UNCOMPROMISING NOTES

UR- is the fifth studio album by Accordo dei Contrari and was released in 2021 on the Cuneiform Records label with a confirmed line up featuring Marco Marzo Maracas (guitar), Stefano Radaelli (sax), Cristian Franchi (drums) and Giovanni Parmeggiani (Steinway piano, Fender Rhodes, organ, Minimoog). According to the liner notes, like the previous one, this work was recorded live at Le Dune studio in Riolo Terme, a small town in the province of Ravenna, with the help of some guests such as Alessando Bonetti (violin), Patrizia Urbani (vocals), Sergio Papajanni (bass), Carlo Facondini (electric guitar) and Francesco Guerri (cello). The recording sessions took only a few days (from January 30 to February 2, 2020), with some overdubs in 2020-21. The album conceptually deals with roots and was dedicated by keyboardist and composer Giovanni Parmeggiani to his ancestors and to his son. The particular, colourful artwork was provided by Dario D’Alessandro...

 

The title of the opener, “Tergeste”, refers to the ancient name of Trieste, a city where Giovanni Parmeggiani often had to commute by train when composing the music for the album. It’s a beautiful track that starts by a piano solo ostinato pattern and then goes through many changes in rhythm and mood. In my opinion, this piece might be a perfect score for a spy film set on the Orient Express...

“Così respirano gli incendi del tempo” (Thus they breathe, time’s fires) is a long, complex track that blends jazz rock and classical influences and every now and again reminds me of Area and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso while the following “Più limpida e chiara di ogni impressione vissuta (Parte III)” (More limpid and clearer than any lived impression - Part III) brings an emotional storm with its tense, frenzied passages and calmer parts...

As written in the liner notes, the title of “UR-” refers to a prefix meaning “original”. This long, articulated piece begins by a nocturnal piano pattern and the soaring vocals of the guest Patrizia Urbani used as an instrument to to add tension and colours, then the rhythm gradually rises with a martial pace as sax and electric guitar draw disquieting shadows...

“Secolo breve” (The short century) could recall again Area, with its revolutionary rage and frenzied pace. The title refers to The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 a famous book by Eric Hobsbawm, published in 1994, where the author comments on what he sees as the disastrous failures of state socialism, capitalism, and nationalism and offers his sceptical view on the progress of the arts and changes in society in the latter half of the twentieth century...

“Contrari ad ogni accordo” (Opposed to any agreement) ends the album and begins by a calm, dreamy atmosphere with the piano and cello in the fore, then the rhythm section begins to pulse, sweeping away the dreams and introducing a more aggressive, uncompromising mood...

On the whole, an excellent work!

More info:

https://accordodeicontrari.wordpress.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/AccordoDeiContrari/ 

 

 

FROM A DESERTED BEACH

I Giullari di Corte (the name means “the court jesters”) took form in Bologna in 2002 on the initiative of bassist Matteo Balestrazzi, drummer Alessio De Angelis and violinist Michele Poggio. After a first, immature demo, in 2003 the band went through a long period of hibernation due to the departure of Michele Poggio. In 2017 the project came back to life with a renewed line up featuring, along with the original rhythm section, multi-instrumentalist Paolo Zacchi and in 2020 the band self-released an interesting debut album entitled Presa di coscienza, a conceptual work about a story of spiritual rebirth where they blend vintage sounds and original ideas... 

 

The opener “Nautilus” is a good instrumental track inspired by seventies sounds. According to an interview with the band, it tells of a smuggler thrown overboard from a ship by his accomplices who awakens on a deserted beach and begins his spiritual path thinking about his past. The piece starts by the dark sound of the sea, then a bass solo pattern and obscure organ waves take us on the empty land...

The following “Vent'anni spesi così” (Twenty years spent like this) begins by a slapping bass line and an electric guitar riff, then frenzied organ surges and a pulsing drumming add tension and deep purple colours. It’s another good instrumental piece that leads to the jazzier, reflective “L'ombra di Sherlock Holmes” (Sherlock Holmes’ shadow). According to the band, here the music tries to evoke a sort of introspective journey in search of useful clues to understand what does really matter in your life, to evolve and become a better person... 

 

Next comes “La cicala e la formica” (The cicada and the ant) whose title was inspired by a famous Aesop’s fable while the music alternates relaxed atmospheres and darker passages, all sprinkled with a pinch of jazz. It leads to the excellent “Viaggio in treno senza biglietto” (Journey by train without ticket) whose melodic lines every now and again could recall Genesis’ White Mountain. It’s the first sung track of the album, the music and lyrics evoke the image of a military train leaving the railway station directed to the front, a one way journey without ticket for many soldiers and their heavy burden of broken dreams and lost memories. Nonetheless, for the survivors a new awareness will rise...

