Raccomandata
con Ricevuta di Ritorno were a band of the Italian prog scene of the
early seventies. The line-up featured Luciano Regoli (vocals,
acoustic guitar), Nanni Civitenga (guitar), Stefano Piermarioli
(keyboards), Damaso Grassi (flute, sax), Manlio Zacchia (bass) and
Francesco Froggio Francica (drums, percussion). They came from Rome
and released only one album. Anyway, the musicians were also involved
in other projects, for instance singer Luciano Regoli came from a
previous experience in a band called Il Ritratto di Dorian Gray (that
never released an album) with future Goblin leader Claudio Simonetti
and, after RRR disbanded, he and guitarist Nanni Civitenga played in
another band called Samadhi...
“Per...
un mondo di cristallo” (For... A crystal world) is a concept album
based on a story by Marina Comin, who wrote the lyrics. The music and
words try to describe the feelings of an astronaut who comes back to
Earth and finds only desolation and ruins... The planet where he had
lived before his space journey does not exist anymore, around him
there’s nothing (“Nulla”). The first track is a short
introduction dominated by a church-like organ then, on the second
track, acoustic guitar and flute greet the astronaut’s awakening.
The protagonist climbs onto a rock (“Su una rupe”) and realizes
that he’s living a kind of nightmare because everything around him
is dead now... The music is complex, with shifting tempos... “Men,
if you could climb on this rock and see what you have done... You
would have thought more about what you were doing...”. Then anguish
and fear, it’s as if the world was falling down and the protagonist
remembers the happy days of his past “like a tree that is using its
roots...”. Here the music is uneasy and it reminds me of Il
Balletto di Bronzo’s “Ys” (“Il mondo cade su di me”), then
turns into a “jazz mood” (“Nel mio quartiere”).
inner sleeve
The
second part of the album begins with a dramatic atmosphere, a
threatening unsmiling shadow is rising on the horizon. When the
protagonist realizes that the merciless shadow is “humankind” the
rhythm turns into tarantella... The lost world was nothing but a
puppet show, a stage where men were acting like marionettes (“Un
palco di marionette”). The music here describes the madness of
humankind in a perfect mix of a wide range of moods and rhythms. The
final track is dreamy, with acoustic guitar and flute in the
forefront... Now the protagonist has nothing in his mind but crystal
dreams (“Sogni di cristallo”) that melt back into the mist...
On
the whole a very good album, with a beautiful art cover. Perhaps it’s
not flawless (the lyrics are a little bit naïve and the vocal parts
are not “impeccable”) but it’s really worth listening to... If
you like bands as BMS, Le Orme or Il Balletto di Bronzo this album
will be an excellent addition to your collection!
Trasparenze
is the fifth studio album by Malibran, a band from Catania whose
roots date back to 1987. It was released in 2009 on the independent
label Electromantic, more than seven years after its predecessor
Oltre l'ignoto. Although it was originally conceived as a solo
project of the leader and multi-instrumentalist Giuseppe Scaravilli, later other members of the band joined him during the recording
sessions and eventually this excellent work was released under the
name Malibran with a line up featuring Giuseppe Scaravilli (vocals,
acoustic and electric guitar, flute, bass, keyboards), Jerry Litrico
(guitar) and Alessio Scaravilli (drums) plus the guests Giancarlo
Cutuli (sax) and Toni Granata (violin). Of course, here composer and
lyricist Giuseppe Scaravilli does the lion's share playing almost all
the instruments but the result is in perfect continuity with the band
sound. In the booklet you can find extended liner notes that explain
the genesis of each track while the art cover is taken from a
painting by Karl Friedrich Schinkel that in some way describes the
spirit of this work...
The
opener is the title track, "Trasparenze" (Transparencies),
a complex suite with many changes in rhythm and mood featuring some
passages that could recall Genesis or Jethro Tull. It's about the
passing of time... All along your life there's something or someone
that attracts you and shows you the way you have to follow with its
perfumes and its fire. You have to go on and on as your age flows
away like a short poem, between dreams and reality, led by your will
and by the flames of that fire...
Next
comes the dreamy "In un attimo" (In a while). It starts
with strummed guitar and flute, then the music and lyrics conjure up
a long awaited, timeless moment of peace. You have in front of you a
white canvas that your are going to fill with the colours of your
dreams... You are painting a magic landscape and your soul is flying
over there. Your troubles are left behind and you can smile,
forgetting for a moment all the problems of everyday life, your mind
is already over there...
"Vento
d'Oriente" (Wind from the East) features a mysterious, exotic
flavour. Heavy electric guitar riffs are mixed with Mediterranean
influences while the music and lyrics evoke distant deserts and
ancient sands, lost identities and empty realities. Listen to the
voice of the wind blowing from the East, it carries echoes of ancient
songs and whispers mysterious charms...
"Presagio"
(Omen) alternates calm, pastoral sections to heavy riffs and Latin
rock passages. It tells of obscure presages looming on the horizon
like the thundering sound of the rapids ahead while you are swimming
on the calm waters of a river, cradled by the current. Well, you've
better keep calm and fight against all the adversities of life
without fear...
"Pioggia
di maggio" (Rain of May) is a beautiful, dreamy instrumental
track full of soaring, delicate melodies. It leads to "La marea"
(The tide) that tells in music and words of the contrast between the
need to go away searching for a better way of life and the
responsibilities that prevent you from leaving, keeping you tightly
bound to your routine. You know you have to stay but you feel a
strange emptiness growing inside you, maybe one day or another you'll
turn your glance back and you'll start running after an idea,
following dreams and ideals, drifting with the tide towards new
horizons...
"Nel
Ricordo" (In the memory) is about the power of fate. Your future
turns around you like a dark shadow from whom you can't escape,
you'll soon forget who you are because you're already changing and
moving forward, you can't help it! The days and the nights you spent
are like circles in the water that soon will fade away, the past is
going to melt in your memory, you can't cheat on destiny...
