GROWING UP

 Protocollo C came to life in 2012 in Bra, a town in the province of Cuneo, with a line up featuring Marco Vona (guitar), Daniele Sagli (drums), Alessandro Aiello (organ, keyboards) and Alessandro Dellarocca (bass). Soon they started to experiment and compose original stuff and in 2017 they recorded an interesting eponymous debut album that was released in 2018 on the independent label Lizard Records. On this work you can listen to an excellent mix of vintage sounds with echoes of the incredible Jimmy Smith at the organ, a pinch of blues and a touch of funky-prog with a strong penchant for seventies soundtracks of Italian B-movies in the vein of bands such as La Batteria or Calibro 35. In fact, this is an instrumental concept album, an imaginary soundtrack where every piece represents a phase of the life of a common man. In the booklet you can find a drawing by Matteo Manera and a short comment by Chiara Fissore for every piece describing in some way what the music is about. Anyway, the listener is always the main protagonist... 

 

 

The nice opener “Adolescenza” (Adolescence) starts by a cheerful, carefree marching beat and describes a period in a man life where everything seems possible. It contrasts with the following “Maturità” (Maturity) and its staid, obsessive pace and sudden frenzied passages that mark the need to achieve the goal to find a job and settle down in the period of life when a man is supposed to sign a deal with the future... 

 

 

“Perdita della routine” (Loss of routine) is darker and deals with the stifling formality of family life and the work daily grind. The burden of acting always by rote drives you crazy, tension rises as you feel the need to assert yourself and you try to find a way out from your monotonous routine. Next comes “Premeditazione” (Premeditation) that marks the effort to break through from the cage of your reality reacting against the mocking twists of the fate that made your life so uninteresting and boring... 

 

Protocollo C, 2017

 

The nervous, tense “Metamorfosi degli innocenti” (Metamorphosis of the innocents) expresses the tearing choice to get rid of the mask you wear every day to hide your feelings while the following “Presa di coscienza” (Realization) marks the bewilderment of a personal crises where everything gets blurred and regrets become heavier and heavier... 

 

 

The up tempo of “Fierezza” (Proudness) swings from reggae to funky rock to underline the will to get up, stand up and fight for your dreams. You need strength and boldness to look inside yourself and find the positive energies you need to get free... The following “Consapevolezza” (Awareness) tries to convey the idea of analysis and reflection. Once you know the hidden aspects of your personality, you can begin to rebuild your life and consider new plans for your future... 

 

 

The drawing associated to “Goodbye Italia” suggests a new start, a train to catch and new challenges on the horizon. The folkloric elements in the music and the lively rhythm show that for you there are no borders now and the world is your home... Eventually, the long final track entitled “Flashback” makes you relive the different phases of your life as in a dream, from the years of youth to the present. 

 

On the whole, a very pleasant listening! 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/protocolloc/ 

A PSYCHEDELIC QUEST

Colster come from Bra, in the province of Cuneo, and began life as a duo on the initiative of Livio Cravero (guitars, bass, synthesizers) and Francesco Previotto (drums, percussion). Their influences range from Pink Floyd and psychedelia to progressive rock and jazz but they always try to be as much original as possible mixing music with their personal experiences without schemes or barriers. Colster's first eponymous album was recorded between 2008 and 2009 and finally released on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records in 2010. It's a completely instrumental album but in some way every track is linked to images or memories that the musicians tried to explain in the liner notes and with the help of some pictures that you can find in the booklet. 

 

The opener “Searching Absolution fase 1” starts with a frenzied rhythm and tense guitar riffs. Some passages reminds me of Goblin and the music could be the perfect score for a thriller or a horror film by Dario Argento. According to the liner notes this piece tries to describe an ideal quest for purification, you have to forget past errors and search for an absolution to give a new sense to your life. 

 

“The First Wail” is more in psychedelic vein. The music takes you off on a kind of cosmic trip and you can even breathe the atmosphere of the dark side of the moon, but beware! The way is full of surprises. Next comes “Everyday Life” which describes the hectic rhythm of every day life, a rhythm that makes you forget what is really important. At the beginning there's a hard, pulsing beat, then the storm calms down and you get lost in your reflections. 

 

The following track “Island Asylum” describes an ephemeral, sensual refuge from the daily grind. The atmosphere is more relaxed here, you can dream and find new energies. The short “Mind Rejection” is darker and marks the moment when you have to leave your shelter. With “Searching Absolution fase 2 and fase 3” you're back on your cathartic quest but the way is difficult, a long drum solo evokes wild rides in the dark and uncertain paces, then an ethereal, dreamy atmosphere brings new hope and you can go on. 

 

On “Melancholy” some memories emerge from the past, surrounded by emptiness. This track features a heartfelt electric guitar solo and an ethereal atmosphere. It leads to the conclusive “See Through The Tears”, where you can contemplate the world through a veil of tears. Your sight is not clear now while the music conjures up surreal visions and blurred landscapes. The quest comes to an end and probably you couldn't find the absolution you were looking for. Anyway, even if you can't give a new sense to your life I'm pretty sure you will not regret the time spent listening to this album. At the moment the band is already working on a new album with two new members in the line up and I'm looking forward to listen to it.

