Nicola
Pardini is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer from Pisa who in 2016 self-released a very interesting debut album entitled
Archimede, featuring the precious collaboration of vocalist
and lyricist Stefano Simoncini. On the album Nicola Pardini plays all
the instruments showcasing not only a great musicianship but also a
songwriting full of inventiveness and an extraordinary sense of
rhythm while the vocals and poetry of Stefano Simoncini add colours
and visionary images, strange melodies and exotic flavours. You can
hear here influences ranging from jazz rock to prog, from classical
music to folk and more, all mixed with gusto and freshness...
The
long opener "Pietra e sasso" (Rock and stone) is a
magnificent epic about the mystery of life and the origin of the
universe seen through the eyes of a child. It begins by the
description of a spectral landscape and the threatening images of a
wild nature on a primordial plante, the atmosphere is dark, the
rhythm pounding and tight. There are eruptions and thunders, you can
see shapes of broken rocks swept by the wind under a heavy black sky
while you're slowly dragged into a nightmarish world, towards new
borders, new mysteries, new certainties, new passages, new tides, new
entities, new currents, new horizons... Now new stars shine over you
and in the depth of the earth you can perceive a hellish power
without humanity stirring under your feet as the whole universe
dances following the rhythm of the gravity force... Then the
atmosphere becomes more relaxed and a new image appears: there's a
little boy under a tree in front of a mountain, he takes a stone from
the ground and observes it, the stone seems able to speak and he asks
the stone from where it comes from... The stone answers, it's like in
a dream, there's magic in the air as the music runs through a jazzy
area before coming back to the starting point with a reprise of the
first part. A wonderful track that every now and again could recall
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Area!
The
dreamy "Bilbo Song", inspired by a J.R.R. Tolkien's
character, tells in music and words of an endless journey through
dark, timeless woods, where you can walk by light steps upon fallen
leaves, touching softly invisible shadows, following the notes of a
spring song carried by the wind with joy in your heart and hope in
the future... Over the clouds there's a silver ship, come on board!
The
following "Baffoman" tells of a music that is able to melt
Time as you try to escape from bad memories, running away from carved
smiles and greediness. The music flows halfway between enthusiasm and
nostalgia as you are hiding away, trying to break through the walls
of a busy city where you can never find a quiet moment. Then comes
"Nostalgico" (Nostalgic), a piece where the lyrics evoke
the memory of a smile that can give birth to melancholic shivers and
powerful emotions pushing you to seek for new musical dreams...
The
title track, "Archimede", was inspired by the character of
Archimedes of Syracuse, a famous Greek mathematician, physicist,
engineer, inventor and astronomer. The music is rich in ideas,
changes of rhythm, games of balance and other delicious intricacies
while the lyrics evoke a spectacular sundown and the weight of
dreams. Here ideas and concepts are compared to precious treasures to
discover, imagination is what can really lead to a better future
following an abstract path that will surprise you!
 |
| Stefano Simoncini |
"Hoima"
is a piece that conjures up exotic sceneries and the rhythms of
Africa. The title refers to a city in Uganda, near the Lake Albert,
and the lyrics describe a landscape of incredible beauty, full of
positive energy. The following "Solitario" (Solitary) is
another colourful track with strong ethnic flavours that could drive
you from Africa to Jamaica and back to Europe in a while, almost
making of distance an empty word...
The
closer "Memo" is a calm, reflective track that tells about
lost chances and disappointments that you can cure thanks to the
healing power of music. There's always a gap between dreams and
reality that you have to fill during your life. Sometimes let the
music drive your way and take it easy: with a new awareness you can
really look at the world under a different point of view!
On
the whole, this a very interesting album and if you like bands such
as Deus Ex Machina or D.F.A. I'm sure you'll love it!
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