"Volo
Magico" (Magic flight) is a short instrumental track that
conveys a strange sense of mystery. You can hear the sound of the
bumblebees around you as you're flying from flower to flower under
the charm of exotic perfumes and colourful landscapes... It leads to
the nocturnal atmospheres of "Promesse vane" (Vain
promises), a piece about a man who feels like an eternal boy and
finds difficult to accept his everyday life and the burden of time
passing by. Where are the promises of his childhood, what is left of
his old dreams? He's burning out and nothing but his fantasy and
imagination can set him free from the metaphorical chains of reality
and make him happy, at least for a while...
The
short, dreamy "Gioco di specchi" (Game of mirrors) is a
nice instrumental track that introduces the wonderful suite that
closes the album, "Pensieri fragili" (Fragile thoughts), a
long, complex piece that every now and again recalls Arti &
Mestieri and begins by the sound of a pouring rain... Here the music
and lyrics take you back in time to World War I, in a trench along
the front between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Under the rain the thoughts of a young infantry soldier
unfurl while the water washes away a desperate night of waiting.
Around the soldier there is nothing but mud and fog but he dreams of
enchanted valleys and smiling faces that now seem just faded
memories... A thousands eyes observe the human fragility from the
sky, the soldier feels that the real enemy is inside him, he wants to
give up not because of cowardice but because he feels that this war
is not his own business. He doesn't care about honour and glory and
in the fog he gets stealthily out of his shelter and runs for his
life, disappearing in the rain...
On
the whole, I think that this is a wonderful album without weak
moments that will not disappoint Italianprog fans...
Malibran:
Trasparenze (2009). Other opinions:
Chris
"Seventhsojourn": Trasparenze is a long album that
clocks in at 78-minutes, so you get your money's worth. There's not
even much filler on it, with maybe just a couple of slightly weaker
songs. My one criticism is that the album is a bit light on
keyboards, but the loads of great flute you usually get with Malibran
offset this... (read the complete review HERE)
The
Octopus Tree is the second album by Miss Patty Miss & The
Magic Circle, a band from Bologna led by vocalist Patrizia Urbani
whose roots date back to 2005. It was released in 2014 on the
independent label Irma Records, four years after the debut album New
Eclipse. The line up on this new work features Patrizia Urbani
(vocals, acoustic guitar), Silvia Telloli (piano, synth, Moog,
backing vocals), Antonino Stella (electric and acoustic guitar),
Massimo Tarozzi (bass) and Christian Di Maggio (drums, percussion).
Along the years the musicians have honed their skills with a good
live activity on the local scene and the result of their hard work is a nice album of
classic rock tinged with psychedelia with no overtly complex tracks
nor adventurous suites but never banal nor too openly derivative.
The
excellent opener "Alchimia intenzionale" (Intentional
alchemy) is sung in Italian and every now and again it reminds me of
the optical visions depicted by Fabrizio De Andrè in his album Non
al denaro, non all'amore né al cielo. It describes an
unconventional, colourful form of soaring happiness where colours and
perfumes are mixed in a lively psychedelic dance. Well, I think
that's a really pity that the band didn't exploit more their native
language...
On stage 2011
Next
comes the dark, suggestive "Come Into My Silence". The
soaring vocals warn you about an impending danger while casting a
spell on you... Here the hieratic voice of Patrizia Urbani reminds
me of the rock priestess Patty Smith. The following "Cold"
is a wonderful visionary track describing the coldness of a world
full of social differences and merciless businesslike attitudes...
You would prefer to be a flower or a leaf softly floating in the wind
or a little bird but you're nothing but a human being fighting with
the cold.
The
frenzied "Everchanging" veers to more modern sounds and in
some way reminds me slightly of Deborah Harry and Blondie. Then it's
the turn of the dreamy "By My Clock" and of the romantic,
heartfelt "Little Seed". With "Simple Fall" the
rhythm rises again and vintage sounds come back for a new, short
psychedelic ride before calm down on the notes of the following
"Promises", an acoustic ballad that reminds me slightly of
Fleetwood Mac.
A
nice psychedelic cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan"
and another piece sung in Italian, the lively "Adesso no"
(Not now), close this fresh album full of colours and dreamy
atmospheres. Prog lovers could be disappointed by the lack of really
challenging compositions but if you like classic rock have a try and
judge by yourselves: you can listen to the complete album HERE.
Hailing
from Santa Teresa di Riva, a small town in the province of Messina,
Sicily, Conqueror have been part of the Italian prog scene for more
than twenty years and Stems is their fifth full length studio
album. It was released in 2014 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash
Records, four years after its predecessor Madame Zelle, with a
renewed line up featuring Simona Rigano (keyboards, lead vocals),
Natale Russo (drums), Ture Pagano (guitars) and Peppe Papa (bass).
Sabrina Rigano left the band in 2010 and without her flute and sax
contributes the overall sound of the band is more keyboard and guitar
driven than in the past but still extremely crisp and convincing.
According to the band's website, on this album you can find eight
tracks with a common thread, eight poetical frescoes of daily life
memories where the passing of time changes the perception of reality.
Anyway, each piece takes on its own very distinct personality and in
the booklet you can find a photograph associated to every track that
in some way helps to describe the mood of the music and lyrics...
The
beautiful opener "Gina" is a long, complex track that
evokes memories of warm hugs lingering in the night while time is
nothing but a blurred concept. Who is Gina? There's no clue to know
it, she might be an elderly woman or a little child... The music
starts softly then a drum roll leads to darker passages and a
disquieting marching beat seems to evoke the ghosts of an impending
tragedy... What is left of the mysterious Gina is just the souvenir
of a crown of coffee-beans and a smile, the perfume of a lost
happiness, the sound of words that are still able to stir your
imagination, a tenderness that stems from the soul and still shines
in the memory...
