LOVELY FIREFLIES

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

Locanda delle Fate are a band from Asti that had been playing and listening to other prog band’s music for a long time before the release of a debut album with their own compositions. The original line-up featured Giorgio Gardino (drums, vibraphone), Luciano Boero (bass, Hammond), Ezio Vevey (electric and acoustic guitar, flute, vocals), Alberto Gaviglio (electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Michele Conta (piano, electric piano, polymoog, harpsichord, clavinet, synthesizer), Oscar Mazzoglio (Hammond, piano, moog, polymoog, synthesizer) and Leonardo Sasso (vocals). “Forse le lucciole non si amano più” (Maybe the fireflies don’t love each other anymore) was released in 1977, when progressive rock was going out of fashion and wasn’t at all successful. It’s a real pity because this is a great album. You can find many influences here but all of them are blended together with a romantic, “original touch” and the result is very good. The mood is dreamy, the music and well balanced arrangements exalt the oneiric images created by the lyrics and vocals: the contrasts between illusions and disillusions and between dreams and reality are described in many poetical ways as in a kind of concept album. After all I think that the beautiful album cover describes its contents very well, probably better than all my words...

Locanda delle Fate 1977

The dreamy opener “A volte un istante di quiete” (Sometimes a quiet moment) is an excellent instrumental track that every now and then reminds me of BMS and Genesis and that shows the great musicianship of the members of the band.

The title track is about the contrast between dreams and reality and leads you into a world of quiet looking for the illusions and dreams that nobody wants anymore in a world of ephemeral shadows... “Dragged away by a stolen conscience / Dazzled by myths and legends / Our dreams are full of miracles / But when the light comes they are not enough for us anymore...”.

“Profumo di colla bianca” (Smell of white glue) is about a man who, after having found an old notebook and some old toys in the attic, longs for the dreams and illusions of his childhood... “A thousand glasses reflect the memories left by a child / I pick up a book of pictures faded by reality / Immense is the wish to close the doors on my age...”. Old and new ghosts are blurred while shadows rest in the dark attic among the leftovers of a lost time that light and dust embroider. Behind the walls the wind blows and carries away confused whispers...

“Cercando un nuovo confine” (Looking for a new border) is sweet and melancholic. It’s about a baby girl who flies to heaven leaving behind a world of dreams and reality, intertwined threads that she will never know... “You will never know love but your skin won’t get old / And you will remain a flower / A flower that the wind will never waste...”. No time to understand, no time to cry... Just a quick glance back at a planet of rocks where anxious people long for happiness. Time disappears and dreams seem as paintings hanging in the wind, all around there are new, sweet sounds... “You won’t have in your heart the hate hidden in castles and cities... You will follow the amazing acrobatics of your lighted mind / You will invent dances of words and new wonderful games / You will tell me new and old stories... Your thoughts like mirrors of other worlds will sweetly play notes you will silently listen to...”.

“Sogno di Estunno” (Dream of Summer/Autumn) is about another dream. The atmosphere is melancholic like a mild September rain pouring on the memories of a sparkling summer... “I look at my shadow while I’m walking / It glides on the rocks while the last summer rain tells me about the things I haven’t got... It’s strange, you know / The rain is falling on the lawn / The crickets are already singing / It’s strange, you know / Summer has a thousand colours / That I almost can’t see anymore / It’s strange, you know / To have such a great desire to run / And walking slowly not to waste the last moment of freedom...”.

“Non chiudere a chiave le stelle” (Don’t lock the stars up) is a wonderful short acoustic ballad. The acoustic guitar arpeggios and the harmony vocals are excellent. The lyrics are about a beautiful girl who wastes her time closed in her room, lost in her dreams... “If you hide the world from your eyes you don’t risk anything / But you will be alone / Your dreams are like locked stars / But they won’t be enough anymore / When the sun comes in...”.

