Violet came to life in Nola, a
small town near Naples, in 1998 on the initiative of some friends in
love with the music of Pink Floyd. After a first work self-released
in 2000, Procrastination, the band members parted ways and
took different career paths. It wasn’t until 2020 that the band
reunited for a new album. It’s entitled A Big Elephant In The
Room and was self-released in 2022 with a line up featuring Fabio
Corsale (vocals, guitars, bass), Mario Cocchiara (keyboards) and
Giulio Cozzuto (vocals, guitars) plus the guests Lucio Fontana
(drums) and Tania Maria Cristall Patruno (backing vocals). The
artwork by Giulio Cozzuto and Alex Stubbe Teglbjærg tries to give
you an idea of the musical and lyrical content...
The
influence of Pink Floyd is apparent from the very first notes of the
short opener “Burlesque”, an atmospheric piece where you can even
hear the voice of Vera Lynn in the background and that introduces the
subject matter by evoking hordes of mutants disguised as human beings
that are walking in the streets of our cities... Then the rhythm
rises and comes the disquieting “In The Garden Of Elah” that
conjures up distant memories, regrets, virtual reality and troubling
dreams. You run like hell in a garden full of strange and bizarre
things, one of your arms is rather weird and you have a metal hand
that works for you...
Violet, 2022
The
short, reflective interlude “Moments” and the following “Sunrise”
depict the reasons behind the need to take out from the drawer your
forgotten dreams. Poems and songs waiting for a new chance are like
blossoms waiting to bloom... Next comes “Children” that depicts
the relationship between parents and children as time passes by, the
need to follow your dreams and to paint life in bright colours
blotting out the darkness of a weary world... Then “Hush” ends
the first part of the album with the image of a reassuring mother
lending her hand to a child...
The
melancholic ballad “On The Brighton Pier” opens the second part
with a comfortable numb feeling and a sense of confusion and loss
that leads to the surreal, tense atmosphere of “Darling, Where Did
You Put My Sunglasses For Nuclear Sunsets?”... Then “Witches In
Heaven” blows away the shadows inviting to leave behind the valley
of tears where you were stuck and mark a new start for a brighter
future... “Only A Bridge Of Pain” ends the album bringing a
lighter mood, hopes and words blooming in a puff of sand...
A Maze Of Mist And Waves is an EP by Il Fedelissimo Bracco Branco that was self-released in 2023 with a consolidated line up featuring Federico Panighel (keyboards), Stefano Crovato (guitar), Loris Ceccato (bass) and Guido Morossi (drums). After the excellent debut album, Appunti di navigazione (2017), the band from Motta di Livenza focused on the composition of a long instrumental suite showcasing all their musicianship and creativity. In my opinion, the result of their efforts is just a tasteful appetizer for their next full length album where I hope that they won’t totally drop vocal parts and Italian lyrics...
This long, complex piece is divided into four parts for a total length of more than seventeen minutes and, according to the band, the photograph by Roberto Giorgini chosen for the art cover perfectly represents the emotional landscape they tried to convey with their music... It is an abyss, an eternal night where immense purple and blue nebulae float in the distance. Sometimes, we think we can glimpse pieces of landscapes, settings whose tortured perspectives disturb the eye and provoke a slight feeling of vertigo. Idyllic towns, strange castles, desolate moors, tormented forests, endless shores, torn mountains, subterranean regions full of mysterious echoes appear. But these visions, as if borrowed from the imagination of a drunkard or a madman, remain rare and fleeting. There is only a big void otherwise, an infinity without law or time offered to all possibilities, a void that is waiting to be crossed, inhabited, shaped by the dreams of the living, their memories, their hauntings and their hopes. Such is Oneira, the Third World, that of dreams and nightmares... (quote from Pierre Pevel, Le Paris des merveilles). Well, Oneira, I think it’s exactly the place to where this strange maze of mist and waves elaborated by the band could lead...
