Twenty Flying Kings is the fourth studio album by Court, from
Varese. It was recorded during several sessions that took place
between 2007 and 2012 and finally released in 2012 on the independent
label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with the renewed line up featuring Marco
Pedrini (vocals), Mosè Nodari (guitars, oboe, recorders, vocals),
Jacopo Favrin (bass), Marco Strobel (guitar, mandolin, keyboards) and
Francesco Vedani (drums, percussion, keyboards) plus some guests such
as Luigi Bonacina (bass), Andrea Balliano (classical guitar),
Giandomenico Fraschini (piano) and Andrea Cajelli (percussion). The
album summarizes the history of the band, whose roots date back to
1990, and marks a new starting point. In fact, it features four
pieces from their early period re-arranged by the new line up, two
tracks originally released on the Colossus-Musea themed album The
Divine Comedy Part I – Dante’s Inferno and one
previously unreleased track...
The opener “Cries” is a shortened, condensed but not less
effective version of a piece from the 1993 debut album “And
You'll Follow The Winds' Rush 'till Their Breath Dwells”, a
heartfelt complaint against war and tyranny. There’s no glorious
victory that can revive the dead nor heal the ruin left behind by the
armies fighting in the name of their whimsical kings...
The following “Anastasius’ Epitaph” and “The Great Bear
Rising” are linked together and come from Dante’s Inferno.
Their source of inspiration is the Canto XI of the Divine Comedy that
describes the meeting between the sommo poeta and Pope Anastasius II. In a damned place where even spring has a strange
smell words like heresy and betrayal hide an obscure meaning...
“Sumptuous Moment” is an extended new version of the wonderful
epic from Court’s second album Distances,
where the band manage to
develop some ideas and showcase great maturity and gusto.
It’s a visionary celebration
of the power of Mother Nature, inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, where a thunder storm combines the charms of winter and
of hell... Here folk influences and classical flavours are
combined with the energy of rock instruments to conjure up a dreamy
atmosphere and bring to life wandering shadows lost in the woods
under the moon...
Court 2019
The first version of the melancholic “Lovers” was originally
released on the debut album and here the band gives new life to the
tragic story of a princess that preys night and day for the return of
his beloved knight who is gone abroad, over the see, to fight in the
name of the his king. When the army comes back without him she jumps
down from the tower to fly away and meet her man...
The short, delicate acoustic ballad “Dream Tale” is the only
original track and tells of a child who dreams of being a brave
knight in a fantastic world full of adventures... It takes to the
re-arranged version of another long epic piece from the debut album,
“Alviss’ Revenge”, inspired by Norse Mythology and Nordic
sagas. It tells a bloody story of rings and vengeance, kings and
Valkyries, robberies and murders and ends an album that is really
worth listening to.
Court is prog band from Varese that was formed in 1990 by five skilled young musicians: Paolo Lucchina (vocals), Mosè Nodari (guitars, oboe and recorders), Luigi Bonacina (bass), Andrea Costanza (guitar) and Francesco Vedani (drums, flute and recorders).
Their debut album, “And You'll Follow The Winds' Rush 'till Their Breath Dwells”, was recorded in Germany and released in 1993 by the indie label Music Is Intelligence. It features a very interesting and fresh blend of rock and classical influences... If you like bands like The Strawbs, Gryphon and Amazing Blondel I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
A short instrumental opener “Rising The Tale” leads to the long and complex epic “Alviss’ Revenge” that tells a cruel story inspired by Nordic Sagas... “Flying from the south / Maidens came through the dark forest / Young Goddesses they were Valkyries / On the seashore they set to rest / Spinning precious flax...”. The music flows for more than fifteen minutes avoiding the kingdom of boredom...
“Lovers” is a beautiful, tragic prayer, a particular ballad with a dramatic “Romantic” feeling while the next track, the dreamy“Eckol” reminds me slightly of Gryphon and Angelo Branduardi... “I’ve fallen asleep dreaming of colours growing inside / I’ve fallen asleep dreaming of colours growing inside / Night! It’s the time, I’ll have my best / See you next sunset, Eckol my friend...”.