The
reflective, dreamy "Di notte" (At night) conjures up a
melancholic quest in the dark for the signs of the days that are
gone, a search for soft whispered words, breaths and sounds drowned
into the light of a reality that leaves no room for memories and
regrets and where your thoughts get lost in the perpetual motion of
the daily grind...
Next
comes the ethereal "False idee" (False ideas) that conjures
up a mysterious atmosphere. After a walk under a dark moon, a
strummed acoustic guitar passage evokes never forgotten silences that
come back echoing around you until the first rays of the morning
sun... When the sun will rise you'll have to make up your mind to see
a new light and regenerate your faded energies, trampled by false
ideas. In your dreams white butterflies are flying free among orchid
petals. It might be a good omen...
On
the following "Un'altra realtà" (Another reality) the
soaring vocals of Simona Rigano interpret the thoughts of a woman
that closes her eyes and pretends that she doesn't see what's
happening around her. She dreams of another reality where good
prevails over evil... Call it hypocrisy or just fragility or
weakness but she wears a metaphorical mask and hides her feelings,
biding her time to find another way of living...
Conqueror on stage 2014
The
melancholic "Sole al buio" (Alone in the dark) features
some bluesy passages and tells of the contrast between the promises
of the childhood and the choices that you have to do when growing up.
Now all the illusions and the promises of the past are gone,
abandoned like old pictures in a box, left alone in the dark... But
you can't forget that past and sooner or later you'll pick those
pictures out of the box to look at them under a new light.
"C'est
la vie" is a lively track that recalls PFM and tries to depict
in music and lyrics the frenzied rhythm of progress in a modern age
where you can never stop and look behind. No rules to follow, no time
to breathe, no room for reflection, everyone is always in hurry and
reason sometimes is left behind while the world runs like hell in a
direction that we can't even imagine... Stop to think, at least for a
while, soon the celebration of modern life will start again!
The
calm, evocative "Sigurtà" depicts in music and
lyrics the magnificent landscape of a natural park and the emotions
provoked by the colours of its plants and flowers. You can walk along
the paths of this enchanted place following the timeless ghosts of
Romeo and Juliet... By the way, the title refers to, Parco Giardino Sigurtà, a beautiful
natural oasis located in Valeggio sul Mincio, near Verona, the home city of the famous lovers.
The
closer "Echi di verità" (Echoes of truth) is another great
track where the music and lyrics depict in a poetical way curious
lies and melancholic half truths, deceiving mechanisms that make you
lose the sense of reality by deforming feelings, images, sounds and
smells... How can you face such a labyrinth of mirrors and escape
from the maze of your false perceptions? How can you decide and
choose? How can you understand what is really important in your life
as times goes by? Well, the answer is up to you...
On
the whole, a wonderful album that marks the maturity of this band.
After
a long hiatus, in 2007 il Biglietto per l'Inferno came back to life
on the initiative of two founder members, Giuseppe "Pilly"
Cossa and Mauro Gnecchi. With a renewed line up, the band started
performing live the old repertoire from the seventies and in 2009
released a new studio album entitled Tra l'assurdo e la ragione
(Between absurd and reason) featuring new arrangements of the
historic pieces along with two new tracks. In 2015 il Biglietto per
l'Inferno carried out this process of re-appropriation and reworking
of their past by releasing a new studio album, Vivi. Lotta. Pensa.
that in some way completes the work started with the previous one. It
was released with a beautiful packaging on the AMS/BTF label and a
three folds jacket with an art work by graphic artist Marco Menaballi
that tries to depict its musical and lyrical content...
The
current line up features Giuseppe "Pilly" Cossa (piano,
keyboards, accordion, melodeon), Mauro Gnecchi (drums, percussion),
Mariolina Sala (vocals), Ranieri "Ragno" Fumagalli
(hornpipe, recorder, ocarina), Enrico Fagnoni (upright bass, electric
and acoustic bass, acoustic guitar), Renata Tomasella (piffero,
recorders, ocarina), Carlo Redi (violin, mandolin, acoustic guitar)
and Pier Panzeri (electric and acoustic guitar). Along the years, old
and new members have matured and incredible cohesion creating an
amazing wall of sound where ethnic and folk elements are perfectly
mixed with progressive rock while the new female vocalist should not
be considered just a replacement for the original front man since
Mariolina Sala is not just a singer but also an actress and a
sensitive interpreter able to convey emotions with her enthralling
theatrical approach...
Biglietto per l'Inferno 2015
This
new album starts by the joyful notes of the title track, "Vivi.
Lotta. Pensa." (Live. Struggle. Think.). It's the new
arrangement of a piece contained on the second album of the band, Il
tempo della semina, a committed track about freedom, equality and
solidarity that sounds still actual and crisp, between globalization
issues and new revolutionary winds blowing all around the world.
Next
comes a brand new track, "Narciso e Boccadoro" (Narcissus
and Goldmund). It's a delicate, dreamy ballad inspired by the 1930
novel of the same name by Swiss writer Hermann Hesse, also published
as Death and the Lover. The novel tells the story of Goldmund,
a young man who wanders around aimlessly throughout Medieval
Germany after leaving a Catholic monastery school in search of what
could be described as "the meaning of life", or rather,
meaning for his life (quote from wikipedia). Here the ethereal
interpretation by Mariolina Sala evokes the last words of the
protagonist before passing away and the souvenir of his old friend
Narcissus...
The
following "La canzone del padre" (The father's song) is a
long, complex track that was originally released on Biglietto per
l'Inferno's second album. It's about the generation gap and tells the
story of a difficult relationship between a father and his son.
