DARK FRAGMENTS

Sensitività is the second album by La Coscienza di Zeno and was released in 2013 on the independent Altrock - Fading Records label with a renewed line up featuring Alessio Calandriello (vocals), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass), Andrea Orlando (drums, percussion), Stefano Agnini (synthesizers), Davide Serpico (guitars) and Luca Scherani (piano, synth, Mellotron, accordion, bouzuki) plus the guests Joanne Roan (flute), Sylvia Trabucco (violin), Melissa Del Lucchese (cello) and Rossano Villa (Mellotron). The musical palette is extremely rich and refined, inspired by seventies sounds but not stuck in the past. The overall atmosphere is a bit dark, as you can guess from the art cover by Paolo “Ske” Botta and the images that you find in the booklet...

 

The title of the opener “La città di Dite” (The city of Dite) refers to an imaginary infernal city described by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy. According to the sommo poeta, Dite is the place where the heretics, buried in red-hot stone graves, pay for their sins. Here the music and words deal with the inner hell of the protagonist. The piece starts by a dramatic piano solo intro then the other instruments come in as the vocalist plays the role of a disturbed man, one who fears climbing the slippery stairs that lead from the heart to the brain. If you fall from that damned staircase you’ll land with your broken spine where the devil’s tail lies...

The long, complex, “Sensitività” (Sensitivity), is an amazing track that evokes in music and words the effort of transmuting and sublimating the energy of a person in an inner alchemy to improve the ability to feel, to have sensations, to perceive stimuli through the senses with the aim of finding the way towards truth and self-consciousness. Here the lyrics are like brush strokes of colour quoting holy scriptures and philosophical works, literature and obscure, esoteric rites focused on the reaffirmation of the human connection with the supernatural world...

Then comes the ethereal, melancholic “Tenue” (Tenuous). There are no liner notes to explain the lyrics of this track but they seem to be inspired by the life of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, Russian astronaut known for being the first and youngest woman in space, having flown a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. Later in her life she got involved in her country political life, when there was not much left of the Red Russia and its application of real socialism. The dreams and ideals of the old Soviet Union turn to ashes on the sounds of distant radio frequencies, fading away like memories soon destined for oblivion...

The following “Chiusa 1915” evokes a beautiful, dizzying landscape and memories of war soaring from the woods. This beautiful piece is about the construction of the Val Gardena Railway or Klausen-Plan, a narrow gauge railway operating in the Dolomites. It was constructed during the first World War, when the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The works begun in September 1915 and the line was completed and opened on 6 February 1916, thanks to the conscripted labour of some 6,000 Russian prisoners of war, here depicted as sad living shadows pushed by the steam of a crazy gear. The railway was 32.5 km long and was the highest line operated by the Italian Railways with a summit of 1,595m above sea level. It closed on 28 May 1960 and now a long section between Santa Cristina Val Gardena and Ortisei is a beautiful public footpath, the Val Gardena Railway Trail...

Val Gardena Railway Trail

Then it’s the turn of “Tensegrità” (Tensegrity), a reflection about child abuse and the way the monsters of childhood contribute to shape a mature person with the floating compression of his emotions and feelings. This piece ends with an invocation to Hecate, a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology with domains in sky, earth, and sea that is variously associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, night, light, magic, witchcraft and more. The protagonist, to have his real nature revealed prays the goddess to take him with her in a long journey across the three worlds...

The title of the following “Pauvre Misère” refers to a 1953 song by French singer-songwriter Georges Brassens evoking the situation of agricultural workers and small landowners who toil on small farms and go on, modestly, without complaint. Here the music and lyrics update the concept and draw a bleak tableau of urban desolation conjuring up the image of a country that devours his inhabitants, a city full of lights and fake smiles where a poor man, an underclass worker, can only look at the show of consumerism. The face of Che Guevara printed on the tight tee-shirt of a young woman, stretched under her bosom, becomes the symbol of a faded revolution turning into something else...

The long, complex “La temperanza” (The temperance) ends the album and refers to the fourteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. Temperance is usually depicted as a winged angel pouring liquid from one cup into another to represent the dilution of wine with water, a symbol of moderation. Here the music and the hermetic lyrics draw disquieting images where you can find obscure symbolism and floating memories to describe the fragments of a life spent with too much moderation and without enthusiasm...