“Presa di coscienza” (Awareness) opens with a nice piano passage and an atmosphere that could recall Il Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. In the second part of the piece a disquieting, almost out of tune vocal melody describes a rainy night where a new hope is growing... “Il prezzo” (The price) follows in the same vein complaining about the cost humanity has to pay for a war. What’s the truth behind the conflict? 

 

I Giullari di Corte on stage, 2019

  

The instrumental “Il messicano” (The Mexican) is lighter and mixes the atmospheres of seventies Italian soundtracks with reggae and a carefree attitude. Then it’s the turn of “Dolcetto o scherzetto?” (Trick or treat?), a lively track full of energy that resumes the experience of a man who tries to follow the flight of the angels and falls down betrayed by his vanity and a trick of the devil. Then the instrumental “Sabbatho Nero” closes the album paying homage to Black Sabbath...

On the whole, a nice home brewed work although, in my opinion, the vocal parts are not always up to the task.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info: 

https://www.facebook.com/igiullaridicorteband 

RUNNING AGAINST THE GRAIN

L’orizzonte degli eventi is the fifth album by Alex Carpani and was released in 2020 on the Independent Artist Record label with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (vocals, synth, programming, virtual guitar), Giambattista Giorgi (bass) and Bruno Farinelli (drums). According to the official website, this is a kind of visionary and existential concept album about the imaginary line that divides the possible scenarios of our lives, in the moment when we are in front of big life decisions. The overall sound confirms the new course of its predecessor, open to pop and new wave influences, but this time the lyrics are in Italian and in my opinion a good term of comparison could be represented by some of Franco Battiato’s recent works like Dieci stratagemmi or Ferro battuto... 

The album opens with “L’orizzonte degli eventi” (Event horizon) where, on a base of sound effects, the narrative vocals of an astrophysicist give the scientific definition of event horizon, a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. After that, the event horizon becomes just a metaphor to describe some crucial life passages and the relativity of every thing and the first track is just an introduction linked to the following “Lava bollente” (Boiling lava) where the rhythm rises and you can ride on an imaginary train running against the grain through dream and reality, time and memory.

“Fiore d’acqua” (Flower of water) is a dynamic piece that deals with love and nostalgia, the desire to reach a person who is far away from you and the importance of the memories she left behind. Memories that seem like pages of a book written in the wind... Next comes the ethereal atmosphere of “Il perimetro dell’anima” (The perimeter of the soul), a piece that describes in music and words the strange feelings of a foggy morning and the rising power of an invisible force that shines through the clouds...

 

Alex Carpani Band, 2020

The nervous “Tempo relativo” (Relative time) is about time passing by. As As the merciless blade of time comes down, darkness devours light and life while deceiving illusions melt in a storm of emotions... Then it’s the turn of “Sette giorni” (Seven days), a surreal track about the effects of the daily grind on dreams and regrets, freedom and desires.

“La fine è là” (The end is over there) deals with environmental issues. The rhythm is frenzied, the atmosphere tense and threatening while the lyrics evoke the need for a desperate run against the clock to stop the human tendency to self-destruction. What comes after is the aggressive “Nel ventre del buio” (In the belly of darkness), a kind of invitation to dive in the heart of the night, an advice to look for the hidden side of things to find the right balance between expectations and reality. Then “Le porte” (The doors) closes the album with its reflective mood and a pinch of spirituality.

On the whole, a good album although very different from Alex Carpani’s excellent early works in a more symphonic style.

More info:

http://www.alexcarpani.com/

A TIME TO BREAK SILENCE

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.

Alex Carpani Band on stage, 2015

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.

More info:
http://www.alexcarpani.com/

CRAZY TUNES

Disco Dooro is the second album by Bolognese band Feat. Esserelà. It was released in 2019 on the independent label Joe Frassino Records and distributed in collaboration with Lizard Records. The line up is the same of the debut album and features Francesco Ciampolini (keyboards, fretless bass), Renato Minguzzi (guitars) and Lorenzo Muggia (drums) but during the recording sessions this time they were helped by some guests such as Lorenzo Musca (sax), Dario Nipoti (trumpet) and Michele Tamburini (sax) who contributed to enrich the sound. The final result is a fresh mix of vintage sounds, progressive rock, jazz, fusion, funk and classical music confirming all the good qualities of their previous work. According to the liner notes, on this album you can find sources of inspiration ranging from Koji Kondo (a Japanese music composer, pianist, and sound director who works for the video game company Nintendo, best known for his involvement in numerous contributions in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series of video games) to a Bulgarian anonymous, from Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Zappa to Gioacchino Rossini but there’s many more and all the musician involved showcase great musicianship. As for the cover and booklet, the band asked the visual artist Vanni Venturini to draw some pictures of bizarre, colourful and extravagant characters to represent their music and he did a really beautiful job...

