FELONA E SORONA

'Felona E Sorona' is pretty much flawless. I only wish there was a guitar in the mix, as their material would have benefited further from a Steve Hackett type player, but that's an obviously futile wish. Just a matter of taste. Not every prog/rock band needs a guitarist either-most of Van Der Graaf Generator's best material actually benefited from the lack of a guitar. And it's hard to hold anything against Le Orme, as this album is insanely good. This Italian trio has the same instrumental set-up as ELP: keyboards at the forefront, active bass holding down the foundation, and nimble, jazz-inflected, aggressive-yet-fluid drumming.with the bassist doing vocals. And sure enough, some of this stuff sounds like ELP's more eclectic moments on 'Tarkus' and 'Trilogy'. Otherwise, they forge a sound that bears minor similarities to Italian brethren P.F.M. and Banco.but you'll know every time you hear a Le Orme song that it's Le Orme. Delicate vocal lines, a huge array of keyboard sounds and approaches, unpredictable arrangements, shades of romantic/baroque music, crashing climactic elements, and a mastery of dramatic, theatrical songwriting.just another genius prog act from Italy!

Like Banco's opening to the 'Darwin' album, Le Orme utilizes nearly every single element of their trademark approach on blowout opener "Sospesi Nell'Incredibile". This epic firmly lays down the atmosphere of the album, followed by two fairly short interludes before arriving at second highlight "L'equilibrio". A mixture of frightened panic and wide pastoral landscapes, this song is an excellent showcase of the chemistry between the three members, bass lines creating a sinister undertow, held in check by spellbinding keyboard sounds, not to mention the gorgeous vocals that lift this song up even higher. It ends too soon, but since the album flows as if one long song, the promise of "L'equilibrio" is concluded with the gorgeous ambience of "Sorona". Immediately after that, "Attesa Inerte" attacks with a combination psychedlic/sinister rhythmic interplay while the keyboards phase and shift and hypnotize. More cosmic journeys await on "Ritratto Di Un Mattino", which is yet another song in a connected, seamless string of songs that bring this album to a close. Genesis circa 'Selling England By The Pound' is loosely referenced on this track, full of triumphant melodies and piles of lush keyboards. "All'Infuori Del Tempo" is the most conventional song here, a gentle, folk-ish sway that gives way to a medieval feeling thanks to some well-chosen keyboard melodies from master Toni Pagliuca. The Italian language is one of the few non-English languages that was made to be sung, and bassist Aldo Tagliapietra hypnotizes with his gentle but confident midrange, showcased to good effect on this song. Things come to a satisfying finale with an orgy of keyboards and frenetic rhythms in album closer "Ritorno Al Nulla", a chaotic storm of cosmic beauty. All in all, 'Felona E Sorona' is a high mark in Italian progrock, probably the most consistently written and arranged album this band would ever offer.