PROUDLY DERIVATIVE

 Acqua Fragile took form in Parma in 1971 under the name Gli Immortali. After some personnel changes and a good live activity, in 1973 the band released their eponymous debut album on the Numero Uno label, produced by PFM and Claudio Fabi with a line up featuring Bernardo Lanzetti (vocals, guitar), Gino Campanini (electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Maurizio Mori (keyboards, vocals), Franz Dondi (bass) and Pier Emilio Canavera (drums, acoustic guitar, vocals). The overall sound of this work is proudly derivative, based on excellent vocal harmonies and obvious musical influences from bands like Genesis and Gentle Giant. Unlike most Italian bands of the early 1970s, Acqua Fragile chose to sing in English rather than in their native language and oddly enough, the original album inner sleeve doesn't feature the English lyrics but only their Italian translation...

The opening track, "Morning Comes", is a reflection on time passing by. Each morning the daylight sweeps away all dreams, the light streams in through the window, killing the shadows and freeing up space for the daily grind. The Genesis influence here is more than evident. Then comes "Comic Strips", a nice piece about the potential of comic book art and its ability to stir the imagination. It's another exercise of style, this time drawing inspiration from Gentle Giant. The acoustic, West Coast ballad "Science Fiction Suite" closes the first side of the original LP, taking you on a surreal journey to Mars and beyond. The main sources of inspiration here are the blue eyes of Judy and CS&N...

Side two opens with the dreamy and nostalgic "Song From A Picture", inspired by a photograph and featuring Genesis influences once again. The following track, "Education Story", initially leans more toward Crimson atmospheres before taking a different course. "Going Out" is a short acoustic ballad that invites you to find the right mood to leave home and embark on a journey to Venice, Redwood or any where you like. The last track of the album is the long "Three Hands Man", which describes a dangerous individual disguised as a businessman. It's probably the most accomplished track of the entire batch, albeit with the usual clear reminiscences of Genesis and Gentle Giant...

On the whole, a work that is certainly pleasant but not exactly essential.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Acqua Fragile: Acqua Fragile (1973). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: This album has some nice music and melodies, but please be aware this is not a true RPI album. It is a collection of impostor originals from the English prog scene, sounding ridiculously like period Genesis, Yes, Giant, and Crimson in various places. Vocals are in English and there is not much Italian tradition or even RPI style in the music or performance. If you don't care about that, read on for what they do get right: some nice songs... (read the complete review HERE)

Paul Fowler: A criticism sometimes levelled at the band is their lack of an authentic Italian sound. This is true as their sound has a much more British feel and parallels can be drawn with early Genesis and Gentle Giant in particular. However taken on its own terms, this, their eponymous debut released in 1973 is a very good album and well worth seeking out. They make good use of vocal harmonies bringing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to mind, perfectly illustrated on Science Fiction Suite... (read the complete review HERE)

A MATTER OF CHOICE

Libero arbitrio is the first solo album by Amos Ghirardelli, a keyboard player and composer from Sassuolo, now based in the province of Venice, with years of experience behind him. It was released in 2024 on the independent Velut Luna label and recorded with the contribute of a group of talented musicians who help highlight the compositional value of the pieces, mostly inspired by the symphonic progressive rock of the seventies. In fact, the line-up includes Amos Ghiradelli himself (keyboards), Andrea Valfrè (keyboards), Filippo Ghirardelli (piano), Andrea Ghion (bass - from Egonon and Aldo Tagliapietra Band), Roberto Parolin (drums - from Egonon), Matteo Ballarin (guitar - from The Former Life and Aldo Tagliapietra Band) and Massimo Bellio (vocals). The recording sessions took place at Magister Recording Area, in Preganziol, Treviso on August and September 2024 and I’m sure that the final result will please many prog fans...

