So
Close, So Far is fourth album by Alex Carpani and was released in
2016 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a line up
featuring Alex Carpani (keyboards, programming, vocals), Ettore
Salati (acoustic and electric guitar), Joe Sal (vocals, guitar),
Giambattista Giorgi (bass) and Martino Malacrida (drums). If compared
with his previous works, it marks a deliberate change of musical
direction veering to an elaborated A.O.R. and leaving behind vintage
instruments and symphonic prog in favour of a modern, simpler sound.
All the tracks have a common thread, the difficulty to communicate
with each other even in an era dominated by social media and by a
technology that seem to create interpersonal barriers instead to help
us to break them down. The artwork by Gigi Cavalli Cocchi tries to
capture the image of this world in reverse...
The
opener “The Eve” is a short, melancholic instrumental track that
leads to the lively, melodic “I Tried And Tried” where rays of
light pass through heavy clouds and distant marching steps resound in
the air, growing like shadows from an obscure past. Musically,
memories from the eighties are knocking at the door...
The
lyrics of the following “Man On The Wire” conjure up the image of
a man walking on the thin rope of life between madness and fear,
trying to avoid the tricks of everyday life. Here the music every now
and again reminds me of Ultravox...
The
bitter-sweet “Stay With Me” opens with an acoustic guitar
arpeggio, the music and lyrics try to evoke the scent of the sea and
a sense of inner magic sweeping off fears and doubts... A good style
council where more eighties influences are mixed with a shy touch
of prog!
The
nervous “In Your Absence” starts by an aggressive electric guitar
riff and drives you into the frenzied nightlife of a modern city,
bewitched by the scent and memories of a missing lover while the
following “Let My Drop Of Sweat Fall Down” is a good rock ballad
about the need to push your heart against the tide and stretching out
your limits.
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Alex Carpani Band on stage, 2015
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The
nocturnal “Crystal Falls” tells in music and words about a
solitary, regenerating walk under the moon and the falling stars...
Then it’s the turn of the dreamy “One Face, One Lie” that
begins with an excerpt from famous Martin Luther King’s speech
Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence: I
come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my
conscience leaves me no other choice… A
time comes when silence is betrayal… The truth of these words is
beyond doubt but the mission to which they call us is a most
difficult one...
As Martin Luther King’s
words fade away the
music and lyrics portray a man meeting a ghost, one
day at home... Or
it was just his image reflected by a mirror? Well,
like all dreams, this one has its own illogicality and truth and lies
are blurred.
The
light “Next Time” features electronic sounds and catching
melodies while the lyrics describe the attitude to postpone decisions
as time flies away. It leads to the melancholic, introspective last
track, “The Last Sign”, a reflection about the relativity of life
and time.
On
the whole, this is a nice, accessible album but beware! Many prog
lovers could by highly disappointed by Alex Carpani’s new course.
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