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...
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| 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
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