The title track, “Libero arbitrio” (Free will), is a sort of declaration of intent that opens the album. It’s a long suite that starts by rarefied and dreamy atmospheres. The rhythm is slow but gradually grows while the melodic lines evoke strange trajectories in space and time. Then a short funky section followed by a marching beat introduces the sung part. The title refers to the capacity to choose between different possible courses of action, an ability that is connected to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, advice, persuasion, deliberation and prohibition. But do not worry, this is not a boring philosophical treatise. The music and lyrics are meant to give a stern warning: it is better to take the time to listen and carefully consider the advice of interested benefactors who could do you a lot of harm. They are like beasts that hunt you, black crows that do not help you, they are like a pack of wicked children who do not know the limit of fear and who seek you... You’ve better get rid of those people! Think twice and make your own choices...

The long instrumental “Oltre la nebbia” (Beyond the fog) begins by a slow keyboard intro that paints in black the musical canvas. Then dark organ sounds set a mystical atmosphere and a sense of bewilderment and restlessness. The central section with a delicate piano theme could make one think of a boat searching for its way through the fog, illuminated by soft night lights, among the narrow canals of Venice, while the final part, more decisive and jazzy, seems to suggest the exit from the strange lagoon web made of fog, doubts and nostalgia and the beginning of a new journey towards the unknown...

“Frammento di me” (Fragment of me) is an introspective and melodic song that speaks of the awareness of one's choices with hermetic verses and fragmentary images. Without scruples the protagonist rearranges and finds new words that he then interprets. Shivers of fantasy flow and the colours of May offer us images and destinations without tomorrow where you can get lost. Try to surrender to dreams while the mind leads you to secret places where you can find new songs. Don't let yourself get down, choose and what you have chosen will become possible and will make you see the deception of your freedom...

Then comes another long instrumental piece, “Dreaming Sanremo”. The organ introduction evokes an almost liturgical atmosphere, then the rhythm increases and the music takes you on unexpected paths, where relaxed and nocturnal moments alternate with sunny and majestic passages. The sky is a wonder and flowers are everywhere. Maybe it’s not for nothing that Sanremo, the city of the title, is also known as the city of flowers. By the way, Sanremo is also famous for the Italian song festival, an event that fortunately has very little to do with this track...

The short instrumental “Malinconia” (Melancholy) closes the album with a soft and relaxed atmosphere. Here you can find a hint of nostalgia and a touch of regret while the notes are used as pastel colours to paint an expressionist picture...

On the whole, a very interesting album that is worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.referencemusicstore.it 

FOLLOWING THE BRIGHTEST STAR

Limite Acque Sicure came to life in Ferrara in 2005 on the initiative of Andrea Chendi and Antonello Giovannelli, initially just with the aim of playing covers of historic prog bands from the seventies. After some personnel changes and many years of live activity on the local scene, in 2022 the band released on the independent Minotauro Records label a very interesting eponymous debut work featuring their own compositions in vintage style (and one cover) with a line up featuring Andrea Chendi (vocals) and Antonello Giovannelli (piano, synth, organ) along with Ambra Bianchi (vocals, flute, harp, percussion), Francesco Gigante (bass), Paolo Bolognesi (drums) and Luca Trabanelli (guitars). According to the band, it’s a concept album sui generis where all the tracks follow in some way a common thread: the eternal challenge with the unknown. The art cover gives a clue of the content...

 

The long, complex opener “Sogno d’oriente” (Oriental dream) begins softly but soon heavy electric guitar riffs break the dreamy atmosphere. In fact, the dreams evoked here by the music and lyrics are not those of the folktales narrated by Scheherazade in the One Thousand and One Nights but those of people who try to escape from wars, famine and adversities. Looking for a better place and a better future, some of them walk for miles and miles, crossing borders and rivers while others embark on ships in very bad conditions defying storms and raging waves. Often their hopes collide with reality and what they find at the end of their efforts is just another miserable place, if not death...

The introspective “Terra straniera” (Foreign land) begins by a piano solo passage, the atmosphere is tense and melancholic. The music and words tell of the sense of alienation felt by a person who is cut off from the society around him and feels like a stranger in his own land. What he has to do to overcome his blue mood is to be positive and follow the brightest star in the sky...

A pulsing rhythm introduces the following “Il respiro dell’anima” (The breath of soul), a piece about the mystery of birth, life and death. It depicts a kind of mystical journey that begins from the relationship between a mother and her child and continues until maturity and awareness. All in all, we are nothing but blood and matter in search of the soul...

