FORSE LE LUCCIOLE NON SI AMANO PIÙ

Locanda delle Fate had a lovely acoustic sound comparable to the classic era of Genesis, and an "imperfect" singer to match. They have the skill of sounding immediately familiar - both a blessing as a curse, as it turns out; to this reviewer, "Forse le Lucciole non si Amano Piú" is so similar throughout that my initially favourable reaction became exhaustion with the repetitious nature of the album.

"A Volte un Instante di Quiete" really defines the band's operational parameters - the rotation of bittersweet piano and guitar lines that each enhance the other, at times to highlight but rarely to break into an out-and-out solo section. Folksy and traditional progressions keep things anchored and immediately understandable - even, arguably, predictable. The piece hops between metres and paces, often in a way that rapidly recaps the earlier segments of the song. The whole instrumental wraps around central melodic intent, and despite being the most challenging song on the record (no tall order, of course) it should be well received by even the most delicate of prog listeners. That's a very good way to start an album.

Next comes a ten minute, slow-moving croonathon and here is where the listener is forced to adjust to Mr. Sasso's... remarkable voice; the closest approximation I can offer is John Greaves' crooning on the National Health piece, "Binoculars" - a divisive factor to many. Although not exactly the next "The Musical Box", this song is still as melodious and progressive as usual (or rather, exactly as progressive as you can be expected to be if you're a symphonic rock band stranded in 1977) but it does seem somewhat overlong to me, and if you share this sentiment then be prepared for... MORE... OF... THE... SAME.

The remainder of the album (allowing for the bonus cut which lapses into pop drivel - luckily for LdF, I never factor bonus tracks into the score) closely follows the schematic drawn by the opening two cuts - it's all twinkly major keyboard action with slight electric highlights and suave, almost kitsch vocal lines all the way down. If you loved "A Volte un Instante di Quiete" from first listen then I imagine you'll be equally as rapt with the record's remainder - and this will be an easy five stars for you - but otherwise I suspect you'll tire rather quickly.

"Forse le Lucciole non si Amano Piú" is as overstuffed as your average Genesis LP and, although the quality of music involved is consumate and professional, it would be a much more powerful and memorable package had it been quarter of an hour shorter - not because any of the songs are substandard or irritating but simply thanks to the interchangeable nature of LdF's limited range. I'll mark this as "good" because of the breath-taking first song and the promise it carries.