Eventually the rebellious son grows up and becomes a popular pop
singer but there's no way to heal that broken relationship. The band
really breathed a new life into this piece with a sparking
arrangement and a passionate interpretation...
"Mente
Solamente" (Mind, lonely mind, nothing but mind) is another
piece from the second album that here is completely reinvented
blending psychedelic elements and joyful folksy passages. It's an
almost instrumental track that invites to let your thoughts run free
for a while on the steps of a strange dance...
The
long epic "L'amico suicida" (A suicidal friend) closes the
album. It was originally released on the eponymous 1974 debut work
and was written in memory of an old comrade-in-arms of Claudio Canali
who took his life during the military service. This is another great
interpretation able to stir emotions with renewed energies...
On
the whole, this is a really good album that is absolutely worth
listening to.
Biglietto
per l’Inferno (the name of the band means A Ticket To Hell) began
life in Lecco in 1972. The first line-up featured Claudio Canali
(vocals, flute, flugelhorn), Marco Mainetti (guitar), Giuseppe
“Baffo” Banfi (organ, moog), Giuseppe Cossa (piano, organ),
Fausto Branchini (bass) and Mauro Gnecchi (drums). Their debut album
is an amazing cocktail of spontaneous musical energies and poetry.
You can hear here some echoes of Deep Purple, Jethro Tull and PFM but
there’s no plagiarism and the musicians seem to have shaped their
own style trying to capture the energy of their live acts. The
song-writing of the singer and flutist Claudio Canali is excellent
and the lyrics draw some bitter reflections about the hypocrisy of
the world. There are many changes in rhythm and mood but all the
tracks are in some way bound together as in a long suite, as in a
long way down on a “stairway to hell”.
The
opener “Ansia” (Anxiety) begins with a delicate sound of organ
and guitar, then the rhythm becomes more varied and nervous; Claudio
Canali’s vocals come in at the end of the track introducing the
“subject” of the album... The lyrics describe the feeling of
uneasiness and apprehension that comes up from a “sad and infamous
life spent murdering and stealing” and the desperate quest for a
saviour, for someone who can ease the pain and give hope...
Charlatans, merchants, prophets or priests, it doesn’t matter... A
good prologue to the next track!
The
lyrics of “Confessione” (Confession) describe a dialogue between
a killer and a friar. The music is full of energy and rage, with
“shades of Deep Purple” melting into “tarantella” and
passages with flutes “à la Jethro Tull”... The singing of
Claudio Canali is really convincing and his voice seems almost trying
to find a reason for the wind of violence that was blowing so strong
in the Italy of the early seventies... “Listen to me, friar / I
don’t know if I committed a sin / I killed a bastard who wanted
cover his dirty past by means of his money / Trying in this way to
cheat his fate... Listen to me, friar / And tell me if you call it a
sin or a noble act / I stole some money from a rich gentleman / Just
to give something to eat to a dying man...”. But on this album
there’s not much room for hope and the verses with the answer of
the friar are just a dark prelude to the tragic epilogue of the fifth
track: “I can’t save you from the eternal fire / You have just a
ticket to Hell”! This song is the trademark of the band...
A
good organ work introduces “Una strana regina” (A strange Queen).
The music is a blending of church-like music, Jethro Tull influences,
hard rock and Italian folklore. Claudio Canali’s vocals seem to be
drenched in pessimism while the dialogue between the killer and the
friar continues... “A strange queen rules on Earth / She lives in
castles formed by every street / She changes her dress every evening
/ Her name is hypocrisy... Let’s hope that our God from the
hereafter can see and forgive us for our impiety...”.
“Il
nevare” (The Snowing) is another great track, with some almost
“bluesy” passages and a soaring electric guitar in the forefront.
It’s a kind of “lay prayer” and the lyrics seem to invite
meditation and introspection suggesting that, even in a life where
hypocrisy and evil rule, you can find joy just contemplating nature
and the snow falling down... “Heavy snowflakes fell down that day /
They wet my eyes / Lost in the light / Lost in the effort of knowing,
of seeing / How much pure joy from a simple snowing... Far away a
bell-tower reminded of a prayer / Over the roofs ancient shadows were
celebrating the evening...”. In my opinion this is one of the best
moments of the album...
Biglietto per l'Inferno on stage in the seventies
The
long, complex “L’amico suicida” (The suicidal friend) is highly
dramatic. The lyrics are autobiographical, inspired by the suicide of
a Canali’s comrade-in-arms during their military service... “Around
your body there’s a halo of death...”: Canali’s vocals are dark
and full of emotion, the music flows powerful and melancholic for
more than 13 intense minutes... “There was a long rumble of sound,
and it seemed to him that he was falling down a vast, interminable
stairway. And somewhere at the bottom he fell into
darkness. That much he knew. He had fallen into
darkness. And at the instant he knew, he ceased to know...”.
Well, just a little quote from Jack London’s novel “Martin Eden”
that in my opinion perfectly fits the conclusion of this “epic”.
Before the end of the album, there’s still room for a nice short
instrumental reprise of “Confessione”...
Hailing
from Milan, Le Folli Arie came to life in 2012 on the initiative of
four experienced musicians sharing a common love for the music of the
seventies and, according to their website, among their influences you
can find bands and artists such as Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin, Pink
Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Porcupine Tree, Lucio Battisti, PFM and many
more. The band tried to brew all these influences into something
personal and new and, after two years of hard work in the studio, in
2014 they self-released an eponymous debut album. The line up
features Simone Corazzari (lead vocals, guitars), Massimiliano
Masciari (bass), Marco Antonio Cerioli (keyboards, vocals) and
Francesco Meles (drums, percussions) plus many guests that
contributed to enrich the sound such as Gianluca Del Fiol (guitar),
Luca Pasqua (guitar), Maurizio Signorino (sax), Piergiorgio Elia
(sax), Edwin Della Torre (percussion), Serena Ferrara (backing
vocals), Giorgia Ieluzzi (backing vocals), Alessandra Marina (backing
vocals), Annamaria Cristian (cello), Silvio Centamore (drums,
percussion), Lorenzo Pierobon (didgeridoo) and Manuela Masciari
(castanets). According to the band, the music on this work could be
defined as pop dressed in progressive rock or viceversa. The
songwriting tries to be direct and easy while avoiding being banal or
straightforward commercial, the overall sound is rich and well
refined but, in my opinion, it's a pity that the band did not venture
into lengthy tracks and more challenging instrumental passages.