 

“Antico mare” (Ancient sea) begins by the sound of the waves. The atmosphere is relaxed and dreamy. The music and lyrics evoke ancient civilizations and forgotten gods, battles and legends, bold warriors and beautiful women, mighty walls and talking masks, philosophers and poets. The shores of the Mediterranean Sea are full of the signs of a glorious past that still lives in our memories and the hope is that in the future the waves of this sea will bring more beauty and less wars...

“Fiamme intorno” (Flames around) is a complex piece about time passing by, regrets and hopes. It begins with a tense atmosphere while the music and lyrics describe a poet who feels that time is standing still. He can’t find the words to express himself, he has no more ideals to fight for. Around him there are ghosts that dance like flames, the time that has passed can not return and the rivers where words once flowed are now dry and full of the dust of the past. Then the tension eases, resignation and bewilderment give way to new energies that fill the inner void of the protagonist. As the artist accepts to live in harmony with his new reality the inspiration comes back... According to the liner notes, this piece is dedicated to the memory of Neil Peart.

 

Limite Acque Sicure on stage, 2022

The long epic “Il giardino del mago” (The wizard’s garden) is a cover of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and was recorded live. It’s an interesting tribute to one of the bands that inspired them the most and it leads to the last track, “Ti salverà” (It will save you), short, folksy song that begins by a strummed acoustic guitar. It’s a reprise of the last part of the second track, “Terra straniera” where the lyrics invite you to look up and follow the brightest star in the sky, a metaphorical ideal to not get lost in the path of life. According to an interview with the band, it’s a kind of synthesis of this work: as a virtuous attitude to maintain in the passages, in the evolutions of our life and our being, we wanted to propose the pursuit of an ideal, of a star that guides us...

On the whole, an excellent album where vintage sounds and original ideas merge convincingly.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Limite Acque Sicure: Limite Acque Sicure (2022). Other opinions:
Jose Antonio Marmol: The high quality of this album, in both its musical content and sound, is fantastic and recognizable after the very first listen, which is not that usual when talking about debuts... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://limiteacquesicure.it/

https://www.facebook.com/limiteacquesicure/ 

SAILING ACROSS A SEA OF DREAMS

Le Vele di Oniride began life in Imola in 2017 on the initiative of the band’s lyricist and main composer Nello De Leo, former member of another prog band called Ellephant. The aim of the band is experimenting with progressive rock and psychedelia by combining vintage and modern sounds in the vein of other contemporary Italian prog bands such as Il Giardino Onirico or Gran Turismo Veloce. La quadratura del cerchio (The squaring of the circle) is their debut album and was released in 2023 on the Lizard Records label with a line up featuring Francesco Ronchi (lead and backing vocals), Nello De Leo (electric and acoustic guitar, synth guitar, backing vocals), Lorenzo Marani (bass), Jacopo Cenesi (drums) and Cristiano Costa (keyboards, synthesizers, piano). The artwork by Egidio Marullo tries to give a visual form to the musical and lyrical content of this very interesting debut work...

 

The nightmarish opening track, “Sogni infranti” (Broken dreams), starts with a spacey atmosphere and slowly draws you into a menacing illusion you can’t get rid of. All around you there’s nothing but a dark cosmic void, then a heavy sheet of metal appears in the sky weighing you down. Your energy is running out, your strength is fading and you are chained to this new, gloomy reality made of broken dreams...

“L’illusione dell’oblio” (The illusion of oblivion) alternates bursts of energy with calmer parts. It describes in music and words raging waves that drag you into the vortex of a dark reality and make you desperately fight against the tide to survive. Many questions haunt your mind but there is no answer and you end up to dream of forgetting everything to rest and slowly slip into oblivion...