The first part, “Exodus”, starts softly. The pace is slow, the atmosphere is dreamy. Then electric guitar and piano alternate moments of calm and tension leading progressively to a dramatic storm of sounds. The calm is restored in the second part, “Revelation”, where organ chords bring a mystic touch before another emotional explosion and a pulsing ride that leads to the third part, “Contact”, and to a spacey passage with a strong sense of expectation. It precedes a calm and solemn section with a romantic piano pattern, then last part, “Synthesis”, closes the circle leaving you still wandering in the land of dreams and nightmares and wanting for more...
On the whole, a beautiful piece that is really worth listening to.
L’era della menzogna is the second studio album by Delirium I.P.G. after their come back in 2003 and it’s the mature work of a band that’s still alive and kicking and full of vitality despite the personnel changes. It was released in 2015 on the independent Black Widow Records label with a renewed line up featuring Ettore Vigo (keyboards, backing vocals), Martin Grice (saxophones, flute, backing vocals), Fabio Chighini (bass, ukulele, backing vocals), Alessandro Corvaglia (lead vocals - best known for his work with La Maschera di Cera), Michele Cusato (guitar) and Alfredo Vandresi (drums, percussion, synth) plus some guests such as Roberto Solinas (acoustic guitar), Andrea Anzaldi (acoustic guitar), Fiorella Zito (triangle, backing vocals), Serena Vandresi (backing vocals), Adriana Rombolò (backing vocals) and Alice Vigo (vocals). Delirum’s historic collaborator Mauro La Luce took charge of the lyrics, all dealing with the contemporary climate of social and political decay, while the artwork by Silvana Zago gives a visual form to the musical and lyrical content...
The threatening opener “L’inganno del potere” (The deception of power) tries to depict in music and words the revolutionary rage of people full of hope, projects and fiery ideas that try to change the world. They’re ready to throw stones and break windows, they’re ready to take off for a metaphoric flight in the wind. After a calm, reflective middle section comes a sarcastic rant against the men of power so able to play their dirty tricks making vain promises and reassuring speeches drawing on old formulas to maintain the status quo...
The reflective “Il nodo” (The knot) evokes the incertitude of a present where you risk to feel always out of place, with a slipknot on your neck. It’s a slipknot that you have to untie with the help of someone who can still think independently, speak up and stand out from the crowd. You have to believe in yourself and in your dreams to find the courage and boldness to imagine a better future and try to make your dreams come true...
Delirium, 2015
“L’angelo del fango” (The angel of the mud) is a melodic ballad full of hope. The music and lyrics evoke the image of someone emerging from the mud in the East, like a king. Around you there’s nothing but rain, wind and mud but with him everything can change, he’s an angel that can free us from false myths and cowardice and let us live in a better world without suffering unwanted choices...
“Fuorilegge” (Outlaw) is a lively, ironic piece that every now and again could recall PFM with Fabrizio De Andrè. The music and lyrics give voice to a man who’s fed up with an incompetent, dishonest political class that leaves him with only one right: to starve! Anyone who opposes the men of power or feels outraged by their behaviour is labelled mad or outlaw but the rage is growing and sooner or later it will overthrow the ruling scoundrels...
The dreamy, evocative instrumental “La deriva” (The drift) leads to the title track, “L’era della menzogna” (The era of lies), that expresses the sense of confusion and distraughtness of men who can’t distinguish the true from the false any more, surrounded by occult persuaders and sneaky influencers who steal, eat and soil the world with their lies and fake news. The only hope is rally and fight together for values such as dignity and loyalty...
“La voce dell’anima” (The voice of the soul) is a beautiful song that every now and again might recall a Delirum’s single from the early seventies entitled Jesahel. The music and words invite you to heed the call of your soul to understand the world and give a sense to life. Man has everything he needs inside himself but because of boredom or pain he just doesn’t listen to the inner voice screaming inside his heart. The protagonist of the song wants his voice back to shout and freely express himself...