“Vendesi saggezza” (Wisdom for sale) is a long, complex track. Soaring vocal lines fly over sweet melodic passages. Close your eyes and try to imagine open spaces beyond your window... Suddenly a butterfly enters your room and starts to talk about a love born among the flowers. Dreams flow but suddenly something happens and you realize that you can’t fly anymore... “There’s a burglar in the room / He doesn’t steal your silver or gold coins / But soundlessly he will snatch away from your flights your truer alibis / It’s not enough, please give me the flowers I haven’t got / I don’t want to explain anymore / You will be greater than Icarus / You will watch yourself flying...”.

On the CD edition there’s also a bonus track (“New York”). It’s a melodic piece but it is not at the same level as the other tracks... It doesn’t add anything to this beautiful album that I consider a little masterpiece.

Read about Locanda delle Fate's reunion HERE

More info about the band:
http://www.locandadellefate.com/
http://www.facebook.com/LocandaDelleFate

THE FEELINGS OF A SPY

After the release of an EP in 2009, “Sprazzi di luce”, in 2010 Conqueror released on Ma.Ra.Cash Records their fourth full length studio album, “Madame Zelle”, with a renewed line up featuring Natale Russo (drums and percussions), Simona Rigano (vocals, keyboards and synth), Sabrina Rigano (flute and saxophone), Mario Pollino (guitars) and Gianluca Villa (bass). During the recording sessions they were helped by Ottavio Leo who contributed to enrich the sound with sitar and other instruments. The result is very good and the band confirmed here all the qualities of their previous works. “Madame Zelle” is a concept album inspired by the life and legend of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, better known as Mata Hari. Simona Rigano's inspired vocals do not tell a story, they interpret with heartfelt empathy the feelings and emotions of an unabashedly independent, sensitive woman while the music is full of colours and nuances.

Simona Rigano

The long, complex opener “Margaretha” sets the atmosphere. It begins softly, the mood is dreamy and the music features an exotic flavour. Memories from the childhood and the formative years of the protagonist emerge as little isles in the North Sea. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in the Netherlands in 1876. After her father went bankrupt, in 1989, she went through a very difficult period that marked her rebellious beauty and this nice suite honours the everyday battles of her growing up... “Where the tides break in through the borders of an incomparable land / Where starfishes emerge from the seabed, playing with nature / That's where my memories recall the smell of every single day I passed at the mercy of a youth long time gone / That's where my thoughts tell the ingenuous but extrovert smile of an already prohibited charm...”.

Madame Zelle: art cover

The following “Indonesia” begins with percussion and sitar. It's a beautiful instrumental track where the music conjure up mysterious Oriental charms. Margaretha got married with a captain of the Dutch Colonial Army and followed him to Java. She was unhappy in her marriage but during this period of her life she learned a lot about local culture and about the art of seduction...

Next comes “Occhio dell'alba” (Eye of dawn) that describes the birth of a legend. Margaratha and her husband went back to the Netherlands in 1902 where they separated. In 1903 she moved to Paris where she began her artistic career as an exotic dancer under the name of Mata Hari, an Indonesian name that means “eye of dawn”. Her provocative style and her free-willed attitude made her a very popular woman... “The last veil of sin sets my wings free / Upon me, upon me, only upon me / Endless shapes alight upon me...”.

The excellent “Fascino proibito” (Prohibited charm) describes in a poetical way the mystery of Margaretha's charm. The music and lyrics evoke perfumes and colours, wonderful flowers and falling leaves, the whirling game of senses... “It's desire that condemns and hurts the soul...”. Next comes “Eleganza perfetta” (Perfect elegance) where the emphatic vocals of Simona Rigano draw the amazing portrait of a sensual woman, fragile and strong in the meantime... “I'm waiting for your fragile instinct / I'm getting lost in the sunrise that lights my eyes / And in the silence that surrounds me I can shine again... Venus no longer rules my senses / It was Venus who was caressing my smile, my face...”.

“H 21” is titled after the code name that the German secret services gave to Margaretha during World War I. Charm is a key that can open many doors, there's richness and madness in this track where tension and sensuality shine through all along the way... “In the apparent perfection I will deceive the most attentive eye / Please, let me dance once more / Let me hide the cold loneliness behind my fragile body...”.