The long and complex “Cries” is a beautiful “anti-war epic”... While the music goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere the lyrics describe the celebration for the return of a victorious army... But in the crowd someone can’t stand it, a soldier who is speaking up against his mind: “There is no meaning, nonsense is war / We claim for us the rights of lands / As slaves we humble before a tyrant / And him we pray though he slew us / I lost my will in lies of king / I blinded my eyes and denied my dreams / I lost the chance to smile to dawn / To hope at dusk and fly by night...”.
“Willow Tears” is an amazing instrumental for guitar, while “Mirth For A Guest” is another short and joyful piece that recalls Gryphon. “The Song Of The Omniscent Dwarf” is a long ballad that every now and again reminds me of Amazing Blondel and that tells the story of a dwarf cheated by the God Odin and petrified by the sun. The instrumental “R.” and “Fading The Tale” close this excellent work.
The whole album can be legally downloaded for free from the official website of the band. So, have a try! Click HERE
Four years after their excellent debut work Court released “Distances”, an album featuring less folk and medieval influences and a soft, refined rock sound that every now and again could recall Pink Floyd. Here you can find “wider spaces”, “purer sounds” and “crimson reveries in a cage of beauty and grace”.
“Does my singing live just when someone is enjoying it? / Or maybe it behaves like the wind that blows over seas although there are no leaves to stir? / I say: It lives because someone has lived and sang it... it lives because someone has lived...”. After the short instrumental opener “Shantàl (Far)”, the hypnotic and melancholic “The Turn I Was Gifted” drives you in a dreamy mood, followed by “Joy” (where the rhythm takes off like a “Zeppelin”), “The Spell Of The Rain” and the acoustic instrumental “View Gone”. The words and music draw moony soundscapes where acoustic guitars and flutes are in the forefront... Then comes the amazing long, complex epic “Sumptuous Moment”, inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, my favourite track on this album, closer to the sound of their previous work, where folk influences are blended with a strong classical romantic flavour. Good also the other epic “Carved Box” and the soft instrumental “Close”... “The box is now closing / With her walk through the time / Kept safe inside...”.
Since the album can be legally downloaded for free from the official website of the band, have a try and judge it by yourselves! Click HERE
Court’s third album, “Frost Of Watermelon”, was released in 2007, ten years after “Distances”. It’s more heterogeneous and features a richer sound. The line up features a new guitarist, Marco Strobl, who stepped in taking the place of Andrea Costanza and during the recording sessions the band was helped by some guest musicians... The “recipe” is tasty and well balanced, including “ingredients” such as classical and acoustic guitars, mellotron, recorders and glockenspiel along with powerful bass lines, electric guitars and “smashed pumpkins”. Well, this band is not stuck in the past and you can find on this work not only echoes of Genesis and Pink Floyd but some “grungy passages” as well.
“I will be back again / Just to step and fly away / Believe me / I founded my world on a dream...”. In my opinion the highlights on this album are the dreamy “My World” and the hypnotic, mysterious instrumental “Bridge To Maya”. Interesting also the long and complex suite “Mad and Child” and the acoustic ballad “When I Lose”. The overall result is very good, so... “Sprinkle on the frost of watermelon” with slivers of dark chocolate, put the bowls in the fridge and serve cold”!
This album was immediately followed by a tour in the USA and the young Jacopo Favrin replaced Luigi Bonacina on bass. The tour culminated in an unforgettable concert in Hollywood, the band was spotted by some US promoters who convinced them to enter the Los Angeles Music Awards and in November 2007 Court were awarded Best Alternative Band by the jury. In 2009 a new vocalist, Marco Pedrini, took the place of Paolo Lucchina. The story continues...
Read the interview with the band on Progarchives, click HERE