On the whole, and excellent work that grows spin after spin!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

La Coscienza di Zeno: Sensitività (2013). Other opinions:

Raffaella Benvenuto-Berry: While sounding thoroughly modern thanks to Udi Koomran’s priceless mastering work, Sensitività is also firmly rooted in the great Italian prog tradition of the Seventies. Although, as I previously hinted, at times the synth sounds may be a bit too reminiscent of neo-prog modes, the Italian flair for exquisite melodies and dramatic yet remarkably un-cheesy atmospheres shines through the album, and makes it essential listening for any self-respecting RPI fan. A supremely classy work, Sensitività is a grower, and even fans of more left-field fare may find a lot to appreciate in it... (read the complete review HERE)

BEHIND THE FENCE

Divide et Impera is Røsenkreütz's second studio album and was released in 2020 on the independent Andromeda Relix label with a renewed line up featuring Fabio Serra (guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals), Gianni Brunelli (drums, percussion), Gianni Sabbioni (bass, Chapman Stick), Massimo Piubelli (vocals), Carlo Soliman (piano, keyboards) and Eva Impellizzeri (vocals, keyboards). It confirms all the good qualities of the band’s debut work, Back To The Stars, with its excellent blend of melody, AOR and more complex passages that every now and again could recall Kansas or The Spock's Beard. All the pieces seem to have a common thread as they in some way describe the subtle line between what we perceive and what’s real and, in my opinion, the beautiful art work by Christophe Dessaigne gives a good idea of the album’s content...

The opener “Freefall” starts with a jump into eighties soundscapes, then takes a different direction maintaining a strong melodic approach. The music and lyrics tell about a dangerous descent into a vortex of desires, mislead by cheating smiles and kind words. Sometimes a particular glance can change the balance between the things you really need and what you feel necessary and make you fall into a dangerous, deceitful daydream, cradled by the sound of little, seducing lies...

The sarcastic “Imaginary Friend” every now and again could recall Queen and is an excellent piece about religious ideals that turn into business and terrorism. The imaginary friend of the title is a kind of hand tailored, bloodthirsty god created by merciless pseudo-religious leaders and exalted preachers to rip you off and make you kill other people with the joy in your heart... 

 

 
Then comes “The Candle In The Glass”, a disquieting melodic ballad depicting a wicked game where the protagonist falls under the spell of the images he can see in a looking glass lighted by the flickering flame of a candle. The refined arrangement features a string quartet (the guests Evequartett) that add a touch of romantic colour to the crepuscular tableaux...

“I Know I Know” is an aggressive, nervous track that features even a short passage with rap vocals delivered by the guest Flamma. It evokes an inner demon taking the lead, a dream driving you insane as reality becomes more and more blurred... Next comes “Aurelia”, where the rhythm slackens and eerie melodies soar from nocturnal passages and nightmarish atmospheres. It tells a dark story of love and betrayal, murder and regret, a story where the perfect life of a glamorous woman suddenly turns into madness... 

 

Resenkreutz on stage, 2022

 The catchy “True Lies” could recall Toto and is about the dangerous, deceiving power of media, fake news and television preachers, overwhelming advertisement policies and true lies running over and over the screen making of you just a kind of fool to exploit while the following “Sorry And...” describes in music and words a very hard letter to write and evokes suicidal thoughts under the moonlight, when autumn turns into winter and hell seems a welcoming place...

Then the long, complex “The Collector” ends the album by telling the story of a psychotic collector of human eyes, an insane serial killer that eventually realizes what he’s done and takes off his own eyes to complete his macabre collection. Well, his story is long but it’s worth listening to...

On the whole, a very good work!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Røsenkreütz: Divide et Impera (2020). Other opinions:
Peter Skov: "Divide et Impera" doesn't have that incredible pinnacle that was the title track of the first album, but I feel the thrills on the album are more consistent and frequent. If you're interested in a heavy prog album with strong eighties influences and synthesizers plus excellent vocal melodies and some great examples of action-packed progressive rock flair, head on over to Bandcamp and have a listen to Rosenkreutz's "Divide at Impera"! (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/rosenkreutzband

DIAMONDS IN THE RAIN

Diamanti is the second album by Mad Crayon and was released in 1999 on the independent Mellow Records label with a renewed line up featuring Alessandro Di Benedetti (keyboards, piano, vocals), Daniele Agostinelli (keyboards, vocals), Federico Tetti (electric guitars, sax), Daniele Vitalone (bass, electric guitar), Luca Cleri (acoustic and electric guitar) plus Stefano Crudele (drums), Simone Durante (Hammond organ), Monica Ward (vocals) and Eleonora Ricci (vocals). In my opinion, it confirms all the good qualities of the debut work and even marks a step forward for the band. This time all the lyrics are in Italian and the vocal parts sound more confident while the music tries to explore new territories with original compositions, a great sense of melody and fresh ideas... 