The short opener “Lauto grill” is just a funny intro a cappella in the vein of the hidden track that ends Tuorl, the band’s debut album, a kind of subliminal and reassuring message of continuity. The first real piece, “Kajitemeco”, starts by frenzied keyboard rustic(an) rides and rhythm pyrotechnics but at some point it veers into another musical direction taking synthetic, hallucinated paths and a slower pace. The following track, “Servi della klepa”, is an excellent mix of classical influences and jazz rock with a perfect interaction between piano and guitar. Then it’s the turn of “Sahara...” and “...svegliati è primavehera” that are linked together: the titles seem to hint that here we are in front of the parody of a famous song by Italian cantautore Antonello Venditti (Sara) but luckily it’s just a false clue and the music flows away like an apple riding a leaf, sailing toward the waters of the Black Sea for the pleasure of Area’s fans.

To describe “La nascita di Lodovico Svarchi” (a very short track that sounds like the fragment of a cartoon score) and “Lodovico Svarchi” I think that there is no better way than to look at the central picture in the booklet that portrays a strange zombie in a surreal world. The music starts softly with a dreamy atmosphere and a soaring sax solo, then the rhythm rises while raw electric guitar riffs sweep the dreams away. Who’s Lodovico Svarchi? Maybe he’s just a commuter crushed down by the daily grind, slowly waking up and going to work leaving his dreams behind... 

Next comes “Popoloto”, an interesting blend of jazz rock and Mediterranean influences, while the following “La fine di Lodovico Svarchi...” is just a kind of conceptual joke: the shortest song (1,17 seconds) with longest title (888 characters) in the world! Then the nervous virtuosic rides of “(…) aio” and the joyful “Intro (by Intronyo)” end an album that it’s really worth listening to.

Have a try! You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/feat.esserela/

DYNAMICS AND CONTRASTS

Violato intatto, the fourth studio album by Bolognese band Accordo dei Contrari, was released in 2017 on the independent label Altrock with a renewed line up featuring Marco Marzo (electric and acoustic guitar), Stefano Radaelli (sax, bowed zither), Cristian Franchi (drums) and Giovanni Parmeggiani (Fender Rhodes, organ, Minimoog, Arp Odyssey, Mellotron). According to the liner notes, this work was recorded live at Le Dune studio in Riolo Terme, a small town in the province of Ravenna, with the help of some guests such as Alessando Bonetti (violin), Gabriele Di Giulio (tenor sax) and Patrizia Urbani (vocals). The recording sessions took only three days, with some overdubs, and the final result is the expression of a very cohesive collective that reflects the positive atmosphere of the period the band spent together with the aim of depicting the dynamics or the contrasts you see in everyday life through sounds...

The excellent opener “Folia Saxifraga” combines funky, jazz and mysterious Mediterranean atmospheres and every and now could recall Area. It was composed by Giovanni Parmeggiani who, in the liner notes,  dedicated it to his band, Accordo dei Contrari. The following “Monodia” is darker and sprinkled with touches of jazz and psychedelia while “Blue-S”, composed by guitarist Marco Marzo, is a nervous track that every now and again could recall King Crimson.

The nightmarish “Shamash”, begins by a disquieting electronic section,  then the rhythm takes off driving you through Middle Eastern deserts ravaged by war. In fact, according to the liner notes, this track is dedicated to the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and to the victims of terrorism and in my opinion the music is perfect to evoke the present-day landscape of the tormented cities of what was ancient Mesopotamia... 

Next comes “Idios Cosmos”, a weird track composed by Stefano Radaelli and led by the notes of the saxophone. The title refers to a view of the world that is developed from personal experience and knowledge and is therefore unique... Then it’s the turn of the nocturnal “E verde è l’ignoto su cui corri” (And green is the unknown on which you run). Despite the Italian title, this piece is sung in English by the guest Patrizia Urbani who evokes dreamy inner worlds and colourful, ethereal landscapes...

Accordo dei Contrari 2017

“Marienkirche” begins by the sound of the bells of a church in Mollis, Switzerland, recorded on the field in a July morning in 2015. It’s a short evocative track, almost an example of musique concrète, that the composer Giovanni Parmeggiani dedicated to his family. It leads to the interesting experiments of  “Di eccezione in variante” (From exception to variant) and to the mysterious, sparkling “Usil”, a beautiful piece named after the Etruscan god of the sun... 

“Eros vs Anteros” was composed by guitarist Marco Marzo and is another excellent piece with strong Mediterranean flavours that could recall Area. The title suggests the contrast between two gods in ancient Greek mythology: Eros, the god of sexual attraction, and Anteros, the god that represented requited love and used to punish those who were not interested in love or not returning other people’s love... Then, “Il violato intatto” (The violated intact) ends the album with a good dose of energy and vibrant contrasts.

