FORSE LE LUCCIOLE NON SI AMANO PIÙ

This is a lovely example of the flowing, bittersweet best of early symphonic prog. 1977 was a hard year to compete for best album, but LOCANDA DELLE FATE puts forth an admirable effort. They follow a different path through the prog landcape, unafraid to use simple but sweet sections along with more exploratory tangents to craft unique and genuinely expressive songs. "A volte un istante di quiete" sets the tone with alternating energetic and laidback textures, and a surprisingly warm and organic Moog lead not too far from the closing sounds of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". "Forse le lucciole non si amano più" has a yearning, almost desperate vocal and some great interplay between the instruments. There are soaring, soulful crescendos throughout, a characteristic shared by several songs on the album, including "Vendesi saggezza". "New York" makes me again wish I spoke italian just be able to put lyrics to its triumphant YES- meets- "Afterglow" feeling. Although the band has some dizzy intertwining breaks during the music, the playing is generally tasteful rather than awe- inspiring; the rhythm section has a looser feel than the usual tightly synchronized prog standard, but I'm still occasionally amazed at the incredible drumming. Lead singer Leonardo Sasso (or is it Alberto Gaviglio? the one who sings the majority of the tracks, anyway) is impassioned and slightly ragged, reminding me of the even more ragged Duty Cirla from ALUSA FALLAX- who must have been at least somewhat influential, as I was just as often reminded of them as of BANCO. Additionally, "Cercando un nuovo confine " and "Non chiudere a chiave le stelle" contain some sparse but effective harmonies. The guitars are well-played and warm, often utilize a fade-in technique to soften the attack (Hackett and Belew fans will recognize this instantly) thereby sitting more comfortably with the synth than is the case in many of the earlier prog bands. LOCANDA definitely establishes a beautiful, signature sound, but it seems that textures and compositions are perhaps too similar from song to song- making them better choices for a 'mix tape' then listening to the complete album when you want that sound. This is one case where the songs themselves earn five stars but the album as a whole only deserves four. Perhaps four and a half...