 

“Catarsi” (Catharsis) is an introspective piece that tells of a surreal oneiric experience: an inner journey through the labyrinth of a man’s mind, the consequent meeting with his soul and the return to the centre of his real ego. The protagonist flies above the shadows of his steps under an enchanted rain, he can smell strange perfumes and hear thundering thoughts. Eventually he wakes up in the forest, under the branches of some beautiful trees. Now the clear sky is just the canvas where he can paint new flights in a dream of purification and rebirth…

“Apologia di reato” (Apology of crime) begins with a tense atmosphere that could recall Goblin. The music and lyrics tell of a very particular, paradoxical crime. A man is put on trial. What sin did the defendant commit? What crime is he charged of? What did he do that was so bad? What wickedness stains his soul? He did something that wears your soul out and tears it apart. But what he did was nothing other than telling the truth. He killed falsehood causing infernal pain and now he is proud of his crime...

 

“Isolazione” (Isolation) describes in music and words a strange sense of solitude, the feeling to be helpless and out of place in the world, disconnected from an oppressive reality. The protagonist feels alone even among of millions of people who have lost their critical sense and keep on talking without saying anything. He has been given a number and a role but he refuses to comply. He feels like as if he should die without reacting...

“Madri di niente, figli di nessuno” (Mothers of nothing, children of no one) is another track full of dark energy and nightmarish atmospheres. The lyrics here paint disquieting visions on the musical canvas and every now and again the narrative vocals might recall Pholas Dactylus. The protagonist perceives obscure plots to manipulate him. There’s someone who wants something from him that he doesn’t have, someone who wants him telling something he doesn’t know. Then, theatrical vocals evoke metal bars falling from above to imprison him and the protagonist feels that now he’s chained to his eternal scaffold: his existence. Hypocrisy, lies, deception, extreme fanaticisms and distorted conceptions of life are represented with vivid colours on this crazy tableau...

The last track, “Miraggi remoti” (Remote mirages) begins calmly, the pace is slow and evokes a long, tiring journey across an undefined desert. The protagonist is plunged in a kind of collective hallucination among figures of non-existent men surrounding him and strange faces all around observing him. How long will his trip last? How many mountains will he have to climb before he can see the sky above the sea? Ha can’t tell and calls for help...

On the whole, an excellent work!

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:
https://leveledioniride.bandcamp.com/

FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Ambigram came to life some years ago in Piacenza on the initiative of two experienced musicians such as Beppe Lombardo and Max Marchini who gathered around them a kind of super-group to give form to their musical ideas mixing seventies influences and up to date sounds. In 2021 they finally released an excellent eponymous debut album on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash label with a line up featuring Francesco Rapaccioli (lead and backing vocals), Beppe Lombardo (guitars), Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums, percussion) and Max Marchini (bass) plus the guests Annie Barbazza (vocals), Max Repetti (piano, keyboards), Marco Rancati (backing vocals), Paola Folli (vocals), Camillo Mozzoni (oboe) and Paolo Tofani (guitar). By the way, an ambigram is a word or drawing that retains meaning when viewed from a different direction or perspective and the art work by drummer and graphic artist Gigi Cavalli Cocchi gives an idea of this concept, with the name of the band on the cover that can be read the same way if viewed upside down...

 

The opener “A Mediterranean Tale” starts softly, the atmosphere is dreamy as the music and lyrics evoke ancient legends and myths related to the Mediterranean sea under a starry sky. From the images of Troy to a charming singing of mermaids, the sea seems to bring its secrets up to the surface and the wind carries them away on the changing rhythm of the waves...

Dreams turn into nightmare in the following “Cerberus Reise” that describes in music and words the meeting with an infernal three-headed beast raising from a concrete rock to angrily rape and kill. But the protagonist is a poisonous, lethal prey that wields a sword of light and is ready to fight back the evil creature...

 

“Pig Tree” starts by an aggressive electric guitar riff, then the music and lyrics lead you on the frontier between good and bad, where there are deep, dark waters under your feet and flashes above still clouds. It might be just a matter of points of views but we live in a world where money rules and where even Alice gives no pills for free to let you enter in wonderland, a world that hides many moons and where many suns shine...

“Sailing Home” every now and again could recall Yes in the first part while the middle section features the female vocals of the guest Paola Folli and recalls Pink Floyd. Your destination is still hidden by the horizon but, as you sail on a calm sea, you can already smell the air of home and dream of the end of your journey...

