ELECTRIC KARMA

Neon Karma are a kind of supergroup based in Milan that gathers four talented musicians such as Marco Sfogli (guitar), Lorenzo Feliciati (bass), Guido Block (vocals) and Roberto Gualdi (drums) all also involved in other bands and projects. Their first collaboration dates back to 2012 but it wasn’t until 2022 that they managed to self-release an eponymous debut album with their own original compositions. Their music, difficult to pigeonhole, crosses many styles and draws on many influences ranging from prog metal to AOR, from hard rock to touches of Mediterranean folklore...

The title of the opener, “The Frog”, refers to a famous German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812, The Frog Prince. It’s a good piece full of desperate energy where the music and lyrics evoke the thaumaturgic power of love. The protagonist is a man who’s going through a deep personal crises that somehow turned him into a frog, but this is no fairy tale and he’s not a prince. What he needs to get out of this situation is a kiss from a woman in love, a kiss to set him free from despair. After the short, dreamy middle section, the tension rises again and we don’t know if the protagonist succeeds...

“Rain” is a bitter-sweet ballad about a particularly painful relationship where love comes like pouring rain and makes you bleed... Then it’s the turn of “Megapolis” that starts with pulsing bass lines and a funky rhythm. It’s a good piece about urban alienation where the protagonist feels alone in the midst of millions of people, fed up with noises, smells and empty fashions. As the music gets more aggressive, he yells “no!” to conformism, fake colours, plastic sounds, pollution and deafening chatters. To break free you have to speak up...

“Run Into The Sun” deals with environmental issues and starts softly. The music and lyrics evoke dark omens for the future of humankind. Man seems incapable to learn his lessons, he can’t understand what makes the world so precious. The countdown to ruin runs faster and faster, soon the point of no return will be reached and the silent rays of death will dry out everyone. We’re recklessly running into the sun and eventually the heat will burn everything to the ground...

“Enemy Gate” is an almost completely instrumental piece. It starts by a nervous electric guitar riff while a voice in the background invites you to pay attention because you’re approaching the enemy gate. The following electric guitar solos bring some Middle eastern flavours, the atmosphere is tense, the rhythm section thundering and threatening...

Neon Karma 2022

 

“Lullaby” is a very melancholic ballad. This is not a lullaby for a little child who can’t sleep but for someone who will never wake up again and who is on his way for the afterlife. Everything is temporary and maybe death doesn’t mean the end of an emotional relationship. All around everything is so silent that you could even hear the sound of the snowflakes falling on the ground under the moonlight...

“Time Is Cruel” every now and again could recall Yes and is about time passing by. The protagonist seems to be crushed by his daily grind, for him every day is worse than the other. Maybe one day or another a beautiful day will come, but when? No clue, time is merciless and cruel...

The closer “The Cavern” is an excellent track veined of Gothic shades and open to multiple interpretations. The music and lyrics conjure up the image of a man inviting you to visit the beautiful, comfortable cavern where he lives alone, surrounded by bats that he calls friends. The cavern is a safe shelter for him, a den to hide from the world and heal his wounds. There you might even see that peculiar man cry...

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

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/neonkarmamusic/ 

 

JOYFUL MEMORIES

Quella Vecchia Locanda’s second and last album “Il tempo della gioia” (The time of joy) was recorded in 1974 with a different line-up featuring veterans Giorgio Giorgi (vocals, flute), Massimo Roselli (piano, organ mellotron, moog, vocals), Patrick Traina (drums, percussion) and Raimondo Maria Cocco (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals) plus Claudio Filice (who replaced the American violinist Donald Lax) and Massimo Giorgi (who took the place of bassist Romualdo Coletta). The strong classical influences are still there but the overall sound is slightly different from the eponymous debut album and features a jazzier, darker atmosphere. The art cover is magnificent and tries to describe the content of this work where the music and words weave nightmares and dreams.

The intense, dreamy opener “Villa Doria Pamhili” begins with a beautiful piano pattern, then acoustic guitar and violin delicately come in and melodic vocals try to describe the feelings that you could experience going to a pop festival in the early seventies... A sweet harmony plays with nature, soaring and gliding on the grass while joy makes people vibrate...

“A forma di...” (In the shape of...) is a classically inspired short instrumental that could recall “Traccia” by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It starts softly, as if the music was coming from a distant place... Violin, counter-bass, flutes and harpsichord, then soaring vocals used as an instrument to colour some melodic lines... An amazing track!

