TUTTO IL TEMPO DEL MONDO - 1.ÒIKOS

Here I am reviewing for the second time this group from the town of Macerata in Italy. With the confinement, METRONHOMME took the opportunity to produce "Tutto Il Tempo Del Mondo", a 25-minute "extended play" comprising 7 titles including 2 sung for the first time. The recordings were made with the means at hand using the instruments that each musician had at his disposal: in many cases, everyday objects found at home and readjusted for this purpose. Musical solutions have been found through the use of new or old unconventional instruments, such as: sofa, sheets of paper, hairbrush, cutlery, mirrors and basins, used for rhythm parts. A whole month was needed for the work of composition with exchanges on the internet. This modus operandi has deeply influenced the new work, giving it a new and original sound compared to the previous ones, thus adding a new chapter to their discography. METRONHOMME is a hybrid name of French origin which can be interpreted as "the precise man".

"4" is the title of the previous album released in 2019 which offered symphonic rock combined with Italian prog of the seventies, in symbiosis with modern and innovative influences, such as STEVEN WILSON, LA BATTERIA, ILLUVATAR, MIKE OLDFIELD and many others. 'others ... This first opus had brought me to bear the note of excellence. Let's see what it comes down to here ... "Quarantine" is aptly named in view of the circumstances already mentioned above and offers us a music a bit jazzy, arranged with touches of electro, composed of sounds and percussions sampled, an acoustic piano, and various synthesizers ... you can listen to it!

"Come la Neve" is a simple and delicate song, sung in Italian and referring to winter. The tempo is quite slow and punctuated by a bass, a piano and some special effects. "Di una Moneta che Cade" is presented as a mix of sound effects with ambient sensations evoking water falling in droplets, followed by a rhythmic and futuristic atmosphere with aerial impressions ... it's not bad! In "Supermarket" a woman speaks vehemently in Italian, and she does so at the start and end of this short piece. Between the two we can hear a big repetitive bass accompanied by an electric piano and various keyboards performing descents and ascents in a synthetic atmosphere.

"Arkè" is a pretty pianistic melody which matches two simple repetitive notes as a common thread over the entire musical frame. Towards the end, you can hear a man with an Eastern or Greek accent shouting repetitive words that I guess are: "I love" ?! "Il Rumore del Mare" sends us electronic pop music like the French group PHOENIX, it's quite rhythmic and it's sung in Italian ... not unpleasant! "La Città di K." is undoubtedly the most elaborate piece, with its oriental clarinet well inserted in a frame with cinematic plots skilfully composed in the style of the Italian group LA BATTERIA, as well as a beautiful light bass played in a passage in the style of MIKE OLDFIELD . For me, this is the only track that looks like Prog in this cake filled with too short pieces, but it is also true that the frame and the context did not help much!

This record exudes clarity and futurism ... suddenly, the seventies have passed by, the compositions are minimalist and singularly lacking in complexity for a group stamped with prog. Adding electronics in a massive way is good but not enough to hide the forest represented by "4" the previous album. This artwork is made for fans and bootleg collectors. To be continued...