Drift Lab is a jazz rock
project based in Rome that took off in 2020 with a line up featuring
Manuele Montesanti (piano, keyboards), Federico Malaman (bass),
Daniele Chiantese (drums) and Matteo Mancuso (guitars). According to
their website, they were inspired by Bach, Miles Davis,
Frank Zappa and by fusion music and
the connection with these musical worlds is exactly the reason
why they met. In 2023 they self released an interesting
instrumental debut album entitled Moonlight where Manuele
Montesanti’s sound design experiments and synthesizer programming
are the basis of musical compositions developed by the creativity and
virtuosity of the all musicians involved in the project...
The
beautiful title track, “Moonlight”, opens the album with pulsing
bass lines, hectic drumming and delicate melodic breaks that drive
you through metropolitan dreams under the moon and the city lights...
Next comes “Murano”, another excellent dreamy track full of
dappled colours and soft atmospheres. The title refers to a locality
in the Venetian Lagoon, best known for its glass making...
“King
Of Nothing” is darker. It opens with the bass in the forefront and
goes on with a perfect interaction with the other instruments evoking
a strange sense of uneasiness while the following “M-I-M-M-A” is
lighter and carefree, almost suitable for dancing...
“Chatterland”
is calmer and with a laid back attitude. The great technicality of
the solos never clouds the sense of melody and musicality of the
piece... Then it’s the turn of “Japanese Experiment” a piece
that slowly grows to take you to distant territories where all the
members of the band showcase their great musicianship...
The
brilliant “My Os” blends jazz rock with a touch electronica
evoking the development of a very particular operating system and
leads to the final track, the reflective, intense “Rebirth”...
Tangle took form in 2019 in
Bergamo with the aim of experimenting with new sounds drawing
inspiration from jazz rock, fusion, prog rock and artists such as
Porcupine Tree, Plini or The Aristocrats. The name of the band refers
to their compositional style in which they blend many genres to play
a music that, in their own words, is rich in variations, dynamic
excursions and tempo changes. After a good live activity on the
local scene, in 2023 they self-released an interesting debut album,
entitled Entangled,
with a line up featuring Fulvio Marcarini (guitar), Manuele Mariani
(bass), Francesco Locatelli (keyboards, synthesizers) and Matteo
Locati (drums). It’s a completely instrumental work that tries to
evoke images, suggestions or stories in the listener and the art
cover gives an idea of the musical content...
The
beautiful opener “Splash” begins with a slow pace and a dark,
threatening atmosphere that might recall Goblin’s Profondo Rosso
but after a couple of minutes the deep red colour turns into pink
giving room to a section that reminds me of panther walking out from
a cartoon on the notes of famous theme by Henry Mancini. Then it’s
the turn of a rock part with the electric guitar in the forefront
before pulsing bass lines and powerful organ waves take the lead for
a vibrant finale...
The
frenzied “Chronicles Of A Chicken Thief” is a short piece that
might recall bands such as Calibro 35 or La Batteria and the
soundtracks of poliziotteschi films, a subgenre
of crime and action films that was very popular in Italy in the
seventies, full of scenes of car chases and bloody shootings...
The
mysterious “Arrakis” features Eastern influences and is named
after a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of
novels by Frank Herbert. The music seems to invite you on a journey
across exotic landscapes to experience a dangerous cosmic
adventure...
The
dreamy “Restless” starts with a nervous drum pattern, then goes
through many changes in rhythm and mood with classical inspired piano
arpeggios and Latin guitar solos à la Santana, calm passages and a
final surge of dark energy...
“Kizaru”
is a colourful piece with strong funky influences. The title refers
to a character from the manga and anime One Piece, a Navy
admiral who appears as a careless, absent and forgetful man, usually
speaks in a very calm and composed manner and never gets upset, even
when faced with problematic situations, in which he often feigns fear
or amazement in a sarcastic way...
“Hoketi
Poketi” begins with funky bass lines in the forefront that conjure
up the funny magic of a 1963 animated musical fantasy comedy film
produced by Walt Disney, The Sword In The
Stone, and that seems to depict a very strange way of packing
your bags for a fantastic trip to unknown realms...
“Red
Sky” begins with a dreamy piano pattern soon submerged by a
threatening rhythm and dark atmospheres. When the storm calms down an
almost romantic section follows, classically inspired, that leads to
a new dawn full of hope and good intentions...
On
the whole, an interesting work that deserves a try.