On the whole, in my opinion this is an excellent (almost) instrumental work recommended to fans of bands such as Area, D.F.A. or Perigeo.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Accordo dei Contrari: Violato intatto (2017). Other opinions:

Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: Don't be put off by the seventy-three minute running time here, as the wide variety of material always keeps the disc fresh, vibrant and exciting through bring a range of emotions - some attack with a fury, some challenge the mind, others craft immersive atmospheres and then there are just blasts of cool energy aiming to be fun. It all amounts to `Violato Intatto' likely being Accordo dei Contrari's true masterwork… Until their next album most likely! Instrumental album freaks, jazz/fusion fans and lovers of challenging and off-kilter progressive music, here's very likely your favourite album of 2017... (You can read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/AccordoDeiContrari/

https://accordodeicontrari.wordpress.com/

GHOSTS IN THE FOG

Marble House began life in 2012 in Bologna on the initiative of Filippo Selvini and Giacomo Carrera although it wasn’t until 2015 that the band found stability and started to play live on a local level. Their influences range from the seventies prog of bands such as King Crimson or Genesis to newer acts of the likes of Radiohead and Porcupine Tree. In 2017 they recorded an interesting debut album entitled Embers with a line up featuring Leonardo Tommasini (vocals, keyboards), Matteo Malacarne (vocals, bass guitar), Daniele Postpischl (guitar, keyboards), Filippo Selvini (guitar) and Giacomo Carrera (drums, percussions). During the recording sessions founder member and guitarist Filippo Selvini stepped out for personal reasons but the other musicians completed the work and the album was finally released in 2018 on Lizard Records with the band now reduced to a quartet to promote it on stage. Anyway, the fruit of their perseverance is really good and it’s worth listening to...

The opener “To Make Ends Meet” is a complex, committed track dealing in a poetical way with alienation and mass control, consumerism and hollow conformism. The rhythm is nervous, the mood disquieting as the music and lyrics conjure up images of empty people looking for a leader such as sheep that need a shepherd. Who dares to rebel against the rules is considered a fool by a conservative, greedy society of schizoid men! Then the music fades into the following “Reverie”, a dreamy instrumental track that sweeps tension and rage away with a flick of the tail...

album cover

The introspective, melancholic “Riding In The Fog” reminds me every now and again of Pink Floyd and, in some vocal parts, of New Trolls. Soaring melodies and evocative passages here give shape to an insomniac, silent ghost riding on the hills in a hazy night. An autumnal night where everything around you gets blurred and dreams turn into nightmares...

“The Last 48 Hours” and the long suite in four parts “Marble House” that ends the album are in some way linked and tell about the feelings you can experience because of the loss of a beloved person. Sorrow, grief, delirium, threatening shadows and the inner sensation of cold that an empty house can convey… A marble house! But here the marble house could also be intended as a metaphor for a grave and the overall mood of these last two pieces is that of a touching, heartfelt elegy. In some passages the vocal parts remind me of an Australian band called Augie March, in other sections the dark atmospheres could recall King Crimson or Steven Wilson but it would be unfair to compare this long, complex pieces to other things. You have to listen to it and judge for yourselves!

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/marblehouseband/

MORTAR AND CONCRETE

La Malta Bastarda were formed in 2002 in San Giovanni in Persiceto, a small town in the province of Bologna. The name of the band refers to a kind of mortar, a workable paste used to bind building blocks and concrete masonry units together, fill and seal the irregular gaps between them, and sometimes add decorative colours or patterns in masonry walls. In same way the name describes their music, a particular mix of jazz, prog, classical, avant-garde and surreal poetry. After many years of hard work, some line up changes, a good live activity on the local scene and three self-produced demos entitled La Malta Bastarda (2002), Palude (2005) and Beata ignoranza (2012), in 2016 the band released their eponymous first official album on the independent label A Simple Lunch with a line up featuring Luca Ferrigno (vocals), Benedetto Ferrigno (synth, backing vocals), Elisa Sala (marimba, trombone, percussion), Carlo S. Tedeschi (clarinet, sax), Marcello Melotti (keyboards), Davide Cotti (guitars), Daniele Cosmi (bass), Lorenzo Scagliarini (drums) plus the guest Karl Segnoe (bandoneon, narrative vocals) on two tracks. It’s an interesting work that every now and again could recall other bands from Emilia such as Akt or Deus Ex Machina…

The opener “00” is just a short introduction that leads to the sarcastic “Musica delle sfere” (Music of the spheres), a track that invites you to wake up and leave behind abstract dreams and fantasies, fairy tales and animated cartoons. The music veers from calm passages to frenzied, almost hysteric moments with Balkan explosions of sounds and energy à la Goran Bregovic while the vocals are theatrical and passionate and could recall of Alvaro Fella from Jumbo. It’s a peculiar kind of social criticism suggesting that it might be easier smashing and milling a camel to make it pass through the eye of a needle than to change the evil in human nature... 

