CELESTE [AKA: PRINCIPE DI UN GIORNO]

An excellent album by this very obscure Italian band. I found out about them just a few days ago when a friend showed me this CD. It seems they were a studio band and did not last long. However, the music here surprisingly good for such an unknown work. With obvious influences of early King Crimson and (surprise, surprise!) PFM, it is a very pastoral, calm and mostly acoustic album. Nothing bombastic or epic, but, make no mistake, it is very creative and captivating in their quiet and tranquil way. All four members are multi-instrumentalists and there is great use of analog keys, specially mellotron, acoustic guitars and flute. There are some fantastic saxes too, courtesy of keyboardist Leonardo Lagorio. This is a mostly instrumental album, with some sparse, but nice, vocals.

It´s hard to say if my copy was a remastered one, because it does not have the bonus track of the 2010 version, but the sound is crystal clear. There are no weak tracks and I listen to it from beginning to end with great joy, the experience being enhanced by every new spin. If you are into RPI then this is a must have. A nice surprise.

Rating: 4 strong stars.