Odi et amo, the third
album by the Sfaratthons, was self-released in 2023 with a
consolidated line up featuring Luca Di Nunzio (piano, keyboards,
guitar, vocals), Cecilio Luciano (drums), Mario Di Nunzio (bass),
Giovanni Casciato (guitars) and Giovanni Di Nunzio (guitar, vocals)
plus the guests Geoff Warren (flute), Sabatino Matteucci (sax) and
Alessandra Iandimarino (vocals). The music is, as in their previous
albums, an excellent mix of vintage influences, modern sounds and
bright new ideas in the best tradition of Italian prog. This time for
the lyrics they were helped by Donato Di Luca and (in only one track)
Pietro Lugli while the colourful art cover was painted by their
friend and former bandmate Luca Luciano...
The
beautiful instrumental opener, “Odi et amo”, begins with a
dreamlike atmosphere but the delicate piano pattern and soaring flute
notes are like the calm before the storm and the music goes on
through many changes in mood and rhythm. The title is in Latin and
refers to the incipit of a poem by the poet Catullus, Carme LXXXV.
According to the liner notes, the music tries to evoke a mix of
contrasting feelings and emotions such as hate and love or joy and
pain drawing inspiration from the immortal poetry of Catullus...
“La
donna amata” (The beloved woman) is another wonderful piece where
dynamic progressive rock parts alternate with baroque passages
leading through dreamy atmospheres and darker moments. The lyrics
celebrate the love of a woman capable of shaking and giving strength
to her man like a summer storm where the rain pouring down on the
thirsty land can heal the wounds in the arid soil. The beloved woman
shines like a fresh crescent moon in the sunset and after the storm
is like an omen of adventure and a fulfilment of love...
The
melancholic, mystic “Maddalena” is sung in Abruzzese dialect and
tells in music and words of the feelings of a woman that tries to
rediscover in the church near her home where she goes to pray what an
evil man has stolen from her: faith and love. Many times she thought
about taking her own life jumping off the cliff under the church with
her eyes closed because her life sometimes seems worse than hell,
bitter and dark like ash. But hope never dies and keeps her alive.
The narrative vocals (in Italian) of the guest Alessandra Iandimarino
close the piece playing the role of the protagonist...
“Saffo”
is dedicated to a woman best known for her lyric poetry, written to
be sung while accompanied by music, Sappho, an Archaic Greek poet
from the island of Lesbos. Most of Sappho's poetry is now lost and
little is known of her life but her myth is still a source of
inspiration for many hearts. Here she looks at you enraptured and
feels like a goddess, one after the other she drinks the words of
love coming from your smile and directed to her eyes, the eyes of
woman eternally in love...
The
long, complex “Zarina” (Tsarina) is dedicated to Maria Alexandrovna, born Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (8
August 1824 – 3 June 1880), Empress of Russia as the first wife of
Emperor Alexander II. She married when she was still a teenager and
her marriage was unhappy. She suffered from tuberculosis from 1863
onwards and spent long periods of time in southern Europe, in
particular in the Italian town of Sanremo, to avoid the harsh Russian
winters. The music and lyrics evoke the feelings of a fisherman
watching the unfortunate tsarina walking on the sand of Sanremo
beach. To his eyes she looks coming out from one of his dreams. He
can’t get closer to her because she’s surrounded by the people of
her circle and he’s too unworthy for them. But he can see the
sadness in her eyes and perceive her uncertain breathing. Soon she
will be gone and what will be left of her presence is just an army of
palms. In fact, grateful for the hospitality of the place, the
empress donated the first palm trees to the Municipality of Sanremo
which still today adorn the Passeggiata Imperatrice (Promenade of the
Empress), on the Sanremo seafront...
“Ti
dono una canzone” (I give you a song) was written and recorded in
remote mode during the Covid 19 pandemic and is dedicated to all the
healthcare personnel and to those who took care of the sick in that
dramatic period, those who really gave their best to overcome the
crisis caused by the spread of the virus. It’s a song to listen to
at night, made of tears and wind, weaved in style with a few notes
for those who made of their job an act of love...
The
instrumental “Odi et amo - Closing Session” is a short
experimental track that closes the album with a disquieting
atmosphere and a soft flute melody that seems almost to escape and
take off from strange background noises, hidden chats and thoughts...
On
the whole, an excellent work that deserves a place in every
Italianprog collection!
Il Cambio della Guardia (the
name means Changing of the Guards) took form in Fiano Romano, a town
near Rome, in 2016 on the initiative of composer and lyricist
Alessandro Papili with the aim of playing original compositions
inspired by seventies prog bands such as Banco del Mutuo Soccorso,
Premiata Forneria Marconi or Le Orme. After a good live activity on
the local scene and a painstaking work in the recording studio, in
2023 they self released a very interesting eponymous album with a
line up featuring Samuel Marchionni (vocals), Alessandro Papili
(keyboards, acoustic guitar), Marco Centini (electric and acoustic
guitar), Davide Magalotti (bass) and Angelo Lo Porto (drums) plus the
guest Chicco Martini (vocals). It’s a concept album that, through
the imaginary story of a Crusader knight, tells of the absurdity of
wars fought in the name of God...