The title track is more complex. It begins with a delicate, romantic melody. A sundown on the sea, a magic carpet ride towards new horizons... Then a sudden change in rhythm and mood brings in dark shadows... “It’s as if you were beating the time of joy / And never the time of pain / Your smile is already there... Suddenly the air is trembling / Fear has already taken you...”. Some vocal passages could recall the gloomy atmospheres of “Ys” by Il Balletto di Bronzo, while others recall Hans, PFM’s merchant of dreams, and his coach... A very particular dream full of colours and musical nuances...

“Un giorno, un amico” (A day, a friend) features jazzy touches and violin rides, delicate calm passages and fiery ones. It’s a long, complex track full of changes and colours. Take a deep breath and imagine running to the sun, just to find new sparks of life and old fears, hidden words and thoughts concealed in a secret jewel-case... 

 

The last track “E’ accaduto una notte” (It happened one night) is dark and gloomy. It describes in music and words a nightmare. It begins with a choir setting a gothic atmosphere, then the music goes on quirkily while the lyrics depict a snake crawling through the rocks in the night, a car falling into the void, bad omens and vanishing hopes... “A roar bursts out / A flash of fire / That suffocates voices already extinguished...”.

From Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Quella Vecchia Locands: Il tempo della gioia (1974). Other opinions:

Jim Russell: This would have to be one of the top candidates to suggest to someone as an essential Italian album and one that covers most of the traits that make them special: creative songwriting fusing the rock, classical, and jazz genres; immaculate production with great attention to recording details; exceptional use of violins, flutes, and other classical elements; warm and passionate Italian vocals; and perhaps most importantly an unabashed willingness to project a most romantic style of music... (read the complete review HERE)

You can read an interview with some members of the band HERE

FROM RELIGION TO PHILOSOPHY

Io come io is the second album by Roman band Il Rovescio della Medaglia and was released in 1972 on the RCA label with a consolidated line up featuring Enzo Vita (guitar), Stefano Urso (bass), Gino Campoli (drums) and Pino Ballarini (vocals, flute). It’s another concept album in a hard rock style that in some way confirms qualities and flaws of its predecessor, La bibbia. The music is full of energy but the overall sound quality reflects the hurried recording sessions and an approximative production. To explain the concept, the liner notes quote some lines from German philosopher Hegel... “In philosophy the determinations of knowledge are considered not unilaterally, only as determinations of things, but together with the knowledge to which they refer, at least together with things; i.e. they are taken not merely as objective determinations, but also as subjective determinations, or rather as determinate species of the mutual relation of subject and object...”. However, do not worry! Despite the ambitious liner notes and the subject matter (an introspective quest for Truth), the lyrics are not abstruse nor pretentious and Hegel’s thought here is filtered and interpreted very loosely and with a particular hippy style point of view...

The opener “Io” (I) starts by the sound of gong, then drums and electric guitar set a tense atmosphere. The music and lyrics evoke strange visions. Things and people, places and feelings come through the mist of time, something is coming closer. It’s the memory of a past experience, a shadow. It’s a man who once taught to the protagonist the secrets of life, he was old then but now he’s much younger than the protagonist himself. It’s like in a strange dream where the protagonist has to face the thought of life and death, he has yet to understand how beautiful life is and he trembles because he can’t understand what death really means... “You say that everything I said to you is true / But I’m scared when you say you don’t know how good it is to die!”...

“Fenomeno” (Phenomenon) is a long track divided into two parts respectively subtitled “Proiezione” (Projection) and “Rappresentazione” (Representation). It begins by a strummed acoustic guitar pattern broken by heavy electric guitar riffs and a choir that could recall Il Balletto di Bronzo’s Ys. The music and lyrics conjure up the image of the protagonist lost on a mysterious road, wandering in a thousand directions without a clue, desperately trying to understand what’s false or true. The world around him is empty, amorphous and lifeless, in the morning there’s no sun, in the evening there’s no moon. After a calm middle section, suddenly the rhythm rises. The protagonist can see a light and someone calls him, a door opens for him... “Time, space, now I no longer live / Am I the real me?”...

The cathartic “Non io” (Not I) opens the second side of the original LP. It begins with a delicate acoustic guitar arpeggio and soaring flute notes, the atmosphere is peaceful and dreamy. The music and lyrics depicts the new awareness of the protagonist who can see his past days unfold behind him. Now he hates money and reflects about the true values of life such as the love of a mother for her children. Naked, barefoot, the protagonists wants to go where the sky ends and the sea begins in search for ideals that can’t fade away over time like beauty or richness... “I still want to go on my way, where the sky joins the sea / Leaving alone behind me that man who has no truth...”.

