ROCK PROGRESSIVO ITALIANO

Overall, I think it's an excellent addition to the genre and it's pretty underrated. Very good.

The band breaks up as the guitarist and drummer just can't agree on the musical direction. So in 1990 we get a comeback album from this trio and with Bambi's name now in the band's title. I think there was a compromise here, as the drummer gets his wish for poppier music, and Bambi gets his name highlighted. I have to say I can hardly tolerate this record at times. It is so commercial sounding to a fault. Like a shot at making some money it would seem. But for the prog fan this is a tough one. Cringe-worthy moments abound. We get eight tracks over 36 minutes.

No I will never play this one again but at least I have "Astrolabio" if I want to hear Bambi's gifted playing on that guitar. This one really is for those Fossati fans who just can't get enough.

To this day I'm thankful to have grown up in Canada where opera and classical music are a pretty much unheard of, unless you search for it. Give me my RUSH and Neil Young please, those are our musical roots and heroes up here. We get 21 songs worth around 64 minutes and there's just little for me to latch onto here. The two tracks that do work for me are the openers for the first and second acts. I especially am into the 9 opener of act one where we have no vocals plus plenty of atmosphere and darkness. That I can handle. The liner notes mention that the texts used here came from Sanskrit, Persian, Greek and Turkish sources and adapted by Battiato.

I have a few albums by Franco that I value, especially his 1973 album "Sulle Corde Di Aries", but this 1987 recording is completely different and alien to me. Barely 3 stars.

"It's not that I'm scared of dying, but I don't want to die knowing I could've done something more."

Kim Suozzi was a bright and lovely young woman of 23, a college student with a boyfriend she adored, and a very bright future she couldn't wait to embrace. When she was told she had an aggressive brain tumor and had little time left to live, she had a very bold and unique response. She raised money and decided to cryo-preserve her brain until such time as her cancer could be cured and her consciousness restored in some form. When she died in 2013, with her boyfriend Josh's love and support, she did just that. Kim's brain was removed and preserved at a cryogenic facility. It's a story filled with ethical dilemmas, chance, science, hope, human considerations, and more. And it is the lyrical theme of the album by the returning RPI band, L'Estate di San Martino.

L'Estate di San Martino has a long and complicated history that I'm not going to go into. You can read their bios and histories prepared by others if interested, but their origin story goes all the way back to 1975! I'm only going to discuss this current project, and it is a fascinating one. Per their liner notes, the band wanted to "address issues such as Darwinism, transhumanism, the eternal contrast between religion and science and the ultimate limit to which the latter can be pushed," and the true story of Kim Suozzi was the perfect template to achieve that. After learning about her story, I have to say that this album is really a beautiful tribute to Kim, and I hope that her family and friends were made aware of it.

It's been many years since I've heard the band's earlier works, but this album certainly feels quite different from what I remember. Whereas the older stuff had a more traditionally prog and neo-prog vibe, refined and pastoral, this album feels much more modern and less structured, less conventional, more spacey and odd---in a good way. They have stated that the change in sound was intentional and was due to the unique subject matter. They said they wanted to move "towards a modern progressive rock, almost free of old acoustic sections but full of various electronic injections." And that is what they've done. I'm a bit conflicted about the sound on Kim. At times I think it's a bit too refined and could use more edge, but I have that same issue with their old material and with most "refined prog bands." Beyond personal taste however, their sound here makes sense and supports the lyrical theme as intended. It's a striking collection of music in that it manages to sound quite unique without getting avant-garde or trying to shock you with histrionics. There's no shock happening here. The music is generally serene, thought-provoking, and chill.

You will still find the personality of the old L'Estate here, the acoustic beauty they mention. There is plenty of refined RPI beauty in the warm and pleasing vocals, acoustic guitars, flutes, and piano. But there is that notable injection of modernity that they reference. There are lots of modern keyboards, ambient sounds, techno samples, and feisty grooves and percussion in places. But what really sticks out to me regarding the sound is that there is lots of space, lots of atmosphere. This album breathes, takes its times, and has patience. They have created an album that is both pleasant to listen to actively but also perfect for personal introspection or pondering Kim's situation. It just works. I can only imagine what she went through and how devastating it must have been without even getting into the science part. But even without understanding the Italian language, the music alone was enough to engage me in the story. The cover art could not be more perfect for the album's music and theme.