 

The reflective “Imaginary Daughter” portrays with visionary lyrics and nervous notes a rebellious girl who follows her wild nature and dreams of being a mother in a hostile, poisoned world... Then comes the dramatic “L’absinthe”, a piece dealing with the problem of alcohol addiction. The protagonist wrongly believes that alcohol can destroy his nightmares and help him fighting his inner ghosts. The absinthe sings with voice of a gentle giant lighting the candles of illusion and bringing lost songs from the sky. But eventually the protagonist’s soul cries as he’s led away by madness, broken down...

The introspective “Patchwork” depicts in music and words snowy landscapes and a frozen lake reflecting your thoughts. In just thirty seconds you breathe on curved air, it’s a time with no space nor meaning to create, the moment in which you must begin your personal search to love... Then it’s the turn of “Pearls Before Swine”, a short piece about the cruelty of pig killing: did God create a paradise for them?... A radio edit version of “Cerberus Reise” ends the album...

On the whole, a very interesting work.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Ambigram: Ambigram (2021). Other opinions: 

Kevin Rowland: These guys should be considered crossover in its truest sense as they are mixing together loads of different styles, and while they often are in neo they definitely bring in other elements while never going to the style often associated with Italian bands of huge banks of keyboards. This is a debut prog album well worth discovering, which repays repeated listenings... (read the complete review HERE)

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/ambigramband/ 

JAZZ FROM THE XIII CENTURY

Ars Antiqua World Jazz Ensemble is a project that took form in Ferrara in 2021 on the initiative of director and composer Roberto Manuzzi, teacher at the Ferrara Conservatory, with the help of some colleagues and students. In 2022 the ensemble self-released an interesting debut album, entitled L’amore è una fiamma (Love is a flame), with a wide line up featuring Roberto Manuzzi (sax), Rachele Amore (vocals, percussion), Stefano Melloni (clarinet, flutes), Erica Ruggiero (acoustic and electric piano, harpsichord, backing vocals), Raffaele Guandalini (double bass, electric bass), Stefano Guarisco (drums), Davide La Rosa (electric and acoustic guitar), Pietro Boarini (electric guitar), Davide Zabbari (viola da gamba), Fausto Negrelli (vibraphone, percussion), Antonio Stragapede (mandolin) plus the guests Ares Tavolazzi (double bass - historic member of Area) and Paola Tagliani (piano). The aim of the musicians involved in this project was mixing classical and folkloric influences with jazz and electric instruments. In some way, they tried to do with Medieval music what The Pentangle did with British folk and the result is an excellent album that contains original compositions by Roberto Manuzzi on poems by artists of the thirteenth century as well as some modern arrangements of Medieval scores and songs from the Sephardic Jewish tradition...

The first three tracks, “L’aire claro”, “Quand’om ha un bon amico” and “Chi non avesse mai veduto foco” are original compositions based upon the verses of Jacopo da Lentini, an Italian poet of the XIII century. Jacopo da Lentini was a notary at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and is credited with the invention of the Sonnet. His poetry was originally written in literary Sicilian, though it only survives in Tuscan. The music blends in a very effective way medieval atmospheres, Mediterranean colours and jazz contaminations while the wonderful vocals of Rachele Amore breath a new life into timeless words about love and friendship...

The long, complex “Ondas do mar de Vigo” is a beautiful elaboration of a XIII century piece by Martin Codax, a Galician medieval joglar (a non-noble composer and performer). It starts by a delicate guitar arpeggio and soaring vocals, then it slowly turns into something different, with bass, piano and sax drawing dreamy, exotic landscapes...

Then come “Sonetti barbarici, parte 1”, “Sonetti barbarici, parte 2”, and “Sonetti barbarici, parte 3”, other three original compositions on verses of Jacopo da Lentini, this time based only on piano and vocals. The first prises the beauty and the virtues of the beloved woman, more precious than any gem on earth, the second expresses the pain provoked by envious, treacherous or haughty lovers that are compared to snakes and dragons while the third depicts the feelings of a shy lover in front of the desired woman...
 