The apocalyptic “Basta” (That’s enough) is another sarcastic piece that deals with a sense of saturation and bewilderment, loss and suffocated rage. The protagonist is disgusted by the behaviour of a hypnotized crowd blindly following the rites of their corrupted leaders. Dark shadows and bad omens loom large on the time to come...
The long, complex “Il castello del Mago Merlino” (The castle of Merlin the wizard) starts softly, then goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere. The music and lyrics evoke the need of a shelter from the evil you can find in the world and from the fear of the future, a shield to protect your dreams. Maybe it’s just an illusion, the sap of your dreams. Nonetheless, if you look deep into your heart you’ll find a burning fire and all your fears will vanish. What you are looking for is a comfortable place where everything seems to come to life again, where time stands still and your soul can find peace and freedom, an enchanted castle where you can feel safe...
On the whole, an excellent work and a must have for every Italianprog fan.
Delirium: L’era della menzogna (2015). Other opinions: Matti Pajuniemi: For the most puristic, vintage-flavouring proggers this music may feel too 'new' and over-produced, but it certainly has an enjoyable energy and sonic richness to rival the prog's halcyon days. The compositions have enough variety too. The proggy highlight is undoubtedly the 11½-minute final epic 'Il Castello del Mago Merlino'. Wow!! Strongly recommended to all prog listeners, not only to RPI specialists... (read the complete review HERE)
Spine (Thorns) is the second full length album by Sicilian band ArcaMiri and it was self-released in 2022 with a confirmed line up featuring Vincenzo Arisco (drums), Peppe Capodieci (bass), Simona Minniti (vocals, synthesizers) and Ivan Ricciardi (piano, synthesizers). It’s the work of a mature band that confirms all the good qualities of their previous compositions with its tasty brew of classical influences, avant-garde, jazz and progressive rock in the vein of artists such as Opus Avantra. As you can guess from the art cover that seems to invite you to look under the appearances and search for the roots of things, this work needs an attentive listening to be completely appreciated...
The title of the beautiful opener, “Sumi-e”, refers to a Japanese term that indicates one of the art forms in which subjects are painted with black ink in all possible gradations. This way of painting was introduced into Japan by Zen monks and tries to express reality by reducing it to its pure, bare form: you have to learn to capture the essence in order to get to the heart of reality as it is. The piece starts with a dark, almost threatening atmosphere, then veers to jazzy territories and goes on through many changes of mood as the music and lyrics conjure up a thin white canvas against a wall of blossoming cherry trees and inks that can capture and transform images and feelings. The paper can’t be a prison for past stories, promises or vows as the hand of the painter tries, digs, drives and let the brush find forgiveness and truth...
“Differenze” (Differences) portrays in music and words a fifteen year old girl called Giada who seems alienated from the world around her. With dull eyes she imagines the warm desert after sunset. She follows the wind and stops the sounds with liquid innocence, alone on the gates of darkness. Nobody can understand her, she’s different and her presence is a bit disquieting...
The introspective “Es” (Id) sets a mysterious atmosphere and deals with hidden instincts and desires that are very hard to put under control. In the ego psychology model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual desires and emotional impulses present at birth, the source of bodily needs and wants. Here the music and lyrics depict the strain of the protagonist trying to tame her instincts and hide her claws facing the moon, like a lycanthrope who struggles to remain human and gets lost heeding the call of the prey...
The jazzy, ethereal “Polvere” (Dust) tells in notes and hermetic verses of the suggestive call of a strange entity covered by the dust of time coming to life. Now it’s waiting for you, naked and empty, it invites you to taste its skeleton and skin, to touch its stem and thorns while a veil of dust dries its tears and blots out the world...
“In viaggio” (Travelling) describes in a poignant poetical way the night before the departure of a migrant who is going to leave his family. At dusk you can see the light of a bonfire on the coast. A gust of wind stirs leaves and embers, then takes up ancient voices running after new moons. At dawn a ship set sails leaving behind women, children, homes and roots...