"The options are either I die and nothing happens---likely---or I come back and things are weird probably, but I'm alive again. I think there's a one or two percent chance of this working. It's not like I'm counting on it, but it's definitely worth it."

While Kim's beliefs about faith and afterlife are different from my own, her optimism and spirt in the face of a horrific disease are inspiring to all of us. Years later Josh would bring Kim's special belongings to her Arizona cryo-facility. Kim's dad still calls her phone daily to hear her voice and leave her a message of support. He believes she may hear them one day. I ponder if Josh will marry someone else, or will he hold his torch for Kim until he dies? We can only wonder how it all turns out, but in more ways than one, it's a love story for the ages. My heart goes out to Kim and Josh. If you're curious, you can search and read many stories and find videos about her unusual journey.

Finally, I had to laugh because a blog review I read elsewhere calls the closing "Tewar/Ghost Tracks" the one "misstep" on the album, and I thought it was one of the finest moments! I can't read the band's mind, but my own interpretation is that it seemed a perfect condensed instrumental timeline from Kim's diagnosis, decline, death (the 40-second gap), her long stasis, and finally her conscious awakening (the angelic wordless female vocals) and her new life in some fascinating-to-imagine future. I could be completely wrong about that interpretation, but that's how it felt to me. In any case, it was a stunning and beautiful coda to an album that made a sad topic into a lovely listening experience. It could be the finest release to date from L'Estate di San Martino. Bravo.

The opener "Cuore (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 1)" (Heart - Of memories, a museum Part 1) sets the atmosphere. It starts by a dreamy piano passage, then the music and words evoke the image of a homeless, a man whose house is a bench in the park. The yellow lights of the city feed the silent and thick mud that covers his past. Then, suddenly, appears the image of a lent helping hand and of emotional doors that are opened by a good heartened person. There's a strong sense of empathy, questions about family and identity and the figure of a forgotten son who reappears from the past...

The hermetic "La morale cede" (Morals give way) evoke a crimson wire from which pain and time are hanging. There's the image of a running man on a golden beach, but at the end of his path there is nothing but pain. Then comes the image of a woman who walks with a heavy pace on her lost soul. Male and female are just two arrogant halves, coherent with their desires but far from each other. And morals give way...

"La stanza e l'angolo" (The room and the corner) is a melancholic, disquieting track that deals with the fear of the unknown and the need for a shelter from the outside world. On the delicate piano pattern, heartfelt vocals tell of a man scared by someone who's knocking at his door. He stands still, silent and motionless, then he retreats in a corner of his room with his hands on his face. He waits for the unexpected knocking noise to fade out...

The beautiful title track, "Dei ricordi, un museo (parte 2)" (Of memories, a museum Part 2), is a long, complex piece that describes a man walking in the wood, in a light rain. His hands sink into the sand and the feeling of the sand falling through his hands brings back memories of old childhood games. Then he comes out of the wood and pushes open an creacking red gate. A driveway leads to an old empty house. A quivering rainbow feather flies around him and its flight opens the way to memory. A relentless wave of memories overwhelms him. Soon, the flow of memories turns into a museum...

"Le due linee gemelle" (The two twin lines) is another hermetic, dreamy piece that portrays in music and words a charismatic artist suspended between past and future. Voice and silence for the show are like the hidden depth of two twin lines. An idea of courage and the unawareness of maturity stem from an unsolved, enigmatic past and an unknown future...

"Sterile" (Sterile) starts by a beautiful acoustic guitar arpeggio and the vocals in the forefront. It's a wonderful piece that depicts a winter landscape and evokes an atmosphere of decadent resignation. The pungent smell of burnt wood and ash fills the air as a freezing breeze crystallizes the thoughts. In the morning the protagonist wanders aimlessly in the forest with the heavy burden of his existence weighing on him, reacting like a hunted deer whose blood stains the ground, unconsciously helpless. That blood is so similar to ash, black dust under the protagonist's feet. Then he searches for a way out of the labyrinth of the forest. Eventually, around him he can hear the noises of the industrialized world that soothe his pain in a sterile wait...