The dreamy “Alta, alta es la luna” and the Oriental flavoured “Sien drahmas al dia” are two elaborations of traditional Sephardic songs. Sephardic Jews are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the Iberian Peninsula and their vernacular languages are mainly variants of either Spanish or Portuguese...

The following “Santa Maria strela do dia” might recall some works by Angelo Branduardi and is the elaboration of a piece credited to Alfonso X the Wise, king of Castile, Leon and Galicia who commissioned or co-authored numerous works of music during his reign, from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. Among them, The Cantigas de Santa Maria (for the most part about miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary) form one of the largest collections of vernacular monophonic songs to survive from the Middle Ages...

The lively “La tarantella” is a charming piece that ends the album with its particular celebration of nature and God through almost pagan, obscure rites and dances under the moon. The middle section with the double bass in the forefront might recall The Pentangle...

On the whole, an interesting work. Folk prog lovers should have a try...

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078192930051 

HYPNOTIC SOUNDS

Hypnophonia is the second studio album by Marchesi Scamorza and was released in 2015 on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash label with a confirmed line up featuring Lorenzo Romani (guitar, mandolin, keyboards, backing vocals), Alessandro Padovani (drums), Paolo Brini (bass), Enrico Bernardini (vocals) and Enrico Cazzola (keyboards, piano, synth, organ). Inspired by Italian seventies prog, it was recorded using analogue recording techniques and tapes to recreate a vintage sound which carries on the tradition of bands like Le Orme or Premiata Forneria Marconi adding a touch of originality and freshness. In my opinion, this work represents a step forward for the band. The beautiful art work by Lorenzo Romani and Julia Mahrer tries to give an idea of its content...

The opener, “1348”, today might sound almost like a gloomy prophecy. In fact, the title refers to the year of the Black Death, a terrible bubonic plague pandemic that stormed through Italy and created religious, social and economic upheavals. It starts by a drum roll and a threatening marching beat, then the music and lyrics depict apocalyptic visions. The Black Death dances and ruthlessly hits without distinction between the poor and the rich while the wind gathers words and carries them on the gallows. Only a far sound of bells tears apart the gloomy silence, the Black Death has a thousand ways to creep in, frightened courtiers cling to a prayer like wild beasts but nobody can escape...

The long, complex, “Il cammino delle luci erranti” (The path of the wandering lights) goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere as the hermetic lyrics conjure up strange images. A thousand stories vanish into time and stone faces carved in the clouds melt, swept away by the wind. Dark, heavy, pagan shadows lurk in the night while under a pale light, in an incense mist, lonely wandering souls float in the air. Grey thoughts fall dawn on a poet who has lost his inspiration and, as the wind, bangs against immovable things destined to disappear...

Next comes “Campi di Marte” (Fields of Mars) where the music and words invite you to set off for a kind psychedelic journey where you have to follow light trails under the rain without looking back, leaving behind tears and worries. The light carries you beyond greedy streets, towards deserts where words are worthless...

The title of the reflective “L’uomo dal fiore in bocca” (The man with the flower in his mouth) refers to a play of the same name written in 1922 by Luigi Pirandello telling of the meeting in a bar, late at night, between a man who is dying of a cancer (the flower in the mouth) and a businessman who has missed his train. The dialogue between the two characters marks the contrast between someone who intensely lives the little time left to him and someone who has plenty of time to spend, waiting for the morning and completely absorbed by trivial mishaps, taken by his daily grind. Imagine people without a goal who are waiting for their death, waiting for the end with no escape...

The oneiric “La via del sognatore” (The dreamer’s way) ends the album. It’s a long, complex piece divided into three parts. The first is subtitled “La notte” (The night) and depicts in music and words a devouring dark, a black space dotted with stars that laughingly melt into oblivion. Shadows thickens around you, the night is falling, tired limbs can rest as the mind can’t switch off and overflows... The second part is subtitled “Il sogno” (The dream) and conjures up the realms of dream, an ever changing place where tears of opals cross the streets between high stone columns and the lights of a new life show the way while strange sounds surround you... Then the last part, “Il risveglio” (The awakening), describes the come back of day light. Reality is still fuzzy when dawn begins to snatch the dreams from the night to let them fade out in a silent world...