The
beautiful artwork by Matteo Compagnoni depicts an imaginary city in
the sky, a crazy world where the perception of reality is completely
distorted. According to the band, all the tracks are linked by a
common thread and you should listen to them one after each other as
if they were parts of a long suite that gently flows with no
discrepancies... The introspective lyrics are cryptic in their
simplicity and tell of a personal crises leading to madness with soft
tones and a touch of melancholy. Well, the overall atmosphere
conveyed by the music and lyrics reminds me of a short story by
Italian writer Dino Buzzati, Ragazza che precipita, and of a
novel by British writer Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down...
The
opener "Salto nel buio" (Jump in the dark) tells of a
difficult choice, a jump in the dark to look for something that does
not exist, pushed by the deceptive hope of finding a way out from a
personal crises... It leads to the lighter "Bellezza"
(Beauty), a melodic ballad that tells of an indescribable beauty,
free as the sun, that surrounds you but that you can't grasp... Who
can't save you from yourself?
The
bitter-sweet "Non è facile" (It's not easy) is a melodic
piece about a difficult relationship. For this track the band shot a
video where you can see a man and a woman who have to endeavour many
humiliations during their everyday life... The following "Quello
che ho" (What I've got) tells about a man who feels
inappropriate since he can't give to his sweetheart what she needs...
Next
comes the lively instrumental "On da bridge" that the
recalls the soundtracks of the Italian films from the seventies and
bands such as Calibro 35 or La Batteria. It leads to the sarcastic
"Fuori!" (Out!), featuring Latin rhythms and a strong
criticism against the culture of consumerism. The lyrics describe a
man strolling along the streets of Milan who looks at the empty,
false people having fun... He can't be like them, he thinks that's
far better dealing with a hundred hippies than with a single spoiled
rich boy...
Le Folli Arie on stage 2015
The
mood of the following "Il giardino della mia follia" (The
garden of my madness) is darker. This piece tries to describe in
words and lyrics a man prisoner of his dreams who tries to lock up in
his heart all his pain and his personal hell getting lost in his
madness... "Mentre tu cadi" (While you are falling down)
tells of a man who realizes that one of his friends is burning out
following the course of his madness. You can perceive a sense of
merciful pity but nobody can help his unfortunate friend, it's too
late and there's nothing to do...
"Il
giorno mio migliore" (My best day) takes us back to start, to
the flight in the void of a man who can't wait for a better day. In
his song there's a dream, in his steps you can feel the
unstoppable desire of jumping down through a sky of lead... The
closer "Alien's trip" features some ethnic flavours and
accompanies his last flight towards another dimension.
"Shot
in the dark", "A better day tomorrow" and "It's
not easy" are just the English versions of "Salto nel
buio", "Il giorno mio migliore" and "Non è
facile", three bonus tracks that do not add anything to this
work... On the whole, I think that this is a nice pop rock album
where melody prevails on a more adventurous, daring approach to
songwriting. I know, it could be disappointing for a prog fan, but if
you like bands such as Laviàntica, Layra or Camelias Garden, have a try: you
can listen to the complete album HERE.
Faveravola
come from Treviso and began life in 1998 on the initiative of
Giancarlo Nicorelli and Adriano Durighetto. In the seventies both
founder members militated in local bands that never had the chance to
record an album, bands such as Diamond Red, Dinoterium and Dawson.
After a long hiatus they decided to start playing again to make their
musical dreams come true and so they gathered around them a new group
of musicians to work on old and new ideas. In 2006 Faveravola finally
released a debut album on the independent label Lizard Records with a
line up featuring Giancarlo Nicorelli (keyboards, narrative vocals),
Adriano Durighetto (bass), Paolo Coltro (drums, percussion),
Alessandro Bonotto (acoustic guitar), Franco Violo (vocals), Consuelo
Marcon (violin) and Gianluca Tassi (electric guitar) plus some guests
such as Luca Boldrin (flute), Ivan and Nicola Durighetto (recorder)
and Tiziana Carraro (vocals). The result of their efforts is an
interesting concept album that tells of a metaphoric journey through
the dreamy land depicted on the album cover and in the booklet by
Marta De Martin. The overall sound is soft and folksy and conjures up
calm, pastoral landscapes while the enthusiasm and passion of all the
people involved in this project shines through...
The
dreamy opener "L'antefatto" (Preamble) introduces the
subject matter and sets the atmosphere. Every now and again it
reminds me of Procol Harum and features narrative vocals explaining
that what really matters in a man's life is his imagination. You have
to follow your dreams, fighting for your freedom and against every
form hypocrisy and conformism... All in all, who can be sure that
fantasy never meets reality?
The
slow paced "Lo specchio" (The mirror) tells of a man who
looks at his face in a mirror... What is left of his dreams? Suddenly
he feels his soul flying away, his reflected image breaks through the
mirror and he's in some way catapulted in a fairytale world generated
by his own dreams. The following "La Contea dei Cento Castagni"
(The County of the Hundred Chestnut Trees) describes this dreams that
come true with calm tones and soft organ passages that every now and
again remind me of the liturgical atmosphere of a Catholic mass post
Second Vatican Council. The man is now a knight who has to defend
peace, love and justice...