 

The nervous opener “La ballata dell'uomo nudo” (The ballad of the naked man) describes in music and words the feelings you can experience in a restless night where darkness steals your breaths, unveils your silences, turns up your cards and undresses your soul without mercy, leaving you in front of a light that shows your nakedness. All you have to do is heeding the call of fantasy and follow its course heading up towards the sky...

The reflective, melancholic “Deserti” (Deserts) tells in music and words about an inner desert that the protagonist carries inside him everywhere he goes and evokes distant voices dancing on the horizon, mirages of love and painful memories... 

 

Then it’s the turn of the beautiful instrumental “Glorioso destino” (Glorious destiny), a dynamic piece full of positive energy that leads to the dreamy “Pioggia di fiori” (Rain of flowers) where delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios and soaring melodies invite you to leave behind fake smiles and ephemeral pleasures to embark on a boat and sail through a calm sea, over the clouds, under a soft rain of flowers. An old man smiles at you... Welcome on board!

The excellent instrumental title track, “Diamanti” (Diamonds), blends romantic atmospheres and more aggressive passages and leads to “L'allegra brigata” (The merry brigade), a long, complex piece dedicated to all the friends of the band. It starts softly as the story comes to life from the ashes of reality and takes off on the wings of fantasy while the music and lyrics conjure up a fantastic voyage on a ship sailing across an unknown sea in search for the treasures of youth with a merry crew always open to adventure... 

 

Mad Crayon, 1999

 “Principe delle maree” (Prince of the tides) is a kind of celebration of the power of music and the healing force of singing. You have to set your heart free and follow the rhythm of the tide, then you’ll take off on an imaginary flight across mysterious lands and Oriental landscapes leaving behind the daily problems of a hostile reality... The short, evocative “Alchimia di una leggenda” (Alchemy of a legend) ends the album with a kind of tribute of the art of cinema. Narrative female vocals raise questions about the greatness and the righteousness of a man who conceives kingdoms of death and boasts his victories in front of those who cry, a man under the rain looks for shelter... Director, do not stop, please!

On the whole, a very good album full of melody and dreamy atmospheres.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Mad Crayon: Diamanti (1999). Other opinions:
Erik Neuteboom: On this CD Mad Crayon sounds tight, fluent and convincing, their compositions are tasteful featuring lots of pleasant changing climates, from dreamy to bombastic... The progrock from Mad Crayon doesn't sound original or complex but they deliver very melodic, harmonic and pleasant music... (Read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/madcrayon/ 

INTELLIGENT BOMBS

Bombook is the fourth album by Agorà and was recorded live at Progressivamente Free Festival in Rome on September 20, 2015 with a line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic and electric guitar), Massimo Manzi (drums), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (bass) plus Patrizio Fariselli (keyboards - from Area) and Marco Agostinelli (flute). It was released in 2016 on the Cramps - Sony label and contains some brand new tracks along with brilliant new arrangements of pieces taken from their old repertoire. The art cover by Massimiliano D’Affronto depicts a very strange aircraft made of human bodies dropping books on a surreal landscape trying to convey the concept that culture and music can start a real revolution... 

 

The crisp, lively opener “Bombook” sets the atmosphere. It’s a new track whose title refers to the idea of books can be like joyful bombs with the power of shaking human society while the music every now and again reminds me of PFM. Another beautiful brand new piece follows, the acoustic, reflective “Reset”, where you can appreciate a great flute work. Next comes a re-vitalized piece from the seventies, “Costa dell’est” (East coast), mixing Latin rock influences and fresh breezes from the Birdland, pulsing rhythms and Mediterranean flavours... 

 

The live version of “Sensei” is more jazzy than the original studio one but maintains its reflective mood. Then comes the excellent “Punto rosso” (Red Point), a track from Agorà 2 named after a Milanese jazz club of the seventies, that here is enhanced by a great performance of the guest keyboardist Patrizio Fariselli who gives it an original touch and a vein Area’s experimentalism while the following “Ichinen” takes you back to softer territories evoking exotic flavours and mysterious landscapes... 