The final piece, "L'amante" (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 3), begins softly and evolves into a sensual crescendo. Music and words try to describe a controversial and morbid relationship that charms and upsets the protagonist. Dragged into a spiral in which senses and reason are lost, overwhelmed by the spells of his mistress, the protagonist is subject to dangerous emotional storms. Storms overflowing with a desire from which he tries to escape with mixed success...

On the whole, a perfect exercise of style and a real treat for Italianprog lovers.

PdV is not a typical entry in the RPI section of our beloved website. The material I've heard is a very eclectic art-rock with many diverse influences, theatrical vibes, and a heavy emphasis on the lyrical storytelling and vocal presentation. The earlier stuff was so brilliantly original that on process alone they were a good fit whether or not critics felt they were sufficiently "prog rock." Flash-forward to their 2017 release entitled Misantropi Felici, and PdV have clearly moved to a more conventional approach that some might label as straight up folk-rock and art-pop, hardly any more prog than bands such as Cranberries or Natalie Merchant or REM would be. I could admit that, were Misantropi Felici their first album and the album used for their evaluation to the site, they might not have been allowed into our hallowed halls. Misantropi Felici is significantly less creatively wild and challenging than even their superb 2014 album, Noia Noir, let alone the older stuff that got them into this website. And I couldn't care less about any of that. This charming album is a great spin anyway.

The band has changed a bit over the years, and for this release they were Pasquale Sorrentino, Stefania Aprea, Michele Matto, and Marco Sorrentino. While I don't understand Italian---so take this with a grain of salt---I think Misantropi Felici is an album that lyrically, among other things, reflects on the strangeness of our insular existences caused by changing societal norms and modernity-inspired personalities, an introspection into our isolation, our "submerged worlds" which we sometimes lament and possibly other times relish. I believe the title means "happy misanthropes." I get the concept of being conflicted over the state of these increasingly detached, strange lives we live in this era. As an older guy now, I remember much healthier and vibrant social communities as well as a more stable "main street" in my parents' day. In the rather sad era we've been traversing in recent decades, I'm quite willing to embrace my introversion and homebodyness. Does that make me a misanthrope? Depends on the day of the week you ask me, perhaps. But it's a fascinating subject to write an album around.

Moving to the musical side of things, they've clearly shifted to more conventional songs that I'd call high energy folk-rock and modern art-rock/pop. The songs are three-minute ditties that sound exactly like the sweet cover art would lead you to expect. It's very catchy, infectious, with superb arrangements, crisp, rhythmic and mostly acoustic guitar work, and still a fair amount of eclecticism for sure. They remind me a bit of David Byrne's Rei Momo period or maybe some of the lighter, more whimsical side of Talking Heads. The vocals are quite good, Stefania Aprea in particular. In addition to those catchier numbers, a few of the songs express a lovely weariness in them that eventually starts to track more uplifting before the end of the song. This probably ties to those lyrical themes mentioned, the contradictions, and it just feel like great care was taken in the songwriting. No surprise there, though, if you've heard Noia Noir. Last, a shoutout to Antonella Ruggiero for the delightful cover art.

This is music that could have you dancing as you're simply watering the plants. What could be better than some lightness for the soul whether we're happy, misanthropic, or both?

I had to laugh when I noticed these dates: "album released March 2019, band disbanded May 2019." Yepper, that sounds about right. Corporesano joins the ranks of so many other Italian projects in the "one and done" category, releasing their self-titled expression of beauty to the world only to then vanish into the ether. They have ascribed to this work a desire to bring joy and positivity to the world. Of course, we'll take them at their word; from the music to the inspired fantastical cover art, it would seem they were on the right track to doing just that. The songs of Corporesano rise from the garden of so many old school Italian symphonic bands of yesteryear. This is textbook romantic-sounding Italian symph---beautiful, pastoral, romantic, choose your own adjective---and this lovely music will please any fan of "pretty" prog rock. Rather than being truly '70s inspired though, there is just as much neo-prog informing the sound in both keyboard sound choices and the tendency to play safe versus taking risk.