Next
comes "La foresta degli elfi alati" (The forest of the
winged elves) where the rhythm rises and the music conjures up a
light sense of mystery... Now the knight is riding in his new world
and has to cross a forest where every leaf is an eye and an ear of
the strange inhabitants of this magic place, the elves. These
creatures warn the knight about the dangers that he'll find along his
road, he has to cross an old gloomy world to meet his destiny, the
real world will set ambushes and every sort of waylays... Only his
generous heart and his honour can save the knight! The following
"L'incontro" (The meeting) features a Medieval flavour and
could recall some works of the Italian minstrel Angelo Branduardi.
There are male and female vocals interpreting a dialogue between the
protagonist and his soul. After the breakaway, the protagonist's soul
comes back with words of hope and a particular gift, her eyes on the
wings of the wind...
"Il
sogno" (The dream) could recall Le Orme from the pre-Collage
period. The music and vocals describe the gratitude of the
protagonist for his new world where he can live his dreams. His voice
soars like a prayer towards the sky... Next comes the long, slow "La
Piana dei Temoli del Livenza" (The plain of the graylings of the
Livenza River) that features lengthy narrative vocals and describes a
surreal dialogue between the protagonist and the Livenza River that
speaks words of wisdom and hope. The voice of the river here is
interpreted by the special guest Aldo Tagliapietra, historic member
of Le Orme.
The
epic "Lo scontro" (The fight) describes in music and lyrics
the fight between the protagonist and the enemies that are
threatening his new realm: the ferocious, merciless Hypocrisy and
Infamy... The fighting is hard, the sword of the knight breaks and
his injuries seem to be lethal... But suddenly his sword comes to a
new life, his injuries generate the notes of a powerful music that
hits hard into the heart. Time stands still, the enemies are defeated
and the dream lives on...
"Danza
di Messer Reale e Madonna Fantasia" (Dance of Mister Reality and
Lady Fantasy) is another track with a strong Medieval atmosphere that
describes an imaginary dance between a clumsy, armoured knight and a
beautiful lady, the metaphors of Reality and Fantasy... They dance
all night long, until dreams and reality get mixed together... Then
comes the melodic ballad "Leggenda della foglia, della vita e
del vento" (Legend of the leaf, of the life and of the wind)
where life is compared to a falling leaf, carried by the wind. Only
if you will learn how to listen to its music that leaf would land on
your hands and will live on...
"Neorinascimento"
(New rebirth) is a nice ballad with a positive feeling that recalls
Le Orme and that conjures up the image of a mother walking hand in
hand with is little child... The knight now understands that building
a new world based upon love is not impossible: an idea that once was
nothing but a dream could come true... The dreamy closer "La
strada ai confini di..." (The road on the border of...) invites
you to search for your own way to the magic world of dreams: it could
be a hard, long journey but you have to be brave and march forward
along the borders of your imagination to reach your destination...
There you'll meet the knight and his lady, it is there that you will
discover if this magic country is just dream or reality...
On
the whole, a pleasant album for Italian prog lovers who who prefer
soft, calm atmospheres
Faveravola:
La contea dei cento castagni (2006). Other opinions:
Jim
Russell: The music is pleasant, well played, and easy going. But
it's just a background for the story. Most of the music is just
nicely done soft rock with a steady beat and safe, somewhat generic
new-agey mood, and really not that remarkable. Occasionally someone
will break out with a lovely interlude or an impressive guitar solo
but those moments are few and far between. It's just not going to
knock you out like your favorite PFM or QVL album. Now if you are
looking solely for that mellow, pastoral experience to relax to then
maybe this will work for you... (read the complete review HERE)
Ken
Levine: It is rare that any album contains so many gorgeous and
timeless melodies that many listens will be required to absorb its
full breadth. Luckily this is not a chore but a blessing. The rich
production and the delicate fullness are a reward each time...
(read the complete revie HERE)
The
Iz Quartet come from Zoppola, a little town in the province of
Pordenone. They began life in 2012 as an acoustic trio under the name
Izchis Zorfena’s Trio on the initiative of Denis Ronchese
(keyboards) and brothers Paolo Jus (bass, guitar) and Pietro Jus
(drums, percussion). In 2013 Aurelio Tarallo (guitar) joined and
later the band changed their name into Iz Quartet. In 2015 the band
self-released an interesting EP entitled Lebannen featuring
five original compositions for a total of 29 minutes length. The
overall sound is influenced by jazz, fusion and progressive rock and
bands and artists such as Snarky Puppy, Greg Howe, Chick Corea,
Weather Report, Frank Zappa, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller,
Jamiroquai, Herbie Hancock or Miles Davis. Anyway, the musicians
managed to put also all their passion and some good ideas into the
mix and in my opinion the final result is really worth listening to.
Iz Quartet 2015
The
opener "Geesy Ku" begins softly, then the rhythm rises and
the music drives you through dreamy realms and exotic islands. For a
first demo version of this track the band shot a nice video where you
can see some toys coming to life in a workshop to explore a new world
where creativity rules and where the music is the charm that makes
things roll all around the place...
Next
comes "Magic Bus" that takes you on a journey across the
ocean and with its funky grooves conjures up an American dream along
wide highways and busy streets, between lights and shadows... The
following "Levity" features some Latin flavours and a
lighter pace, so you can relax and dream of a special holiday, at
least for a while...
The
title track is an evocative piece with a mysterious atmosphere. Who
is "Lebannen"? He might be the strange character portrayed
on the art cover... Well, to begin the art cover reminds us that
Zoppola is not for from Spilimbergo, another town in the province of
Pordenone, best known for its Friuli School of Mosaic, so Lebannen might be
an Oriental king or a Byzantine general with a double personality... Lebannen is also the name
of a character in a fantasy saga written by American novelist Ursula K. Le Guin, but I don't know if this piece was really inspired by the deeds of the king of Earthsea... All in all, it doesn't matter! Let
the music drive and take you away on the wings of your own fantasy...
