FORSE LE LUCCIOLE NON SI AMANO PIÙ

In the past when I was a kid, I always confused the Locandas but now I'm pretty sure that the old is better. In reality, while Quella Vecchia Locanda are much more influential, LOCANDA DELLE FATE are mainly a 2nd generation influenced one.

Also noticeable is the fact that unlike other Italian bands of the 70s which never left aside the inputs received from British acts, like Tull, Floyd or Genesis, LOCANDA DELLE FATE are rather impregnated with the sound of another, a bit older, peninsular act, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso. And since I'm not a big fan of BMS, I confess that I look at LDF with a certain reservation. But LDF keep their own trumps and those appear mainly in the moments when they go instrumental or when they replace the operatic/dramatic vocals, BMS-styled, by soft and bucolic ones.

Overall, the band shows a fair capacity, thanks to members' skills, fine arrangements and neat songs; all along this album, "Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più", one will check that guitars, keyboards and flutes do a good job but nothing to make you lose the homebound. It's just an honest release, provided with hearable tracks; progressive indeed, but showing no novelty and that's all.

The instrumental opener, 'A volte un istante di quiete' brings good winds and many promises not achieved. Instead of growing, album decays with the title-track, a lengthy song, spoiled by boring vocals that even some fine instrumental parts cannot save. Next song, 'Profumo di colla bianca', maintains the same trail of previous one but now the singer seems a bit more contained and we may appreciate the nice tunes, a blend of jazz passages and symphonic chords able to amuse the listener.

'Cercando un nuovo confine' is just a plain prog-related song, while 'Sogno di estunno' is a prog one and where exceptionally the nervous vocals fit averagely when backing the frenzy parts of the song. 'Non chiudere a chiave le stelle', the shortest track, is full of beauty and enchantment, the poignant vocals and acoustic strings accompaniment set the song in a high pitch. 'Vendesi saggezza', a kind of mini-epic, has splendid instrumental sections and forgettable singing parts. 'New York' closes the album leaving the sensation that this track was aimed to become a cheesy radio hit.

As previously stated, some fine instrumental moments and some sparse smooth vocals save the album lodging this release a little over the average mark. Rating: 3 stars.