Listening to Corporesano is the chance to let your mind wander and drift off to a sound that will never jar you or disturb you. The speed of the songs is nearly constant and slow, the template consistent, the verses leading to the payoff electric guitar solo, very melodic, over a surrounding atmosphere that is the aural equivalent of the beautiful skyline colors shown in the background of their cover art. They take you there as efficiently as any band ever has, and, if you dig it, this album could end up on your "favorites" shelf. So, why the long face, Jim? Well, every positive attribute I just laid out for you is also, ironically, the same criticism that many an RPI fan will have with this album. If you need your music to be adventurous or take risks---even occasionally, even a little bit---to provide some contrasting mood or excitement, you'll need to look elsewhere. That's why I would describe this as a kind of lovely daydream, like a perfect nap that delivered a really good dream. It's nice, but for adventurous listeners, I doubt that's enough.

As I listen to each song culminate in that rich, emotional guitar solo, it makes me think of David Gilmour having to kick his pedal and launch that "Comfortably Numb" solo again, night after night, hundreds and hundreds of times over decades. Does he ever tire of it? It would seem that we fans do not, given the obscene prices we'll pay to witness it, and so perhaps my point is a mute one. And I'm being playful now, but this album sometimes feels like an hour-long performance of "Comfortably Numb" with Italian vocals, the same pacing and vibe. Now, if that's your favorite Floyd song or you happen to dig the "pretty" prog in general, this album could be a home run for you. For me, it's very well done but ultimately not that interesting or memorable. Compared to some of the truly exciting modern stuff I've recently reviewed (such as Altare Thotemico's Selfie Ergo Sum), Corporesano is just a pleasant but underwhelming stroll in the park. At the same time, it's not bad by any means, and I feel it still merits three stars.

Not for the faint of heart, as they say. Modern RPI enthusiasts Altare Thotemico released their first album in 2009 to some ProgArchives commotion, and they've been building on that creative success ever since. Now three albums into their catalog, they are clearly carrying the torch for RPI (and passionate music, in general) into the modern era. Never static or predictable, they have been evolving quite dramatically with each release. The debut album had some saucy tendencies and bold jazzy leanings, but the overall theme seemed to be paying homage to the 1970s classic RPI scene. On their second album from 2013, Sogno Errando, they changed personnel big time and actually dropped all guitars. The result was a hard shift from the first album into a much jazzier terrain led by piano and sax as lead instruments. Fast forward to 2020 and there are more significant line-up changes afoot. Guitars are back in a big way. Fresh into a global pandemic, Altare Thotemico returned with Selfie Ergo Sum, perhaps their wildest ride yet.

On the third album, AT retain their ability to appreciate the masters like Banco and Area while occasionally toying with the metal tendencies of bands like VIII Strada, but they are not copying anyone else's blueprint, classic or modern. This band marches to the beat of their own drummer. The only constant in their now decade-plus existence is the voice, poetry, and dynamism of Gianni Venturi, one of the finest vocalists on the current RPI landscape. He can pull off all of the many shifting gears with ease, the operatic and bold, the soft and warm, the spoken, the occasionally maniacal. He surrounded himself here with new members Agostino Raimo, Giorgio Santisi, and Filippo Lambertucci (guitar, bass, drums respectively). Finally, new keyboardist Marika Pontegavelli also sings, so we now have a female voice as a collaborative partner to Venturi, which opens up some exciting and original new avenues across several tracks. Her vocals are often inventive and effective additions rather than just having two people trading off song by song. Emiliano Vernizzi and Matteo Pontegavelli bring the brass to round out the line-up.

Selfie Ergo Sum can sometimes feel as disorienting as playing paintball at night while you're baked. Incredible adrenalin rushes are followed by craziness and then hiding out, breathing heavy, and calming down for a bit until it starts again. The first track has a melodic but very heavy edge without being actual metal, of course. "Game Over" has this call and response between Gianni and Marika that feels a bit like a musical send-up on the TV show "Killing Eve." Wild stuff. Only three tracks deep is a knockout moment called "Schopenhauer," a 9-minute mélange of different atmospheres, most notably to me were the long spacy sections with lovely nonverbal vocals, plaintive piano, and effects. Venturi is so well recorded here, his stunning voice alive in the room with only piano behind, as Marika's voice and Agostino's reserved leads soon filter in. Great ambiance. The first three tracks are such an incredible mind-blow. A special shout to the beautiful acoustic guitar playing in "Ologramma Vivo" as well. Everyone's performance on this album is all the more dynamic and dramatic because of how well the tracks are assembled, recorded, and mixed.