The jazzy “Polipi” (Polyps) compares the end of a troubled relationship to the image of two polyps in a sushi bar that, on the brink of death, are still trying to reach each other tentacles, separated by a thin thread of horseradish sauce. Then it’s the turn of the dark “Ma che bello è” (How beautiful is) that tells of five dead scoundrels whose corpses are lying underwater, at the bottom of a lake, in a kind of restless sleep. But every night they come to life again to stroll in the streets of the near town enjoying their new nightlife after death… Here the music has some hints of zehul ad a strong theatrical approach.

La Malta Bastarda on stage, 2017 

Then comes the lively, ironic “Fagotto” (Bundle) that reminds me of Fabrizio De Andrè with its tarantella rhythm and folksy atmosphere. The lyrics are about hidden shame and guilt and their contrast with people appearances and values while the following “Fasti#” is a funny reflection about music and the importance of the black keys to stir emotions.

Then, the funny “Fango” (Mud) blends blues, waltzes and diabolic tangos, Latin shadows and Mediterranean flavours while the disquieting “Robottini” (Little robots) deals with consumerism and production, machines and human work, telling of a new sophisticated robot that could replace even journalists and reporters...

The closer “Mr. Valdemar” was inspired by "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", a short story by Edgar Allan Poe about a scientist who puts a man in a suspended hypnotic state at the moment of death. It’s another good piece that mixes dark atmospheres and sarcasm in a peculiar, original way.

On the whole, a very good work! You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/LaMaltaBastarda/

BRILLIANT CONTRAST

Adc is the third studio album by Accordo dei Contrari, a band from Bologna. It was released in 2014 on the independent label Altrock with a consolidated line up featuring Marco Marzo (electric and acoustic guitar), Daniele Piccinini (bass), Cristian Franchi (drums) and Giovanni Parmeggiani (Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, Minimoog, acoustic piano). According to the liner notes, the album was recorded live in studio in Riolo Terme, a small town in the province of Ravenna. The recording sessions took only three days with short overdubs and this work is the expression of a very cohesive collective. It reflects the positive atmosphere of the period the members of the band spent together with the aim of depicting the dynamics or the contrasts you see in everyday life through sounds... The result is an excellent instrumental album recommended to fans of bands such as Area, D.F.A or Perigeo.

album cover

The opener "Nadir" begins softly, the mood is dreamy. The title refers to a word coming from Arab that defines the direction pointing directly below a particular location... After a while the dreamy atmosphere changes, the rhythm becomes nervous before calming down again, but it's just a momentary pause before a new electric, frenzied ride towards deep underground spaces...

According to the liner notes, the following "Dandelion" is dedicated to Geoff Logsdon, the founder of Pleasant Green Records. The title refers to a large genus of flowering plants native to Eurasia and North America usually found as commonplace wild flowers worldwide. It's a tense, dynamic piece full of energy that could recall the soundtracks of Italian 70s action films...

The mysterious "Seth Zeugma" is enhanced by the contribute of two guest musicians, Vladimiro Cantaluppi (violin) and Enrico Guerzoni (cello). This piece blends with excellent results classical music elements with electric, jazzy inspirations and Middle Eastern touches of colour. There are many changes in tempos and mood and some passages could recall Area. The title comes from two words taken from the Ancient Greek. Seth refers to the god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion while Zeugma is a figure of speech in which one single phrase or word joins different parts of a sentence...

The lively, pulsing "Dua" swings from funky passages to more obscure, disquieting moments and vice versa... The title seems to refer to an Arabic word meaning to "call out" or to "summon". According to wikipedia sources, in the terminology of Islam, dua is an act of supplication and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Who or what is invoked here? The answer is up to you...

Accordo dei Contrari 2014

The title of the following "Tiglath" could refer to an ancient king of Assyria (in the liner notes there's no explanation). In some way listening to this beautiful piece makes think of the film The Scorpion King, even if it was set in Egypt and not in contemporary Syria. Try to imagine a mysterious, powerful king coming to life again to carry out his terrible vengeance against those found guilty of the raging war that is destroying everything, even the archaeological sites, in his former kingdom... Here the music features some Middle Eastern flavours and could recall again Area and their revolutionary energy and musical force.

The delicate, acoustic "Più limpida e chiara di ogni impressione vissuta, part II" (Clearer, brighter than any lived impression) features the guests Vladimiro Cantaluppi (violin) and Marina Scaramagli (cello) and ends the album with a dreamy mood. According to the liner notes, this piece is dedicated to a woman, Annachiara, and its atmosphere is very different from the frenzied, aggressive first part that was released on the previous album Kublai in 2011. If both parts try to describe in music the hopes and fears of everyone's life, this one is definitively more calm and optimistic and represents a perfect conclusion for a beautiful, intense work that is really worth listening to...

