IO SONO NATO LIBERO

Another seminal entry into the canon of great Italian progressive rock, Banco's third album continues where the audacious 'Darwin!' left off, with yet more intricate keyboard melodies, haunting synths, classically-influenced guitars and intense instrumentation showcasing this group's phenomenal playing. More melodic than it's predecessor, 'Io Sono Nato Libero' is possibly the album where Banco's many disparate elements segue most coherently, with a noticeable decrease in the bizarre, hyperactive keyboard sections that made 'Darwin!' so impenetrable at times. Indeed, whilst 'Darwin!' takes several listens to truly grasp, 'Io Sono Nato Libero' proves much more immediate, fusing the group's love of Van Der Graaf Generator with their penchant for complex themes and ideas without resorting to self-indulgence. The stand-out track is the lengthy, twisting opener 'Canto Nomade Per Un Prigioniero Politico', which packs enough ideas into it's fifteen-minute running time to fill most other group's albums, but the sombre, ethereal 'La Citta Sottile' also impresses, thanks partly to Francesco Di Giacomo's bizarre vocal style which adds genuine pathos to proceedings whatever language you speak(He sings in Italian). Flitting effortlessly between moods and textures, 'Io Sono Nato Libero' is an uncompromising album from an uncompromising and thoroughly progressive band that once again demonstrates the incredible imagination shown by the Italian prog bands of the 1970's. Alongside PFM, Maxophone, Le Orme and Osanna, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso make up not only the cream of the Italian end of the genre, but the cream of the progressive rock genre full-stop. Though it may not feature the moments of pure beauty that adorn 'Per Un Amico' of the rocky transcendence of 'Maxophone', 'Io Sono Nato Libero' is still a remarkable musical statement. Complex, avant-garde and occasionally jazzy, this is truly refined music. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010