The last track, “Io come io” (I as I), is divided into two parts subtitled “Divenire” (Becoming) and “Logica” (Logic) and marks the achievement of the inner journey of the protagonist. He’s found the light and the light is burning in him like a sun that will never die. The positive energy of the long instrumental coda describes the power of Truth and self-awareness...

On the whole, an interesting concept and a good work.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Il Rovescio della Medaglia: Io come io (1972). Other opinions:
Tarcisio Moura: There are some hints of good ideas here and there, and the general notion that the musicians might be good at their instruments. The main problem is that of the production: it is so bad is hard to tell what´s really wrong here. I heard this CD as many times I could stand, just to believe it was even released with such a poor sound. Hard to tell if they would come up with something really interesting had they got a better studio or producer or both, but certainly it could not be worse... (read the complete review HERE).

 

In 2020 vocalist Pino Ballarini announced the release of a new work entitled Io=Io 2020 featuring the re-recording of the whole album from 1972 with some new tracks to complete the concept and some re-recorded tracks from Il Rovescio della Medaglia’s albums La Bibbia and Contaminazione. So far, all we know is the cover, the line up, the track list and there’s a video promo. Not the album yet... I’m looking forward to listen to it!

 

More info: 

https://www.facebook.com/PinoBallariniOfficial 

AFTER THE STORM

Delirium during the early Seventies released three very interesting albums before split up. After many years of silence and thanks to Pino Di Santo’s initiative, in 2003 the band came back to life with a new line-up featuring veterans Pino Di Santo (drums), Ettore Vigo (keyboards) and Martin Grice (flute and sax) along with two new members, Fabio Chighini (bass) and Roberto Solinas (guitars). They rearranged the old stuff for some live performances and in 2006 they recorded a live album, “Vibrazioni Notturne”. In 2009 they finally released a brand new album with original material for the independent label Black Widow, “Il nome del vento” (The name of the wind), a concept album featuring lyrics by Mauro La Luce. Some guest musicians and a string quartet helped enrich the sound and the result is excellent.

The album opens with the reprise of “Dio del silenzio” (God of the Silence), a short, amazing acoustic ballad from “Delirium III: Viaggio negli arcipelaghi del tempo”. From the sound of a storm delicately soar flute and vocals... “In a moment of eternity / I’m the blaze without mercy / My body is made of nothing but wind / Bright is the moon in sapphire waters...”.

The opener is just a short intro leading to the beautiful, intense title track, sung by another of Delirium’s original members, Mimmo Di Martino and featuring the female vocals of Sophya Baccini. “What is the name of the wind which is drying me? / I don’t know...”. The lyrics are hermetic, they don’t tell a story but suggest evocative images... Everyone could pass through a metaphorical storm in their life that can provoke a dramatic change making you feel as a castaway carried away by the sea, towards shipwreck....

“Verso il naufragio” (Towards shipwreck), is an instrumental where George Martin’s “Theme One” is revisited and incorporated in an original track featuring perfectly balanced sax and piano passages... Next comes the calm, dreamy “L’acquario delle stelle” (The aquarium of the stars). It was originally written by Martin Grice to celebrate the birth of his first grandson to whom it is dedicated. After the shipwreck an atoll rises from the blue sea where you can land and shelter yourself surrounded by harmony... It’s your island where no one can stop your dreams and your brain loses itself. Then, one day you stand up again in the sand with a new dream: to change!

“Luci lontane” (Distant lights) begins with piano and vocals and a touching sax in the background... Rafts set off towards the unknown, even without golden sails but they set out and sail on towards distant lights... Well, when you feel lost, when you feel as if you were sailing without a compass, when you feel useless like a prophet without prophecies... Heed you heart and don’t lose hope! “Only the baby that’s in my soul / Has got in his hands my future / Truth can blossom again and erase the face of falsity / Giving life to dignity and smashing down dishonesty...”. “Profeta senza profezie” (Prophet without prophecies) is sung by former Museo Rosenbach’s singer Stefano “Lupo” Galifi and it’s definitely more bluesy and optimistic...

“Ogni storia” (Every story) opens with the cry of a baby, then a bass line and a sax lead you “on the dark side of your mood”... “Children like to end every story / Saying it was just a dream... / Or was it reality? / You know that the saddest lies / Are the ones we tell ourselves / Don’t dive into the dark!”. The beautiful voice of Sophya Baccini here contributes to building the right atmosphere.