“Doppio gioco” (Double-crossing) describes the feelings of Margaretha on the last night before the end of her career as a spy... “Two scraps of velvet cover my body / One is black, soft and elegant / Its colour is defined by a subtle embroidery / The other is red, worn and torn / By the fierce flames that fate has thrown at me... This is the last dance / This is the last night...”. “Da sola” (Alone) is a suggestive, reflective track that describes the feelings of Margaretha with reference to the change in her fate and to the charges against her... “I live in the infinite space of my ideas / I turn away from me the fear of the dark, of apparent loneliness...”.

Madame Zelle: inner picture

The last track, “Ad occhi alti” (With a proud look), closes the circle. Margareth is alone in her cell before the execution. She has been condemned and in a few hours she will be killed by a French firing squad. Her thoughts go back in time, her life has flown away like a raging river but she's not ashamed of what she's done. She can go to her randez-vous with the death with a proud look... “As the evening falls, so cold and dark / Ice takes hold of my body, once charming / I get ready for the last act / After all I was just... Mata Hari”.

Conqueror: Madame Zelle (2010). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: If you enjoyed the previous work of Conqueror this album is a slam dunk. If you've never heard them, this is a good time to start. "Madame Zelle" will give you 9 tracks of lovely contemporary progressive rock as graceful as the Mata Hari herself... (read the complete review HERE)

Paul Fowler: Madame Zelle is a lovely album at the more melodic end of the RPI genre. The band certainly have plenty of experience having been around since the mid-nineties in one form or another and it shows as they turn in a classy performance of well-constructed and tuneful Italian prog with a contemporary sound, though with roots in the seventies tradition of the genre... Despite having an instant liking for Madame Zelle, no doubt down to the tuneful nature of the material, repeated plays reveal more layers, something often lacking in more immediately accessible music. Not so here as I've grown fonder of it with each play and it's well on track to make my top 10 albums of the year. A really lovely record... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.conqueror.it/

http://www.myspace.com/conqueror1

Locanda delle Fate & La Coscienza di Zeno in concert

Calvari, near Genoa

More info:

http://www.facebook.com/events/340223782734932/

http://www.muddywaters.it/

Find out more prog concerts in Italy:

http://www.progdates.net/

THE RAFT AND THE KILLER WHALES

In 2007 Conqueror released “74 giorni” (74 days), their third work, with a line-up featuring founder members Natale Russo (drums and percussions) and Simona Rigano (vocals, keyboards and synth) along with Sabrina Rigano (flute and saxophone), Tino Nastasi (guitars, bass) and Daniele Bambino (bass). It’s a concept album that was inspired by Ambrogio Fogar’s book “La zattera” (The raft) and describes a journey that turned bad... Ambrogio Fogar was a sailor, rally driver and all-round adventurer. In 1978, when he was sailing from Mar del Plata to Cape Horn along with his friend Mauro Mancini, his ship the “Surprise” was wrecked by a killer whale attack. Ambrogio Fogar and Mauro Mancini survived for seventy-four days on a life raft in the South Atlantic until they were rescued by a Greek cargo ship. Journalist Mauro Mancini died of pneumonia two days after the rescue...

Conqueror 2007

With this work the band seem to have attained a full maturity. The sources of Conqueror’s “musical inspiration“ range from PFM to Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, from Pink Floyd to the Alan Parsons Project, from Italian melodies to classical music... Nevertheless it would be extremely unfair to define them as a clone of any other band since their song-writing is personal and they show they are able to find an original way to express themselves. “74 giorni” is conceived as a musical and poetical journey, as the description of a quest for self-knowledge where you need to fight against adversity and never give up the struggle to reach your goals, to follow your ideals...

“Masks of men / Portrayed in catalogues / Conditioned by the symptoms of regularity...”. The lyrics of the opener “Maschere di uomini” (Masks of men) suggest that you can choose a model which is worth following, you can set off and look for something else, far from hypocrisy and from the models of life that the media tries to impose, even if your choice could lead to a dangerous journey... All you have to do is make up your mind and the journey can quietly begin. The mood of this track is dreamy and the voice of Simona Rigano soars light and melodic upon a piano arpeggio...