On the whole, a good mature work that is worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Marchesi Scamorza: Hypnophonia (2015). Other opinions:
Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: It would be easy to place Marchesi Scamorza alongside numerous other low-key modern Italian bands that fly under the radar, but at the same time, `Hypnophonia' is the sound of what was an already promising band stepping up in a big way and delivering a superior work that easily eclipses their earlier effort, carefully showcasing their influences but also offering unexpected surprises. It boasts a fuller production, more confident vocals that aren't afraid to step back and let the thrilling instrumental passages take the focus, and gifted musicians playing with boundless enthusiasm and sharp skill... (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Marchesi2016/ 

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/ 

 

 

ONE IN ALL

In 1974, after Osanna's split up, former members Danilo Rustici (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Elio D'Anna (sax, flute) teamed up with a drummer from Forlì, Enzo Vallicelli, and formed a new band called Uno. The only album they left to posterity was their eponymous work, recorded in London, in the same studios of Pink Floyd, and released on the Fonit Cetra label...

 

Osanna’s ghost here seem to be “hanging on a nail” (just to quote a verse from the lyrics of the album) while the members of the band are trying to overcome their past, but the result, in my opinion, is not convincing at all. I find that the song-writing is almost awkward in some points (for instance "Popular Girl" is a R & B track that suddenly turns into a "tarantella", but the passage from one part to another is too abrupt and it sounds unnatural to my ears) and too much derivative. There are many influences coming from The Beatles (like on the sweet, dreamy "Stay With Me" and on the first part of "Goodbye Friend") and heavy "echoes" coming from "the dark side of the moon" (like in "Uno nel tutto", after a first "R'n'R section, or in the "Goodbye Friend" finale), but the result is a kind of clumsy patchwork featuring rather weak vocals.

The best track (and, in my opinion, the only really good one on this album) is "I cani e la volpe" (The dogs and the fox), a melancholic ballad featuring lyrics telling of some boys who are trying to escape from a world that has gone mad and is full of violence. Here they are compared to a fox hunted by barking dogs that are screaming all their rage against the life... "Right Place" and "Uomo come gli altri" are not bad and closer to Osanna's sound but can’t “save the match”...

On the whole, an album that might be recommended only to Osanna's die-hard fans...

You can listen to the complete album HERE

In 1974 the first album by Uno wasn’t successful and, consequently, the members of the band parted ways soon after it was released. Nonetheless not all of this experience was negative and so, after many years...

Uno nel Tutto, 2021

In 2021 drummer Enzo Vallicelli gathered around him a new line up under the name Uno nel Tutto, and featuring besides him also Enrico Gabrielli (winds, keyboards, vocals - from Calibro 35), Roberto Dellera (bass, lead vocals - from The Winstons) and Stefano Pilia (guitars - from Italian indie rock band Afterhours),. Teir aim was to revisit and perform Uno’s old repertoire for a concert at the Ravenna Festival. In my opinion, the new line up, based in Romagna, sound even better than the original one and successfully revitalized and improved the old stuff. I hope they’ll go on... Have a try! You can watch the complete concert HERE.

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/UnoNelTutto/

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 

AWESOME LYSERGIC DREAM INNOVATION

Hailing from Ravenna, Aldi dallo Spazio came to life in 2015 with the aim of blending together different musical influences. According to the band, the first part of the name is the acronym of Awesome Lysergic Dream Innovation but psychedelia and space rock are only two of the many elements of their sound that draws inspiration also from seventies classic rock and Italian prog bands such as PFM or Procession. In 2017 the band digitally self released a first version of their debut album entitled Quasar with a line up featuring Dario Federici (vocals, keyboards), Simone Sgarzi (guitar), Davide Mosca (guitar), Marco Braschi (bass) and Lorenzo Guardigli (drums) plus the guest Marco Zoli (sax) on two tracks. In 2019 the album was remixed, remastered and re-released on the independent label Jolly Roger Records. The art work by Federico Espositi tries to capture the spirit of the musical content with a painting that represents the Big Mother, responsible of creation and destruction... 

