LA MIA SCIA

Members of the Gianni family in Saragusa, Sicilia, return with another album--this, their first since their 2022 debut, La Nebbia.

1. "22.43" (1:00) I'm a sucker for neoclassical a cappella vocal pieces and I absolutely LOVE this one! (5/5)

2. "Kasbah" (4:30) a very interesting, creative, unusual song construct: like a person with multiple personalities or switching television channels every ten seconds. (9/10)

3. "Luna piena" (4:09) the band's quirky musical sound and structural choices couple with their great sense of melody reminds me very much of MAD CRAYON's 2009 masterpiece, Preda. (8.875/10)

4. "Non sarai" (4:52) it's like unheard/unrealized music from the 1980s given full life in 2025! And then the 1970s GENESIS palette for the instrumental section in the second half of the song! Wow! (9/10)

5. "Jacaranda" (4:44) despite Fabio Speranza's charming classic-RPI, Aldo Tagliapeitra-similar voice, he's not a great singer, but, worse are the background vocalists (or perhaps it's their arrangements). Love the presence of the 12- strings, piano, violin and Mellotron. Another odd song about which I feel quite divided. (8.75/10)

6. "Descent" (5:06) The inconsistent drum sounds bug me. The bass bugs me. I love the strings, keys on all levels and in all sections, and Lorenzo Gianni's guitars. Nice mish-mash of an almost-overwhelming number of ideas. (8.875/10)

7. "La mia scia" (4:21) with every album's title song comes slightly elevated expectations (thinking that this is the song that the band things best represents them at this particular time/stage of their careers). It is a slightly smoother, more cohesive construct--well engineered--and one of Fabio's better vocal performances--with some great 1980s Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sound and play. But it ends up feeling a bit like a Yacht Rock/Prog Lite piece. Would've been a big hit in the 1980s! (8.875/10)

8. "1997" (6:45) more of those lovely 1980s guitar sounds with a great pensive vocal performance over the top. Again, this could've been a big hit in the 1980s (or, I guess, 1990s). Acoustic guitars strumming with 'tron and Tony Banks-like synths take us out over the final 90 seconds. Nice! (13.5/15)

Total Time: 35:30

The band feels like they're trying to mash together so many formerly disparate themes, sounds, and styles into each song that it leaves my head spinning. Great idea to layer and cut-and-paste all these great riffs and ideas but nothing feels consistent or flowing. And yet, overall, I find myself coming away with a very happy feeling--as if I really enjoyed the upbeat melodies and creative quirk. Though I'm glad the band didn't let Lorenzo Gianni use the Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sounds and stylings throughout this album, it did help provide a very pleasant listening experience for me.

B+/4.5 stars; a conglomeration of old sounds and stylings brought together in a modern synthesis result in a refreshing and quite enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommended--especially to those progheads who find rewards in the techno-New Wave sounds of the 1980s.

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