The instrumental “Il viaggio” (The journey) features a good guitar solo and leads to “Orca”, where the band try to describe the effect of the killer whale attack against the “hunters of emotions”... “Looking at time passing by / Hidden by the night / Forgetting just for a while / To be men in such an unknown world / Sons of a noble Earth without mercy...”: the need for knowledge and insight is “captured” by a whimsical destiny... On this track the melodic side of Conqueror still prevails but the sweet dream is going to turn sour...

The shipwreck can be also seen as a metaphor of every misfortune in everyday life. On “Limbo” the soaring voice of Simona Rigano is ethereal, as if suspended in a dream that is becoming a nightmare and asking for help...



Conqueror 2008



The impending tragedy is suggested by the change in mood and atmosphere on “Non maturi per l’aldilà” (Not ready to die). From this track on the music becomes quirky, with shifting rhythms suggesting the struggle for life in the middle of an Ocean of solitude and fear... “Non maturi per l’aldilà” along with the short instrumental “Cormorani”, “L’ora del parlare”, “Preghiera” and “Miraggi” form a kind of long, beautiful suite... “Nebbia ad occhi chiusi” is outstanding, one of the best moments of an excellent work!

The name of the sailor who first helped Ambrogio Fogar and his friend was Eleutherios and the name of the Greek cargo ship that rescued them was Master Stefanos... “Northern winds... Blow softly, talk with my words! / Keep on dancing on the icy mantle of the desert!”... "Eleutherios" and the instrumental "Master Stefanos" are both tracks thick with emotion, full of hope...

The final “Cambio di rotta” (Change of route) is a kind of requiem for a lost friend... “We sail on the sea pushed by the wish for knowledge, by the need for an unconditioned freedom... We sail on the sea because we have to and many times the sea wants to keep his sons...”. Well, on stage the band introduce the songs taken from this album by reading some passages of the book that inspired the concept and it’s a pity that you can’t find them in the booklet...

(From Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock)

Conqueror: 74 giorni (2007). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: The arrangements are very good, each song moves along well with multiple sections of interest within. The downside of the album is that while each track has pretty moments, there is a certain politeness to this material that makes it just a little too easy going for me at times... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.conqueror.it/

http://www.myspace.com/conqueror1

INSTINCT AND FAIRY TALES

Conqueror come from Sicily and began life in 1994 in the small town of Santa Teresa di Riva, in the province of Messina, on the initiative of drummer Natale Russo. After many problems, in 2003 they finally released an interesting debut album, “Istinto”, with a line up featuring Natale Russo (drums, backing vocals), Simona Rigano (keyboards, vocals), Gaetano Scarcella (guitar) and Tony Rose (bass). “Istinto” was self-produced by the band and the sound quality is not flawless but you can find here some very good ideas and an undeniable freshness. The music draws on the Italian “prog-masters” of the Seventies but the song-writing is good enough and the soaring melodic voice of Simona Rigano gives a touch of “lightness” to the compositions. Well, the lyrics are maybe a bit “naive”, as if the words were just hanging on a dream, but they perfectly fit a music that seems desperately trying to “break through the barriers of time”.

 

Conqueror 2003



The opener “Storie di favole” (Stories of fairy tales) explores the borderline between imagination and real life. The lyrics conjure up icy waves that wash away pale memories of ancient lores and fairy tales while timeless, mysterious shadows melt in the dark. Next comes the dreamy “Quartar”, where the memories of a crumbling utopia get lost in games of lights and shadows and ironic ghosts mock your madness. “Pensieri fragili” (Fragile thoughts) begins with a nice piano pattern, then the other instruments come in. The lyrics evoke immortal dreams and confused fantasies, arcane melodies and mysterious harmonies while some electric guitar riffs take off like Zeppelins in the sky... “Imagines, fragile thoughts disperse into overwhelming vortices of masks without identity that cover the face of reality...”.