The
beautiful instrumental opener “Prologo” sets the atmosphere
alternating frenzied, aggressive parts with the keyboards in the
forefront and calmer, reflective passages. It leads to the dreamy
“C’è un’armata che mi aspetta” (There’s an army waiting
for me) that starts by a delicate acoustic guitar pattern. The music
and lyrics depict the feelings and the expectations of a Crusader
knight who embarks on a ship to join the Christian army in the Holy
Land. The crew raise the sails heading south as the scirocco wind
brings sand and songs from afar. Now the ship sails across the
Mediterranean sea heading for the promised land and new adventures...
“Il
crociato - Parte prima” (The crusader - Part One) takes us into the
horrors of war. The music and words evoke borders marked by time and
desperate women and children on the move who leave behind cities and
villages reduced to rubble. Their pace is slow and they have the fear
of the Crusader soldiers in their eyes since the fight is merciless.
However, there’s no way to stop the holy mission, there’s a siege
and the Crusaders break into a fortress through a breach in the wall.
They kill all the infidels inside the castle and the dried blood
forms a kind of red path. It’s a cruel slaughter but the Christian
soldiers trust God’s forgiveness and celebrate their victory under
the sign of the cross...
The
epic “Il duello” (The duel) depicts the challenge and the mortal
confrontation between the protagonist and a Muslim knight. It begins
with the confidence of the Christian knight who is longing to kill
his unfaithful adversary, a desecrator of altars who thrives on lies
and hatred. However, as the fight goes on, his perspective changes.
He can see no angels ready to help him and guide his sword nor
virgins waiting to cradle the soul of his enemy in an exotic
paradise. It is simply a man like him, the Christian knight now can
see the fear and the cruel reality with all the atrocity of war. In
the end the Christian knight wins and kills his rival but experiences
a strong sense of mercy and pity. His faith wavers and he feels that
something in him has changed...
The
melancholic, reflective ballad “In fondo al mare” (At the bottom
of the sea) evokes the pain and torments of the Christian knight. All
he really wants now is to be buried at the bottom of the sea, with
sand and salt weighing down on him and the sound of waves crashing on
the rocks under the moonlight. Like a leaf carried by the wind that
doesn’t know where to go, now he seeks for the peace of the sea...
“Gerusalemme
- Parte prima” (Jerusalem - Part One) starts by conjuring up the
images of a battlefield scattered with corpses, broken spears,
blood-stained shields, heads severed from the corpses. The landscape
after the final battle is gloomy, the cost of freeing Jerusalem from
the infidels rule is high and the taste of drinking from the Holy
Grail is bitter. At night, when the emotive storm calms down, the
music and lyrics focus on a camp nearby where the Christian knight
can be seen embracing a beautiful Muslim woman. It’s the beginning
of a very difficult and complicate love story, thwarted by the moral
sense. The absurdity of war reveals another dark side...
The
long, complex “Gerusalemme - Parte seconda” (Jerusalem - Part
Two) tries to emphasize in music and words the strong contrast
between deeds and ideals. The cross on the helmet and shield of the
Christian knight recall the purpose of his mission. A crusader like
him does not fight for gold or out of thirst for power but for an
ideal. He offered his faith and his life to God but now, while his
bloody axe is red as the sunset, he can see nothing around him but
men hanging to life without strength in their fingers who loosen
their grip and fall down. “God, what have we done in thy name?” -
Asks the knight. But there’s no answer, he can’t hear the voice
of God...
Cambio della Guardia 2022
“Il
crociato - Parte seconda” (The crusader - Part Two) takes us back
to the present but the view, after all the time that has passed since
the Crusades, is in fact not very different. The music and lyrics
depict a new kind of Crusader knight, without armour and horse. He
wields a machine-gun and for him there are no mysteries. He comes
from New York or maybe from Moscow and he was told that he’s on the
right side. He’s ready to shoot a man fearing that he might be a
terrorist. A voice seems to echo in the air telling him to press the
trigger and kill, then to cross himself so God will save his soul...
The
excellent instrumental “Oriente” (Orient) evokes a dark sense of
beauty and with its Mediterranean flavours leads to the last track,
“Il ritorno” (The return), where the rhythm rises to describe a
wild horseback ride toward home, through forests and narrow paths.
The knight is in hurry, behind him he steel feels the ghosts of the
dead chasing him. He wants to know if what he left behind is still
there. At last he throws away his helmet and breathes the air of
home, then the sweet memory of a familiar face appears in the
courtyard of his manor and a smile eases his pain...
On
the whole, a very interesting debut album that deserves credit.