ArcaMiri, 2021
The spectral “D’autunno” (In Autumn) is a dark, Gothic piece evoking the voice of a ghost. A woman dies and steals the light from the sun. She tells she’s seen everything and now she knows what’s hidden behind the dark and what the infinite conceals but she’s dying anyhow. She says she’s understood everything but the smell of freshly cut grass in the air recalls her death and a fading Autumn time...
The title of the last track, the complex “Meccano”, refers to a line of toys created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. It’s a model construction system that enables the building of working models and mechanical devices. Here the Meccano is used as a metaphor to evoke childhood dreams and innocent memories in a game of lights and shadows. Happy children play noisily together, oblivious of the world but as you grow up the innocence melts and now you look at them with a strong sense of envy and nostalgia...
On the whole, an excellent work full of poetry and rich in nuances.
Tra luce e ombra (Between light and shadow) is the second album by Salentine band I Viaggi di Madeleine and was released in 2023 on the MP Records label with a line up featuring Francesco Carella (vocals, keyboards, synth bass, piano Rhodes, acoustic guitar) and Giuseppe Quarta (drums) plus the guests Marco Ancona (electric guitar), Francesco Del Prete (violin), Roberto Gagliardi (sax), Pietro Sansonetti (electric guitar), Richard Sinclair (vocals, bass) and Santi Spanna (narrative vocals). It confirms all the good qualities of their debut work with a sound drawing from seventies influences and a personal, strong emotional touch. The original art cover chosen to convey the idea of the musical content of this work was provided by OndemediE graphic studio...
The excellent opener “Migrazioni” (Migrations) is an instrumental piece that, according to the liner notes, depicts the perpetual motion of the universe. The pulsing rhythm and the hypnotic keyboards waves try to evoke migrations of people and animals, the continuous movement of waters, winds and earth, the changing of the seasons and the migration of souls and other spiritual forces from one form of life to another... “Frequenze solari” (Solar frequencies) is a lively celebration of the power of sunlight that mixes blues with tarantella and every now and again could recall PFM. The music and lyrics conjure up a lay prayer, an invocation to the light and a kind a sun dance that makes you take off and fly on solar frequencies...
“Poker” is another good piece where wordless vocals duet and interact with the other instruments in a funny, swinging way. This piece features the contribute of the guest Richard Sinclair, former bassist and vocalist of bands such as Caravan and Hatfield And The North, who now lives in Martina Franca, Apulia...
Then the nightmarish “Bronx” describes in music and words the feelings of anguish and fear that experiences a man walking in the middle of the night in the streets of a dangerous neighbourhood. He goes on corner after corner, block after block, as if he were crossing rivers of rubbish and mud while crazy jackals chase after him in a world gone wrong where greediness, vanity and madness reign...
“L’ultima battaglia” (The last battle) is an epic instrumental track that, according to the liner notes, depicts the different stages of a timeless battle: the ritual before the clash between the two opposite armies, the attack, the battlefield scattered with the corpses of dead soldiers, the charge of the knights and a final ambush...
I Viaggi di Madeleine with Richard Sinclair, 2022
The slow, mysterious “Androgino” (Androgynous) evokes in music and words an undefined presence breaking through the veil of moral sense, crossing the limit between male and female, a joyful and coloured fantasy carried towards other worlds in the darkness, a suffering entity shaken by a storm of different forces. A blurred image of free love that comes to life from the pure desire of its own existence...
“Road Roller” is an instrumental track that, according to the liner notes, tries to tell in notes the story of a big, strong man called Road Roller who falls in love with a young, beautiful stranger he met at the fish market. The girl rejects him but he does not give up and tries to impress her by training hard in a gym. Eventually he dies for an overdose of anabolic substances...
Then “Nostalgie” (Nostalgias) closes the album: it’s a beautiful piece with the violin in the forefront that conjures up distant memories, childhood dreams, short moments of joy and vain hopes haunting the nights of an old man. According to the liner notes, this piece was inspired by the Hymns to the Night, a set of six poems written by the German Romantic poet Novalis...
On the whole, an excellent work that deserves a try.
Bistagno is a little town in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Turin and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Alessandria...