“La strada del Graal” (The road to the Grail) is another dreamy track featuring cryptic lyrics and exotic aromas. Despite the English title, the following track “In The Cave” is sung in Italian and evokes the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice... “Into the bare earth / Hidden to our sight / Lies the gate of Love / Let's remove this mantle / And she will appear...”. The melancholic, reflective “Cristalli di solitudine” (Crystals of solitude) depicts a sad, rainy day in May when you can breathe an air full of ancient memories while the light sound of the water on the river banks follows the rhythm of the wind. Then comes the intense, quirky “Porte straniere” (Foreign doors) that evokes stolen desires and obscure clouds of vanity effacing your fantasies. To find what's true in your heart you have to cross many unknown doors while your worries conceal the path you're walking on... The long, excellent instrumental “Entropia” concludes the album.

Conqueror: Istinto (2003). Other opinions:

Bob Moore: Conqueror is a relatively new band and seems to have successfully fused the best of modern rock, some nuances of symphonic prog arrangements, and Italian expressiveness into a pretty appealing album. Kudos to them for that... Recommend for neo-prog fans and Italian proggers who are willing to look beyond PFM and the seventies for some decent Italian prog... (read the complete review HERE).



Conqueror 2005



Conqueror's sophomore album, “Storie fuori dal tempo”, was released on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash in 2005, two years after the good debut work “Istinto”. The line-up features here the veterans Natale Russo (drums and percussions) and Simona Rigano (vocals, keyboards and synth) along with new members Sabrina Rigano (flute, sax), Tino Nastasi (guitars) and Fabio Ucchino (bass). The sound quality of the recording is excellent and the new members seem to get along perfectly with the rest of the band. The song-writing is good and the band did a good job combining their own ideas and feelings with sources of inspiration ranging from classical music to Italian prog bands like PFM, BMS, Le Orme or Goblin...

The opener “Ouverture”, featuring well balanced changes in rhythm and melodic passages, is an instrumental that grows like a blossoming flower. It leads to the dreamy “Mosaico di colori” (Mosaic of colours), where Simona Rigano's voice soars weaving a beautiful melody... “My light thoughts travel and blow away as eagles / In a free wind they run and foreign memories write the epilogue... White clouds get lost in a coloured mosaic...”.

The hypnotic, suggestive “No Photo” features an Oriental flavour. Here you can lose yourself under “a ray of moonlight” that seems popping out from “The Book Of One Thousand And One Nights” while Simona Rigano’s vocals could remind you of an ethereal modern Scheherazade... “Now I see again a shadow beside me / It is something I have known for a long time / It grazes me and then it looks at me, here it is, near me / But what’s reality? / If we are prisoners of the world where we live / That decides for us, solitary shipwrecked persons who sail without being free...”.

“Pagine di poesie” (Pages of poems) is another good track that in some passages reminds me of PFM’s “Impressioni di settembre”. The lyrics describe in a poetical way a meeting with an old fisherman. Next comes the beautiful instrumental “Klaus” where quiet melodic passages are well intertwined with more pulsing moments, as if “sounds and voices were looking for an illusion in the silence”.

The final track “Morgana” is a long suite inspired by Sicilian folklore where you can find a blending of Celtic and Mediterranean elements. It tells the story of Morgan le Fay (Fata Morgana), a sorceress who escaped from Camelot on a ship and landed on the Sicilian shores where she built a crystal palace... “The dream lives once again, it renews spells, love and madness...”. The music flows dreamily with many changes in atmosphere and the band showcase great musicianship and inspired song-writing skills. Well, on the whole I think that this is really an album that is worth listening to!

Conqueror: Storie fuori dal tempo (2005). Other opinions:

Tarcisio Moura: It´s the kind of album you hear from beginning to end with the same pleasure. Of course the last song, the 30 minute epic Morgana is the highlight, with its shifting moods and rhythms, nice solos and overall working concept. But the whole CD is actually very good and it will please any prog lover who enjoys melodic music... (read the complete review HERE).

More info:

http://www.conqueror.it/

http://www.myspace.com/conqueror1