still
beat, but the landscape rapidly changes...
The following track is divided into three parts, “Animale del
deserto Part I” (Animal of the desert, part I), “La rivolta della
tartaruga Elsie” (The revolt of Elsie the tortoise) and “Animale
del deserto Part II” (Animal of the desert, part II). The rhythm is
tense and nervous as the protagonist finds himself walking and
running on sandy paths. All he can see is himself. Time, behind him
is smiling. It's a place that, according to the liner notes, is in
the meantime ever-changing and contradictory,
with a technology that, dominated by man, escapes beyond the limits
of emotion. There's room for an encounter with Elsie the turtle,
a rarely talkative devourer of light, and amidst contradictions,
disjointed conversations, and sudden emergences of the subconscious,
the protagonist finally seems to reach the point where he can take
off...
Then, the last track, the instrumental “Imprevedibilità”
(Unpredictability) describes the protagonist at dawn. He wakes up
tiredly and soon discovers that only unpredictability exists...
On the whole, an excellent album, even if the concept might seem a
bit convoluted. Anyway, that's exactly what dreams are...
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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