It is not until track four, the gorgeous "Madre Terra," that we have a breather so to speak. Every track just keeps introducing new goodies and ideas to explore. Now, one could criticize the overall album for being haphazard or just too "all over the map" for its own good, but that's always been the personality of Altare Thotemico. This is a "throw everything at the wall" band and, in my opinion, it has mostly worked for them. There are so many thrills to the proceedings that you'll eventually trust the process. You eventually realize that the chaos is the point, is cohesive, and actually sets up the more traditional moments to shine with equal appreciation. There is a theatrical flair. There are some unusual choices hidden around the corners. Confidence abounds (at a time when the world needed it.) At times I'm even reminded of what a modern-day, updated Opus Avantra template might sound like. So, very highly recommended indeed. Had I made a "best of 2020" list, this would surely have made my list that year. But please don't play this album when you're distracted. Make sure you spin this when you've got the time to immerse yourself into it and give it the same attention you would watching a live performance. I certainly hope we've not heard the last of this band.

Sometimes you can go home again. As the thunderstorms of losing loved ones become more frequent and the realization that a lifetime evaporates too soon, I find it is both my faith and the music of others that can bring some peace to the soul. Music has always been the best of soul tonics for me. And so it is very inspiring indeed to reconnect with a band who were so positively received at ProgArchives many moons ago, who return with a work that is markedly satisfying and heartfelt. It is all the more wonderful that these are the same four gents who recorded that first album 25 years prior! Often we see reunion projects with one original member and the rest are all new recruits, but the returning Cooperativa Del Latte is the same four guys. I love that. Returning again after so many sunsets are Gabriele Benfatto (guitar, vocals), Sergio Contin (bass), Claudio Farneti (drums, percussion), and Pierluigi Piccoli (piano, keyboards). In preparation of doing a review, I reached out to them to get some background on the story of Fogli d'Acqua Sparsi, their return as CDL.

The new album is not Il Risveglio, part two. Far from it. They did not want to repeat themselves, nor did they wish to pigeonhole themselves and be locked into a specific genre. They had years of new experiences and had been listening to all kinds of music since the '90s. Naturally, there was a desire to try new things and tell new stories. I recognized this change in style between the two discs before ever messaging with them. It reminded me of the change taken by friend and legend Stephano Testa, the difference between his '70s work and his more songs-based albums of recent years. Similarly, Il Risveglio, released in 1998, had more of that 1970s-influenced symphonic sound, often mellow and mysterious with longer dreamy passages and perhaps even some neo-prog feel at times. I felt the new album was very different, moving in a more songs-based direction, although not entirely. I don't think they're trying to mimic the past of the "cantautore" style masters here; there is still a nuanced progressive art rock feel, but it culminates not from the golden template of a Genesis or Italian symph influence, but rather from its inventive, collaborative playing and intentional songwriting.

While the overall sound profile is not earth-shattering or avant-garde in the way many ProgArchives adrenalin junkies expect new albums to be, the chops are there. More importantly, the heart is there. This is not just the next release in a career musician product line. It is the shared stories of regular people reaching out to talk about life. The songs seem inspired by a desire to communicate more effectively between musicians and to be more emotionally-direct with the audience. Critics could call the performances more succinct, less dense, or "economical" as compared to legacy symphonic prog-rock, but those adjectives don't do justice to the warmth, the organic vibe, and the feisty spirit that is captured here. To be objective, this album will not be wild enough for some of our prog-rock fans who crave serious bombast or metal-tinged technical heaviness, but it will please those in our ranks who are RPI fans, crossover fans, and those who enjoy cantautore but through a fresh lens. What I most appreciate is the care taken in the playing to serve the song rather than chest-pound, and I appreciate the high quality of the melodies that keep coming back into my head for days, little repeating motifs and lines that effectively find their way into your consciousness. That's a unique thing that many bands, while technically very accomplished, whiff on with regularity as they strive for the flash over elementals.