The
calm, acoustic "La rana di vetro" (The frog of glass)
closes an album with some really good moments... Have a try, you can
listen to the complete work HERE
Mosaico
come from Grosseto and their roots date back to 2000 when the first
nucleus of the band was formed on the initiative of singer and
lyricist Enrico Nesi and percussionist Simone Batignani with the aim
of blending the tradition of Italian canzone d'autore from the
seventies with other genres and influences. After some demos and line
up changes, in 2009 the musical direction of the band turned to
Italian progressive rock with a renewed repertoire. In 2014 they
finally recorded and self-released an interesting debut album
entitled Vola with a line up featuring Enrico Nesi (vocals),
Cristian Dima (bass), Nicola Cambri (synth, Hammond, Mellotron,
Rhodes, accordion), Alessandro Capanni (drums), Simone Batignani
(congas, bongos, udu, jamblocks, cymbals, shaker) and Fabrizio
Biscontri (electric and acoustic guitars). It's an excellent album of
"prog cantautorale" with a great emphasis on lyrics,
almost a collection of poems dressed up in progressive rock with
influences ranging from Van der Graaf Generator and King Crimson to
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Premiata Forneria Marconi. This is not a
concept album but in some way all the tracks have a common thread
that is depicted in the art cover by Mario Bambagini, "Grande
apertura" (Big opening), that symbolizes the need to find a way
through a dark corridor to see the light.
The
opener "Vola" (Fly), features a surreal, mystic atmosphere.
It's a reflective piece where life is compared to a light leaf
sailing on a river that flows from the mountains to the sea. The leaf
can fall or soar like a butterfly but it can float and fly only when
pushed by water and wind. The river carries everyone on its waters
towards the sea, where all the waters get mixed, where life ends and
there's no more pain...
The
dark "Il bivio" (The crossroad) is a kind of psychedelic
waltz that draws visionary, apocalyptic sceneries and invites you to
wake up and make up your mind: the world is changing, the time of
playing is over and your road has come to a crossroad... Law and
justice are at odds, will you continue to accept passively what you
are told or will you stand up and fight against your fate, shooting
at the sky?
"Il
critico, il profano e l'artista" (The critic, the profane and
the artist) recalls Fabrizio De Andrè and is a melancholic
reflection about the role that art plays in a man's life. There's no
rule to capture its spirit, no way to invent a method to brew
emotions, you have to heed the call of your heart and forget
everything else. We might be equals in front of the law, but art make
us different, special beings...
"Il
nuovo potere" (The new power) is an amazing track that starts by
church like organ waves and marching beats. It conjures up the images
of a war that is in the meantime metaphorical and real. The power of
media is overwhelming but your mind begins to wake up and you're
experiencing new emotions, what you are told is not what you feel and
tonight your war has begun...
"Questa
santa umanità" (This holy humanity) is a caustic ballad with a
nice Mediterranean flavour that starts by accordion and strummed
acoustic guitar. It's a song against false honesty and the mirages
conjured up by a holy humanity made of hypocrites and charlatans,
against people who resemble to a herd of empty idealists wasting
their breath...
"Materia
e vita" (Matter and life) is an excellent track full of energy
and irony that thunders words against materialism and consumerism
with a particular poetical strength. Open your heart and you will
attend a bold search for space that can even stop the hands of a
clock and make time stand still...
Old picture from MySpace
"Lenti
passi" (Slow steps) features the female backing vocals of the
guest Lorenza Baudo and deals with the madness of war. Imagine the
sound of leaves under marching boots, the slow steps of an army on
its way to the front, then shimmering lights on the horizon and the
thunder of a hundred cannons... Look at what a man can do! Old
preachers, merchants of souls and politicians, listen to the families
broken by hunger and pain... What we really need in this world is
nothing but love!
The
swinging "Sopravvivere" (To survive) is lighter and
features another guest, Aldo Milani, on sax. It ends the album
inviting you to open the gates of your heart leaving the shelters you
metaphorically built to protect yourself from the outside world...
On
the whole, this is an interesting album from a very promising band.
You can listen to the complete album on bandcamp... So, have a try and judge
by yourselves! Click
HERE
Fate
Of A Thousand Worlds is the second album by Gran Torino, an
interesting prog band from Verona. It was released in 2013 on the
French label Musea Records, two years after the promising debut
grantorinoProg, with a renewed line up featuring Alessio Pieri
(keyboards, piano), Gian Maria Roveda (drums), Fabrizio Visentini
(bass) and Leonardo Freggi (guitars). According to the band's
website, this is a conceptual work about a man who travels in space
and in real time throughout the universe that is based on a short
sci-fi story written by one of their friends, Paolo Gadioli, that you
can find in the booklet and that's also mirrored in the beautiful art
work created by Ed Unitsky. The music was conceived as a soundtrack
to describe the adventures, emotions and torments of the
protagonist...
The
opener, "Child of the Stars", sets the atmosphere and
introduces the protagonist, Velasquez, a kind of super-hero created
by a superior race whose mission is to conquer the whole universe.
His birth required a huge amount of energy that was obtained by
destroying a planet... The music starts softly, then the rhythm
gradually rises, calms down for a while and rises again, powerful and
threatening...
Then
comes the frenzied "Absolute Time". Here every now and
again I'm reminded of bands such EL&P and Goblin... The merciless
protagonist can travel through space and time and when he finds a
planet inhabited by a superior race he can go back to an era when
that civilization was not so evolute and can't resist to his
powers...