 

 

The opener “Long Time Lover” starts with a charming crescendo and a rhythm of bolero that progressively veers to a kind of electric tarantella that could recall PFM. The central part is closer to classic rock while the lyrics tell of a complex relationship, a spell that binds two lovers in an endless embrace of love and pain, joys and fears, dreams and tears. It takes time to understand the strange laws of this mutual, fatal attraction... 

 

The epic “The Distance” starts softly with a dreamy, ethereal atmosphere while the vocals remind me slightly of Procession’s debut album. The music and lyrics evoke a kind of spiritual, psychedelic journey through space and time. Far away, beyond the light and the horizon you have to search for your roots to understand who are you... Some narrative parts in Romagnol dialect and Italian add a particular touch of colour evoking old songs soaring from the past and mystical landscapes on the banks of the unknown... 

 

 

“Little Piggy Will” describes a peculiar hazy dream crowded with strange characters, floating sensations, touches of psychedelia and exotic Oriental flavours while the following “Santana (A Freedom Song)”, tells of a kind of quest for peace and love with a nice, colourful choice of sounds on the border between jazz, progressive and Latin rhythms... 

 

The long “Epiphany” opens with the voice of Bertrand Russell, a short excerpt from a 1959 interview with BBC where the philosopher gives an advice to future generations, wise words that are still valid today: “I should like to say two things, one intellectual and one moral... Never let yourself be diverted either by what you wish to believe, or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed but look only, and solely, at what are the facts... I should say love is wise, hatred is foolish. In this world which is getting more and more closely interconnected we have to learn to tolerate each other, we have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don't like... We must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet...”. Then, as the music takes the listener on a trip to the dark side of the moon, the reflective lyrics invite you to look in the mirror and search for something worth to live for... 

 

Aldi dallo Spazio 2018

 

After a short break, the CD version features an untitled ghost track that begins by the sound of the sea waves and a strummed acoustic guitar pattern. It’s a delicate, introspective ballad sung in Italian where the dreamy vocals evoke inner gods and the indefinite sound of immensity... A good conclusion for an album that is really worth listening to! 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/AldidalloSpazio/ 

 

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

 Ages is an Ep that was released by Anabasi Road in 2016, two years after their eponymous full length album. The line up is the same of their previous work and features Andrea Giberti (vocals, harmonica), Massimiliano Braglia (electric and acoustic guitar), Alessio Gambarelli (guitar, flute, backing vocals), Riccardo Vecchi (bass, backing vocals), Luca Orlandini (keyboards, organ, piano, synth) and Nicholas Corradini (drums, guitar, backing vocals) but a string quartet contributed to enrich the sound during the recording sessions with good results. The overall sound is a mix of vintage prog, hard rock, classical influences and blues expressed with enthusiasm and passion. The beautiful drawings by Giulia Tubertini for the art cover and booklet try to give you an idea of the colourful musical content...

 

In fact, all the tracks of this EP are linked together and form a long suite divided into four parts where the music and lyrics tell of a personal crises with its traumas, doubts and hopes depicted with vivid colours and surreal images. The first part, “What Does It Mean?”, describes the point of no return with the deterioration of the family routine and the desire to escape and experience a new way of life. For this section of the suite the band shot a video that you can find on YT or as a bonus on the CD. 

 

 

“Bridge To Another Rainbow, Part I: Sunset Prelude” is an instrumental section with the string quartet in the forefront and melancholic, evocative passages melting into the tormented “Bridge To Another Rainbow, Part II: Morning Comes” that describes a time of difficult choices and challenges where fears and forgotten hopes emerge and you have to look deeply into your soul to break free and find again your self-esteem... The powerful, reassuring section entitled “The Dream Machine” is about the daily fight to affirm your ideals and personality and ends the suite with its positive energy. 

 

On the whole, a nice work that deserves a try. 

 

You can listen to the complete EP HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/AnabasiRoad/ 

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/