From the first moments of "Idrofilia," I smile. Having just reviewed an early '70s Battisti, it felt like I could be listening to some lost track when he was mingling new prog elements into his songs. Very catchy. Things quickly become more contemplative in "Oltre L'uragano," and it is apparent we are in for a treat. We settle in and close our eyes. I love that some space is reserved for piano rather than just using modern keyboard sounds. The ingredients of traditional RPI are still present (sans flute this time), but it is the thoughtful arrangements and the quality of the songs that create the magic here, not sonic window dressing. If you love good melodies enhanced by hours spent in practice crafting meaningful musical dialogue with each other, you will enjoy this. A couple of the tracks jump gears and rock harder with "Attimo Estremo" and "Fiume" having a particularly aggressive edge. The last two tracks are my personal faves with "Tensione Superficiale" building up with phased guitar sound, more aggressive drumming, and even a section of "lead" bass---yeah, bass in lieu of lead guitar---before "Foglie Sospese" perfectly decompresses everything with a glorious piano performance as the only element supporting the emotive vocal. What a great way to end the album!

Lyrically, the band seems to be writing about the human condition and personal relationships through the metaphorical lens of water in its various forms. I don't speak Italian, so I asked for more insight. Sergio gave me some notes on the lyrical themes as follows: ....water as a memory keeper ("Idrofilia," a song inspired by Aquileia, a little city near us which was the second port of the Roman Empire in Itay); a tempest of emotions ("Oltre L'uragano"); the back-scene of a love story (the rain in "Vero?"); the ability to change (in "Attimo Estremo," water is solid, liquid, steam); water that hides the world and leaves only old nostalgic memories ("Condensa"); water that passes violently like time ("Fiume"); water in nature (a little lake and its microcosm in "Tensione Superficiale"); and the absence of your beloved as snow on heart ("Foglie Sospese"). -italicized portion by Sergio Contin

It is often written that CDL were a "one-off" who vanished after Il Risveglio, but it's a bit more complex than that. After their debut, they eventually did part ways as CDL, but they all remained active in other artistic projects in music or theater. By the time CDL reunited in 2018, they immediately felt "at home" again, but now with 20 years of life to reflect on in new songs. I am only speculating here because I don't know the band, but it sure feels to me as if these guys share deep friendship and a gratitude for this chance to collect themselves again in the sacred space of creativity. It's one thing for young people to start a band and make an album when there is endless free time and energy. It's quite another thing for four people in busy midlife to have the chance to recreate this kind of fellowship and nurture it to create something new through a more mature dialogue. They were committed to making the time to do that for this material. I heard through the grapevine that perhaps we haven't heard the last to come from CDL. If true, let us hope it does not take another 25 years!

I am grateful to have found this music of the heart. Sometimes an album feels a bit more special than just another rock record, and for me this was one of those. Many thanks to Sergio Contin for sharing some of the CDL story with me.

The two band names that pop up constantly when talking about this album are LOCANDA DELLE FATE and GENESIS. Especially GENESIS, and to a fault really. And usually the GENESIS worship comes in the form of those Gabriel-like vocals but not here. It's the instrumental work that recalls the early moments of that great band. Mostly the guitar and keyboards. A five piece, and the singer thankfully sings in Italian, but he doesn't have the range of some of those classic Italian singers in RPI. I prefer the pastoral moments of this album, the beauty they created, but when they try to amp it up, it just doesn't work that great in my opinion.

On my original go around with this one 5 years ago I was constantly mentioning GENESIS in my notes as I listened to it. Only six songs and my top three includes track four, the longest at 10 1/2 minutes with samples of a car revving it's engine, then taking off, changing gears as it goes. Then the music kicks in. "Storia Di..." and "Harlem" sound too much like GENESIS, I prefer the final two tracks for my top three. The first of those is piano and vocals while the closer features some really catchy guitar work, and is a nice way to end the album.

A Neo prog vibe here too which is a coincidence more than anything, but this really was enjoyable, scratching that GENESIS itch. Not the most original sounding record though. The rating of 3.5 stars seems just right in my music world. If you like GENESIS though, please check this one out.