"The
Battle of Velasquez" is a dark, powerful track that could recall
some passages from Darwin! by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It's a
perfect score for the destructive actions of the protagonist who
defeats powerful armies and ravages fortified cities. It leads to the
following "Dead Suns" where you can hear the great poem of
the extinguished suns and the last pulses of the worlds swept away by
Velasquez...
The
melancholic "The Fog of Time" describes the feeling of
loneliness and deep sadness of the protagonist. Velasquez can't find
anyone who can match him. They call him just the child of the stars,
they fear him, they hate him... Next comes "Empty Soul"
that tries to capture in music the strange feeling that the
protagonist experiences by approaching a new planet: it's just like a
deep emptiness in his soul. So, he begins to observe this new planet,
to explore it from above...
Gran Torino 2014
The
delicate, romantic "Arìda" is a piano solo track that
describes the meeting between Velasquez and a beautiful woman called
Arìda who lives on the mysterious planet. The heartless protagonist
finally falls in love and the following "The Short Dream"
describes in some way this complicate, unsettling romance...
"End
of a Planet" breaks the dream, the rhythm rises suggesting an
impending danger, something is going to happen. Suddenly Velasques
has to go back in his spaceship, there's something wrong... As he
gets on board the planet blows up and his love is lost forever...
Here the music reminds me slightly of other two planets in a distant
solar system, hidden behind the jewellery of a thousand stars and
forests of coral...
The
title track, "Fate of a Thousand Worlds", ends the album
describing the dark thoughts of the protagonist, condemned to live
alone in his immense spaceship, master of time, master of the
universe... Master of nothing!
On
the whole, this is an excellent instrumental album and the music is
really worth listening to. Have a try, even if you don't like the
storyline!
Gran
Torino: Fate Of A Thousand Worlds (2013). Other opinions:
Mark
Johnson: The musicianship is inspired and unique sounding enough
to set this band apart from the many instrumental prog bands that
roam the universe. Imagine all of the things that you might encounter
on a journey through the universe. Without lyrics you are left to
your imagination... and sometimes that can provide its own horrors as
well as inspirations... (read the complete review HERE)
Pedro
Bekkers: Gran Torino have made a lot of progression compared to
their debut. With the replacement of the guitarist they moved the bar
up by a few notches and forced themselves to create more challenging
compositions shifting toward a heavier prog rock or prog metal style.
With an album like Fate Of A Thousand Worlds Gran Torino may be very
proud of themselves! They can face the future with confidence...
(read the cmplete review HERE)
Four
Destinies is the third
studio album by Alex Carpani and it confirms all the good qualities
of its predecessors, Waterline (2007) and The Sanctuary
(2010). It was recorded with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (piano,
Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, vocals), David Jackson (sax, flute), Ettore
Salati (electric and acoustic guitar, bouzouki, balalaika),
Giambattista Giorgi (bass), Alessandro Di Caprio (drums) and Joe Sal
(vocals) and produced by Cristiano Roversi who engineered, mixed and
mastered all the pieces. The album was finally released in 2014 on
the independent Festival Music label with a nice packaging and an art
cover reproducing a statue by Michelangelo Pistoletto, The
Etruscan, from the Forth Worth
Museum collection. According to the liner notes, this is a
concept album based on four eventual destinies that a man can find on
the path of his life: four destinies that irradiate, moving from
the same point, in four different directions of life. To be
honest, the concept is not very clear: the lyrics alternate parts in
English and in Italian and do not try to tell a story but rather
conjure up images adding more colours to the four musical tableaux on
the album, the rest is up to your imagination! Four destinies, four
long tracks with many changes in rhythm and mood, very rich in ideas
and musical colours well performed by an excellent team of
musicians...
The
beautiful opener, "The Silk Road", takes you on a long
journey through valleys and deserts, following the ancient tracks of
merchants and adventurers such as Marco Polo. It's a road that marks
the destiny of many different people in a melting-pot of races,
colours, smells and sounds... A road that crosses the borders between
science and faith, where you can hear secret stories whispered by
silent shadows under the moonlight...
"Time
Spiral" takes you on the mountains where you can sit on the
banks of a brook and bathe in the icy waters of the springs of Time.
There you can get lost in the mystery of life, you can feel the
weight of your days passing by like dust and sand carried away by the
current... But a threatening storm is approaching and the rage of the
wind will soon blow away everything around you in the crazy spiral of
a deadly fate...
"Sky
And Sea" begins softly and features some dark passages that
recall Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. The music and lyrics take
you on a boat sailing across raging waters under a thundering storm
in a dark night... You've got to gather all your energies and fight
hard for your life against the fury of the elements. At last the
storm calms down, you see a lighthouse and you can breathe the smells
of a seaport, you can reach a safe harbour. Now the danger is gone
but sometimes tears take a long time to dry...
"The
Infinite Room" takes you on a sleepwalk through an enchanted
world, as in a H.P. Lovecraft story... Your body is out of control
while you're strolling through the streets of a fantastic, unreal
city. At dawn the dream melts and you wake up confused by feelings,
thoughts and visions that are driving you insane. You can hear a
strange music that's shaking your soul... "The sound of weird
lyric melody was what aroused me. Chords, vibrations, and harmonic
ecstasies echoed passionately on every hand; while on my ravished
sight burst the stupendous spectacle of ultimate beauty..."
(H.P. Lovecraft, from Beyond the Wall of Sleep).
Alex Carpani Band 2014
On
the whole, I think that this is a very good album: if you like bands
such as Genesis or Van der Graaf Generator and Italian progressive
rock, have a try! I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Alex
Carpani: Four Destinies (2014). Other opinions:
Jerry
Lucky: The music of Alex Carpani is best described as classic
Italian Symphonic Progressive Rock and he has all the musical
elements in place humming like a precision clock. You hear old or
classic familiar sounds set against a host of newer textures,
blending together to create a wonderfully enticing modern album.
Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended... (read the complete
review HERE)