 

Agorà on stage, 2016

The dreamy “Puro” (Pure) is a good new composition with mild Oriental scents that leads to an excellent version of “L’orto di Ovidio” (Ovidio’s garden), from Agorà’s debut album Live In Montreux. Then it’s the turn of another new track, the slow, melancholic “Oak Ballad” and its almost bluesy mood... 

 

The album ends with a sparkling version of two tracks from Agorà 2. “Piramide di domani” (Pyramid of tomorrow) is veiled by a dark cloud of mystery that gradually melts into in a new light while “Cavalcata solare” (Solar ride) starts with Patrizio Fariselli’s keyboards in the forefront and features a powerful, radiant crescendo that closes the show in glory with a perfect interaction between all the musicians involved. 

 

On the whole, an excellent work that is really worth listening to. 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Agorà-Prog-Music-825976830866610/ 

WINTER ALWAYS TURNS INTO SPRING

 After a long hiatus, in 2002 Agorà came to life again on the initiative of original members Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar), Mauro Mencaroni (drums) and Lucio Cesari (bass) who teamed up with Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Maurizio Mercuri (guitar). Along the years the new line up went through some changes and it wasn’t until 2014 that Agorà finally released a new album entitled Ichinen on the independent Aereostella-Immaginifica label. It’s a kind of compendium of the band’s activity after the 1976 studio album Agorà 2 where you can find some new arrangements of old pieces, some previously unreleased tracks from the late seventies recorded before the split up and some brand new compositions. According to the liner notes, “the music was inspired by the fundamental Buddhist teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Human Revolution of the individual with its emphasis on the value and respect of the sanctity of life and the environment” and the art cover tries to convey this concept... 

 

The charming opener “Serra San Quirico” is a shortened acoustic version of a piece from their 1975 debut album Live In Montreux and was recorded with a line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic guitar), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass). It sounds very different from the original version with the interaction between the acoustic guitars in the forefront, soaring lines of cello and sax and a calm, dreamy mood... 

 

“Ichinen” is a new track recorded by the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Karl Potter (congas, djambè). Here the wordless voices are used just as another instrument and take you to exotic landscapes where you can relax and think about the meaning of life... The following “Sensei” was recorded by the same line up (without Karl Potter) and is a delicate, reflective piece dedicated to Japanese Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda... 

 

 

“Work In Progress” is a nice duet for acoustic guitar played by Renato Gasparini and Gabriele Possenti, then the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Karl Potter (congas, djambè) come back for “Starstrings”, a reflective piece evoking the inner power that is hidden into everyone’s body and the ability to use it... 

 

“Istante per istante” (Moment by moment) is another beautiful acoustic guitar duet with Mediterranean flavours, this time performed by Renato Gasparini and Maurizio Mercuri, then it’s the turn of the Oriental scents of “Tre Maggio” (Third of May), performed in trio by Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), and Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano, tabla). 

 

The slow, melancholic “Oceano” (Ocean) tries to take you on an inner journey in the depths of your ego and features Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals) and Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano, tabla) while the following “Wood Of Guitar” is a good dreamy track played by Gabriele Possenti (guitar, bass) that reminds me of Will Ackerman... 

 

Next two tracks come out from the late seventies sessions of the line up featuring Renato Gasparini (Roland guitar synth), Ovidio Urbani (sax), Roberto Bacchiocchi (piano Rhodes), Robert Clark (electric bass) and Massimo Manzi (drums). “Progressive Suite” is full of positive energy and in the booklet you can read a quote from Nicheren Daishonin that well describes its feeling, “winter always turns into spring”, while the lively “Costa dell'est” (East Coast) could recall Weather Report... 

 

The medley “Piramide di domani - Cavalcata solare” (Pyramid of tomorrow - Solar ride) ends the album by blending two tracks from Agorà’s 1976 second album and delivering them in a new interesting acoustic version performed by the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic guitar), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass). 

 

On the whole, a very good album! 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

Agorà: Ichinen (2014). Other opinions: 

Conor Fynes: I feel mixed about this one. It seems like Agorà are at a tentative crossroads, and regardless of what years these tracks were recorded in, Ichinen is a reflection of that... (You can read the complete review HERE)