Have a try! You can listen to the complete album HERE

Accordo dei Contrari: Adc (2014). Other opinions:

Olav Martin Bjørnsen: Instrumental progressive rock that ranges from frail chamber rock to ‘70s jazz-rock and progressive hard rock is what ADC explores on their third studio recording "AdC". An intriguing blend of musical styles, explored with care and consideration by high quality musicians. If you have a soft spot for instrumental progressive rock and a taste for variety, this is a disc that merits a closer inspection... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Accordo-dei-Contrari-112658971576/ 

http://www.accordodeicontrari.com/ 

WELCOME ON BOARD!

Res Gesta come from San Giovanni in Persiceto, a small town in the province of Bologna and have been around for more than thirty years as a cover band, trying to give new life to old seventies progressive rock pieces. In 2015 they finally self released a debut album of original compositions with a line up featuring Enea Vezzali (drums), Luigi Cerasuolo (bass), Cesare Cavalli (guitar), Simone Muzzi (keyboards) and Roberto Bergamini (vocals). The album is entitled Odissea and is a conceptual one, a sparkling rock opera with more than 73 minutes of good music and strong melodies. Years of hard work have resulted in a very mature sound and although you can hear on this album some influences from the past the band managed to add their own ideas and personality with excellent results. As you can guess, the story-line was inspired by the Odyssey but the band interpreted it in a very personal way trying to link Homer's immortal poetry to our contemporary society...

The beautiful, long opener "Overture" starts softly with an instrumental section for piano that could recall Goblin, then the rhythm takes off. In the night you're welcomed on board of a mysterious ship that is setting off on a journey across a raging sea, towards unknown lands where you will find war, ambiguities, unreality and ferocious ogres to deceive. You are troubled by your own fragility and you feel lost, you don't know what are you looking for... Who can save you?

The disquieting "Guerra" (War) is a metaphor of all the wars in human history. It begins by the sound of distant hooters and obsessive bass lines, then recitative vocals evoke the image of a powerful army debarking on a beach from their battle ships under a gray asphalt sky, the rhythm rises... You can see the heroes ready to conquer and defeat their enemy: there's no room for agreements, any mediation is out of question and all the dreams of peace have to be closed in a box, put away and hidden in a remote part of the mind, because war is more remunerative than peace and money is the only real God. From the ancient walls of Troy to the Twin Towers, billions of people have been walking through the flames of an eternal hell between blood and treason, damned forever in the name of their God!

"Il giorno dopo" (The day after) is a dreamy, acoustic ballad filled with emotion and melody that comes like the calm after the storm. The day after the final battle there is still fire on the ruins of the conquered city. The night of tragedy and death is over and all stands still in this morning without heroes, there's no crowd in the streets and you feel stranded and broken inside. Now the fire is behind you and you have to wake up and set off on another journey. In front of you there are sleepless night filled with the desperate voices of your memories but you have no time to waste, you have to go on following a new route towards the horizon, to reach what you can't reach, to see what you can't see, to feel what you can't feel...

The following "Lotofagi" (Lotus-eaters) begins by an exotic percussion pattern and features a strange, mysterious atmosphere. The rhythm is slow, inebriated by the sacred flowers of the Gods you're floating among the clouds of an unreal sky, lost in a kind of artificial psychedelic peace that shines like a light into oblivion... Then the rhythm rises while soaring vocals wake you up from your seep cutting like a knife the curtain of illusion that makes you blind. Now you're back on your route across the see...

album cover

"Ciclope" (Cyclops) is a long, complex track that deals with a terrible, murderous danger that you can meet during your peregrinations. In Greek mythology a cyclops was a member of a primordial race of men-eaters giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead. Polyphemus was the name of the one Odysseus met during his mythical journey but here the lyrics use the cyclops just as a metaphor to warn you about the cynicism of media and trash TV. It's described as a dangerous eye that can judge and condemn, it can destroy everything, tame people and make a man special... A wild modern monster that in some way is depicted on the album cover as well!

"Circe" is a lively, sarcastic track where the voice of Roberto Bergamini reminds me more than ever of Francesco Di Giacomo from Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. In Greek mythology Circe is a goddess of magic (or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress) but here she's depicted just as a hard-headed, wise woman who fights for her peace and her moral values. She's not a witch nor a supernatural creature, she's not more wicked than a powerful king can be or than a greedy, egoist business man in our sad contemporary reality where there's no pity for the losers. All in all, if she has transformed some people into swines it's just because so they are the mirror of clergymen and merciless butchers...

"Sirene" (Sirens) is beautiful, evocative track with a Gothic atmosphere and a suggestive sense of mystery. No need for lyrics here, just the female vocals a cappella of the guests from the Macramé choir, Michela Pedrini, Serena Pecoraro and Elisabetta Dell'Argine, who weave seducing harmonies leading to the following "Calipso", a long, romantic piece describing the moment of Odysseus departure from his golden captivity in the island of the nymph Calypso. Well, it's a nice way to describe the end of an intense, complicated relationship with strong melodies, a pinch of blues and a beautiful instrumental coda that could recall a wonderful springtime song...