“Note di tempesta” (Notes of storm) is an excellent jazz rock instrumental introduced by strings and leading to the long, complex “Dopo il vento” (After the wind). When the wind has blown nothing is as before, even inside your soul... “The storm has saved only what it is really worthwhile / Only your truth / Don’t waste it, ever! / Let the light lead you from now on....”. Evocative echoes of Brazil are perfectly blended with jazz and symphonic rock...

“Cuore sacro” (Sacred heart) is introduced by flute, then sudden changes in atmosphere alternate to celebrate the sacredness of the heart that defeated the storm... The final track “L’aurora boreale” (Aurora borealis) is a beautiful instrumental that closes an amazing album. At the end of the track you can recognize the theme of “Dio del silenzio” that opened the album inviting you to listen to this work again and again...

From the book Rock Progressivo Italiano: An introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Delirium: Il nome del vento (2009). Other opinions:
Jim Russell: The album "Il Nome del Vento" (which if my awful translations skills are accurate would be "The Name of the Wind") is a skillfully blended and thoroughly fulfilling combination of sophisticated symphonic progressive rock and jazz-rock excursion. I have heard many attempts by today's decent high-profile bands at capturing something this ambitious, and even when the results are mostly good there can be some sections that make me wince a bit for reasons of either poor composition or iffy production/performance. You will find none of these kinds of bush league mistakes on Il Nome, this album is flawlessly executed. Carefully considered compositions, painstakingly perfect production, and immaculate performance from top to bottom... (read the complete review HERE)

LIVE VIBRATIONS

Delirium had been an excellent band of the early seventies Italianprog scene. After many years of silence and thanks to Pino Di Santo’s initiative, in 2003 the band came to life again with a line up featuring, along with Di Santo on drums, the veterans Ettore Vigo (keyboards) and Martin Grice (flute, sax) along with two new members, Fabio Chighini (bass) and Roberto Solinas (guitars). A live album, entitled Vibrazioni notturne, was recorded in 2006 by this new incarnation of the band and it captures a performance in Trento. Anyway, this work is not a process of self-celebration or self-imitation; it seems more like a new starting point...

“Opening” is just a short introduction to the instrumental “Villaggio” from Delirum’s second album... Delirium are surprisingly fresh here and they seem to be perfectly fit, alive and kicking. The sound is definitely up to date and the band re-elaborate their old pieces giving them a new life... There’s ample room for electric guitar (an instrument that they didn't use at all on their first two albums of the early seventies, Dolce acqua and Lo scemo e il villaggio) and the interaction with the other instruments perfectly works while the music keeps on swinging and blending rock, jazz and a touch of folk...

The frenzied “Movimento I: Egoismo” and the bittersweet “Preludio: Paura” come from their debut album and the members of the band show that they’re able to perform excellent vocal parts even without the contribute of Ivano Fossati, their first singer (who is now a very successful singer-songwriter). Next comes “Culto disarmonico”, an instrumental jazz-rock piece that begins with a drum solo where the band members once again show off their excellent musicianship...
 

“E’ l’ora” is a pleasant surprise. The song was written by Lavezzi-Mogol and its original version was released only as a single. In my opinion it was just a weak pop one but here the band managed to transform it into a kind of Delirium’s “Impressioni di settembre” delivering what is a really improved version. Well, Mogol’s lyrics are not so inspired like those he wrote for PFM but the result is not bad at all... Next comes “Dolce acqua: speranza”, a classic from old Delirum's repertoire with another excellent new arrangement.

The following “Gioia, dolore, risentimento” is another surprise... The structure of the piece has been almost completely rebuilt exalting its “mystical mood” and it is very different from the original version on their second album: the band cut off the “tarantella parts” and the result is definitely good. In my opinion, this new version is far better than the original one... Then there’s a tribute to Jethro Tull that, in my opinion, is just a useless interlude before three more great songs: “Notte a Bagdad”, a new song inspired by the troubles in Iraq, “Johnny Sayre: perdono”, inspired by an Edgar Lee Masters’ poem and taken from the band’s debut album, and Delirum’s anthem “Jesahel”, their most famous song, originally released as a single.

The last track is a tribute to Joe Cocker and the Beatles, but in my opinion it’s just a useless filler... On this album you can’t find any track from their third album “Viaggio negli arcipelaghi del tempo” and at length this live album almost leaves you wanting to shout: “I want more! Encore!”. My overall impression is that “Vibrazioni notturne” is just an excellent appetizer for the next studio album of the band... Welcome back Delirium!

You can listen to the complete album HERE