Colster: Colster (2010). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: Colster succeeds at what I believe are one of their intentions, creating a sort of soundtrack for the thoughts and images of the listener, music that moves with you as you live. And yet it is important to reiterate that their succinct style is a strength. They improvise and dream musically of course, they take you places, but they keep the pieces reasonably brief and well paced, stretching the length out only as necessary. There is no overindulgence here where you are tortured by 16 minutes of feedback over breaking glass and barking dogs. Colster brings a lighter edge to psych/space and are capable of crossover should they choose to go there... (read the complete review HERE).  

More info:

http://www.colster.it/

http://www.myspace.com/colstermusic

http://www.facebook.com/pages/COLSTER/96963732219 

PIEMONTE and VALLE D'AOSTA (part 2)

Turin is not the only city in Piemonte which can boast interesting prog bands. The birthplace of Italian writer Umberto Eco, ALESSANDRIA, about 90 km south-west from Turin, saw the formation of a band called Quo Modo Vitae (MySpace) in the seventies. They never had the chance to record an album then and it’s a pity but recently some of the old members joined up again to play live and to work on new and old pieces and, well, I think it would be high time for a debut album!

In Alessandria we can also listen to the excellent Imagin’Aria (MySpace), to the projects of guitarist Cristiano Mussi (MySpace) and to some emerging bands such as the melodic Roccaforte (MySpace), the heavier Anziana Regina (MySpace) and the psychedelic Cosa Rara (MySpace). In the nearby town of Casale Monferrato we can listen to a melodic prog band called Abaco (MySpace) while Acqui Terme is home to another melodic prog band, Plenilunio (MySpace). Another town in the province of Alessandria, Tortona, in the early seventies gave us a band called I Leoni while now it’s the time of the heavy and dark Ufomammut (MySpace).

And now to ASTI, about 55 km south-east of Turin which in the seventies gave us Locanda delle Fate (Official Website). After an ephemeral reunion in the late nineties the band is now back with a renewed line-up and in summer 2010 they played their first concert since the late seventies. Former Locanda delle Fate keyboardist and composer Michele Conta (MySpace) has not taken part in the reunion and is working on a solo project.

 Asti was also home to Archensiel, an interesting prog-folk band that in 1989 released a beautiful album, Piöva, re-released by Akarma in 2004. Archensiel guitarist Massimo Brignolo is now in the new line of Locanda delle Fate. The prog scene from Asti can also boast the emerging Fata dell’Ombra (MySpace) and the interesting Cantina Sociale (MySpace) that in 2009 released an excellent album entitled Cum Lux. Cantina Sociale’s singer Iano Nicolò (MySpace) is also the singer in the new line-up of Arti e Mestieri.

 

Well, almost every city in Piemonte gave birth to at least one prog band that is worth listening to. In CUNEO we find the folk-jazz Falafel Project (MySpace), the math prog Lamalora (MySpace) and Pandora (Official Website) that after an amazing debut album for BTF in 2011 released a sophomore album entitled Sempre e ovunque oltre il sogno.

From Bra, a town  50 km south of Turin and 50 km north-east of Cuneo, there comes Colster (MySpace), an emerging band influenced by psychedelic sounds while Mondovì is home to an instrumental project called Athene Noctua (MySpace). BIELLA in the seventies gave us Odissea while today it is home to a folk-jazz project called Abnoba (MySpace), the emerging LeMura (Facebook) and an interesting band called The Mellon (MySpace), inspired by esoteric and dark atmospheres.

 

Then, from VERCELLI come the veterans Il Castello di Atlante (Official Website), formed in the seventies and still in perfect shape. Another local band of great experience is the neo-prog Arcansiel (MySpace) whose roots go back to the eighties. Arcansiel’s leader, Paolo Baltaro (MySpace), in 2009 released a solo album on Musea Records. The province of Vercelli, to be more exact an area called Valsesia, is also home to an emerging band called Coma Berenices (MySpace).

From NOVARA come Consorzio Acqua Potabile (Official Website), a band formed in 1971 and still active today, and Psichedalia (Reverbnation) while from Domodossola, a town in the province of VERBANO-CUSIO-OSSOLA comes the psychedelic King Suffy Generator (MySpace). By the way, Domodossola is also the birth place of Alberto Fortis, a famous Italian singer songwriter whose first two albums might be of some interest to prog lovers.

To conclude our visit through far North-West Italy, we go to AOSTA, the capital of the autonomous region VALLE D'AOSTA. Here during the seventies Paradiso a Basso Prezzo were based. Their drummer, Guido Gressani, is still active and plays jazz with his Guido Gressani Quintet (Facebook). Now the city is home to I Treni all’Alba (MySpace) that were formed between Aosta and Turin in 2002. All the members of the band are experienced musicians with different influences and in 2008 they released their first full length album, Folk Destroyers, on the independent label Smartz Records.

Each track is illustrated in the beautiful booklet with a drawing by the painter Domenico Sorrenti and the music flows away  as in a long suite where quiet acoustic and folky passages melt into fiery percussion rides and vice versa. The name of the band, I Treni All’Alba, means “the trains at dawn...”.