On "Déjà vu" the rhythm rises again, the mood is dark while aggressive electric guitar riffs are intertwined with raging keyboards waves. The lyrics describe the feelings of a man who seems to have lost his identity, the borders between reality and unreality are blurred by infinite waves and new horizons. Lost memories dance in sleepless nights... Is it magic or madness?

The dreamy, poetical "Eolo" (Aeolus) and "Overture (Reprise)" end the album leading you to a new awareness. You're riding on the wind, flying high in the silence, breathing the intensity of a moment that no one can tell. Well, your journey was nothing but a dream, now the dark night is just a distant memory and you are walking in the present, maker of you own destiny in a world that conjures up strange shadows and illusions that after a while are thrown away... You're playing a big game and now you know where the wind's blowing: get the chance and set off on another journey, pace after pace!

On the whole, I enjoyed very much this album and I'm sure that Italian prog lovers will appreciate it as well. Contact the band to get the CD...

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Res-Gesta-Odissea-614159418623198/ 

PSYCHEDELIC SEEDS

The Octopus Tree is the second album by Miss Patty Miss & The Magic Circle, a band from Bologna led by vocalist Patrizia Urbani whose roots date back to 2005. It was released in 2014 on the independent label Irma Records, four years after the debut album New Eclipse. The line up on this new work features Patrizia Urbani (vocals, acoustic guitar), Silvia Telloli (piano, synth, Moog, backing vocals), Antonino Stella (electric and acoustic guitar), Massimo Tarozzi (bass) and Christian Di Maggio (drums, percussion). Along the years the musicians have honed their skills with a good live activity on the local scene and the result of their hard work is a nice album of classic rock tinged with psychedelia with no overtly complex tracks nor adventurous suites but never banal nor too openly derivative.

The excellent opener "Alchimia intenzionale" (Intentional alchemy) is sung in Italian and every now and again it reminds me of the optical visions depicted by Fabrizio De Andrè in his album Non al denaro, non all'amore né al cielo. It describes an unconventional, colourful form of soaring happiness where colours and perfumes are mixed in a lively psychedelic dance. Well, I think that's a really pity that the band didn't exploit more their native language...

On stage 2011

Next comes the dark, suggestive "Come Into My Silence". The soaring vocals warn you about an impending danger while casting a spell on you... Here the hieratic voice of Patrizia Urbani reminds me of the rock priestess Patty Smith. The following "Cold" is a wonderful visionary track describing the coldness of a world full of social differences and merciless businesslike attitudes... You would prefer to be a flower or a leaf softly floating in the wind or a little bird but you're nothing but a human being fighting with the cold.

The frenzied "Everchanging" veers to more modern sounds and in some way reminds me slightly of Deborah Harry and Blondie. Then it's the turn of the dreamy "By My Clock" and of the romantic, heartfelt "Little Seed". With "Simple Fall" the rhythm rises again and vintage sounds come back for a new, short psychedelic ride before calm down on the notes of the following "Promises", an acoustic ballad that reminds me slightly of Fleetwood Mac.

A nice psychedelic cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" and another piece sung in Italian, the lively "Adesso no" (Not now), close this fresh album full of colours and dreamy atmospheres. Prog lovers could be disappointed by the lack of really challenging compositions but if you like classic rock have a try and judge by yourselves: you can listen to the complete album HERE.

More info

https://www.facebook.com/misspattymiss 

FATE AND DREAMS

Four Destinies is the third studio album by Alex Carpani and it confirms all the good qualities of its predecessors, Waterline (2007) and The Sanctuary (2010). It was recorded with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (piano, Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, vocals), David Jackson (sax, flute), Ettore Salati (electric and acoustic guitar, bouzouki, balalaika), Giambattista Giorgi (bass), Alessandro Di Caprio (drums) and Joe Sal (vocals) and produced by Cristiano Roversi who engineered, mixed and mastered all the pieces. The album was finally released in 2014 on the independent Festival Music label with a nice packaging and an art cover reproducing a statue by Michelangelo Pistoletto, The Etruscan, from the Forth Worth Museum collection. According to the liner notes, this is a concept album based on four eventual destinies that a man can find on the path of his life: four destinies that irradiate, moving from the same point, in four different directions of life. To be honest, the concept is not very clear: the lyrics alternate parts in English and in Italian and do not try to tell a story but rather conjure up images adding more colours to the four musical tableaux on the album, the rest is up to your imagination! Four destinies, four long tracks with many changes in rhythm and mood, very rich in ideas and musical colours well performed by an excellent team of musicians...

