DA NESSUN LUOGO

Based in Rome, Pensiero Nomade is a project for Italian guitarist/composer Salvatore Lazzara and his rotating collaborating assortment of musicians that formed in 2006, releasing several works in a frequently minimalist New-Age/ambient and light jazz instrumental style since then. Boasting a new line-up that includes members of notable modern Italian groups such as Taproban, DAAL and Inner Prospekt among others, 2015's `Da Nessun Luogo' maintains those above-mentioned qualities whilst adding a constant challenging experimentation, intelligent song-writing and even frequent female Italian-language vocals from Greenwall singer Michela Botti, yet their music still retains the evocative atmospheres of the previous works, just given a darker shade and more heavy attention to mood.

Two instrumental pieces open the album, `Dove Comincia Il Giorno' a breeze of pin-drop piano, careful percussion and reaching low-key ethereal guitar strains that eventually burst to electric life, and, despite starting as a shimmering faraway meditation of wafting flute, `A Tensione Costa' drifts into distorted electronics bristling with jazz-flecked danger that could have passed for a `Signify'-era Porcupine Tree improvisation. `Piu' Lontano, Piu' Forte' is a storm of droning female voices over heavy guitars and groaning sax with nightmarish clanging piano smashing away in the background, Michela rants an increasingly urgent and forceful vocal throughout the mysterious `Niente, Finalmente's alongside frantic but low-key synth runs, and `La Coda Dell'occhio' blends hypnotic shifting guitar noise with ethereal faraway siren calls laced with a hint of danger, Michela almost reminding of Renate Knaup of Amon Duul 2!

The band then unleash their most ambitious composition `Da Nessun Luogo', running close to fourteen minutes, and there's something deliciously ever-so-slightly `off' about the shadows emerging from the piece. Almost the entire first half is based around a hypnotic, carefully building improvisation that is equal parts King Crimson, early Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree, gently peppered with jazz flavours. Moody acoustic guitar and creeping piano wrap around Michela's ravishing vocal that jumps between restrained and intense, all of these together taking the disc in a more theatrical direction before the piece ends on orchestral-flavoured victorious synths. `Il Verso Che Non Trovo' has both male and female vocals with sighing warm backing harmonies, elegant orchestral bursts helping the piece soar with power, `L'Appaente Allegria' brings a surprising krautrock and acid-rock vibe with its shimmering electric guitars, hazy electronics and lethargic trumpet drones, and album closer `Cercalo In Fondo Agli Occhi' provides a finale that perfectly balances melancholy with gentle hope.

Some original fans of the earlier albums of Pensiero Nomade may find the move in a frequently song-based direction a little unexpected, but it's actually given this group a strong new identity without sacrificing the thoughtful qualities that have always been present in their music. `Da Nessun Luogo' has absolutely added a greater depth, constantly present intensity and darker drama with a creeping unease, yet never becomes overwhelmingly bleak or without crucial traces of light and heart, and the more challenging and involved music here begs to be constantly replayed. Salvatore Lazzara and his musical friends should hold their heads high with pride for their sterling effort here, and the seeds sown on this one should make their next album very fascinating!

Four stars for a sumptuous disc.