Via Modesta Valenti is a progressive rock band based in Rome that
took form in 2017 inspired by the likes of Genesis, Yes or Pink Floyd
with a line up featuring Matteo Zanuzzi (vocals and lyrics), Adriano
Sabatucci (acoustic and electric guitar), Francesco Mongatti (piano,
keyboards), Gianmarco Palma (electric bass) and Luca Santi (drums).
The name of the band refers to a homeless woman who, in 1983, died in
poverty and in the cold of Rome Termini station, arousing much
indignation for her state to the point of becoming a symbol, a kind
of secular saint to whom the homeless people of the Italian capital
turn. In 2002 the Municipality of Rome named in her memory a
fictitious street where the homeless can apply for residency
registration, via Modesta Valenti.
In 2024 the band self released a debut EP, entitled Suite For The
Last Prophet, containing just a long piece divided into twelve
short sections for a total length of twenty-three minutes. It tells
in music and words a surreal story, a kind of psychedelic dream where
the band showcase their instrumental skills and a strong sense of
humour. To be honest, in my opinion vocals and lyrics are not the
strength of this work but the music is good and worth listening to, a
nice patchwork of different styles and atmospheres stitched together
with passionate coherence even if following a plot a bit confused...
 |
| Via Modesta Valenti, 2024 |
The suite begins by a piano solo introduction. Then the vocals on a
marching beat evoke the image of a boy who enters in a public library
and asks for a book about the human common denominator (“The
Eternal Story”). The librarian gives him a copy of the Quran and
while reading it the boy falls asleep and begins to dream. In fact,
the following section tells of a crazy journey on camel back through
the Arabic Desert (“Desert Trip”). When the boy arrives in La
Mecca he can hear the voices and noises of the bazaar in a foreign
language (here the lyrics turn from English to Italian) (“Bazar
Blues”). Then the protagonist enters in a Turkish bath and the
dream gets more and more blurred (“Jazzy Smoky Snake”) going on
between mystical ravings about gods and prophets (“Pristine soul”),
tempting and deviously enchanting women (“Barbara”),
pseudo-scientific digressions (“Origins”), delirious political
rantings about a borderless and endless world (“Silk And Mohair”),
mysticism trapped into the unconscious (“The Final Fork”) and
geometrical transcendentalism (“In The Mist Of Tempo Changes:
Trying To Connect Two Dots”). Then it’s time to wake up, the
protagonist is back in the library, in a world where you can find the
words of God in the bookshops for sale (“La Mecca Conquest”). A
short instrumental section (“A.C.U.C. Almost Completely Useless
Coda”) ends the suite...
On the whole, a nice work that deserves a try.
You can listen to the complete EP HERE
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Via-Modesta-Valenti-61556383730618/
No comments:
Post a Comment