The beautiful opener, "The Silk Road", takes you on a long journey through valleys and deserts, following the ancient tracks of merchants and adventurers such as Marco Polo. It's a road that marks the destiny of many different people in a melting-pot of races, colours, smells and sounds... A road that crosses the borders between science and faith, where you can hear secret stories whispered by silent shadows under the moonlight...

"Time Spiral" takes you on the mountains where you can sit on the banks of a brook and bathe in the icy waters of the springs of Time. There you can get lost in the mystery of life, you can feel the weight of your days passing by like dust and sand carried away by the current... But a threatening storm is approaching and the rage of the wind will soon blow away everything around you in the crazy spiral of a deadly fate...

"Sky And Sea" begins softly and features some dark passages that recall Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. The music and lyrics take you on a boat sailing across raging waters under a thundering storm in a dark night... You've got to gather all your energies and fight hard for your life against the fury of the elements. At last the storm calms down, you see a lighthouse and you can breathe the smells of a seaport, you can reach a safe harbour. Now the danger is gone but sometimes tears take a long time to dry...

"The Infinite Room" takes you on a sleepwalk through an enchanted world, as in a H.P. Lovecraft story... Your body is out of control while you're strolling through the streets of a fantastic, unreal city. At dawn the dream melts and you wake up confused by feelings, thoughts and visions that are driving you insane. You can hear a strange music that's shaking your soul... "The sound of weird lyric melody was what aroused me. Chords, vibrations, and harmonic ecstasies echoed passionately on every hand; while on my ravished sight burst the stupendous spectacle of ultimate beauty..." (H.P. Lovecraft, from Beyond the Wall of Sleep).

Alex Carpani Band 2014

On the whole, I think that this is a very good album: if you like bands such as Genesis or Van der Graaf Generator and Italian progressive rock, have a try! I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

Alex Carpani: Four Destinies (2014). Other opinions:

Jerry Lucky: The music of Alex Carpani is best described as classic Italian Symphonic Progressive Rock and he has all the musical elements in place humming like a precision clock. You hear old or classic familiar sounds set against a host of newer textures, blending together to create a wonderfully enticing modern album. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:
http://www.alexcarpani.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/alex.carpani 

A STRANGE FRONTMAN

Feat.Esserelà began life in Bologna in 2009 on the initiative of Francesco Ciampolini (keyboards), Renato Minguzzi (guitar) and Lorenzo Muggia (drums), three friends in love with vintage sounds, progressive rock, jazz, fusion, funk and many more. According to their website, the name of the band refers to an old dummy lying in their rehearsal room that they used to call, quite unceremoniously, just quell'esserelà (that creature over there). As time passed by, they began to bring the old dummy on stage as a prop meant to add humour and colour to their live performances and they began to introduce it as their frontman. After years of fun, hard work and a good live activity on the local scene, in 2015 the band released an interesting debut album on the independent label Joe Frassino Records, distributed in collaboration with Lizard Records.

The album title, "Tuorl", and the art cover by Michele Tomasini recall a living yolk, a kind of nucleus of vital energy in fieri, but you don't have to take too seriously this concept. In fact, what prevails in this completely instrumental work is a strong fun-loving attitude that is also mirrored by the ironic, non sense titles of the eleven tracks and by the funny pictures and drawings that you can find in the booklet. The sparkling opener "Don't leave your dinosauri at home" sets the atmosphere with its frenzied rhythm and seventies influences, followed, in the same vein, by "Anche cotoletta" (Some cutlet as well), "Il nostro batterista ha un buco nella gamba" (Our drummer has hole in the leg) and "Canguros de la ventana" (Kangaroos at the window). In my opinion, these pieces could form a perfect score for an old Italian poliziottesco film full of car chases and breathtaking rides through the streets of Milan or Rome...

On "S.r.l.à" the rhythm calms down for a while, the atmosphere becomes darker, almost spacey, then the music takes off again towards new heights and horizons. The following "No ( )" is longer, more complex but never boring. In the booklet the band thank artists such as Dave Matthews Band, Stefano Bollani and Claude Debussy for the inspiration of these last two tracks but in my opinion the band's songwriting is brilliant and personal and I think that they fully succeeded in mixing different influences into a new, tasteful brew.

"/°\ \°/ /°\ \°/ /°\ \°/" starts with a weird funky rhythm, then evolves into something else through psychedelic rides and sudden changes of mood. The following "What a (tetra) pack" is lively and brisk and leads to the more complex "Un duettrè qqua" and "Stichituffelpa rampa esserelà tum perugià", two excellent tracks driving you through a colourful maze of sounds and colours. The funny live atmosphere of "Loop o' pool" and a short hidden track a cappella end this interesting album. If you like bands such as Calibro 35, La Batteria or Accordo dei Contrari, check it out!

More info:

http://esserela.ilbello.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/feat-Esserelà/251679446997