CANTAFABULE

In my opinion, Romanian band Phoenix's Cantofabule is far closer to psychedelic rock than progressive folk, although it certainly contains elements of the latter. In fact, I would be most comfortable comparing it to proto-prog bands like The Who or Jefferson Airplane, since much of this album consists of pithy rock tunes interspersed with folksy excursions.

"Invocatie" Various electronic noises open the lengthy first song. When it gets going, it has a commanding presence with deep vocals and bass-dominated music. It is followed by a spoken-word acoustic section that ushers in an eerie chorus of vocals and a whiny synthesizer lead.

"Norocul Inorogului" This is a pleasant, almost hymn-like traditional-sounding song with thick vocal harmonies and sweet instrumentation featuring keyboard and flute.

"Scara Scarabeului" A short, happy tune, this is more like a late 1960s pop rock song.

"Definul, Dulce Dulful Nostru" Without a doubt, the band that springs to mind as I listen to this song is Eloy- straightforward psychedelic rock enriched by enchanting keyboards.

"Uciderea Balaurului" The highlights of this upbeat rocker are the two solos during the second half, one electrifying guitar solo and one wild organ workout.

"Stima Casei" Another short, upbeat song, this is closer to more traditional progressive folk like Jethro Tull.

"Pasarea Calandrinon" After a delicate piano introduction, the band launches into another heavy rocker. The piano and violin affair at the end is a bit of an avant-garde non sequitur.

"Filip Si Cerbul" Grainy guitar and a thudding bass introduce solid vocals for yet another decent heavy rock song, this one with a fluid, almost symphonic refrain.

"Vasiliscul Si Aspida" Voices join a solo flute on its melodic journey before the gritty guitar jumps in to begin some heavy psychedelic music. The middle bit is for all intents and purposes a "mini-song" rather than a bridge. I particularly like the soaring vocals and bass work.

"Sirena" Blending psychedelic and folk music, this piece incorporates acoustic guitar, light melodies, coarse electric guitar riffs, spacey synthesizer, and almost tribal percussion.

"Pasarea Roc...k And Roll" Loud and awful synthesizer experimentation, sounding like alarms and extraterrestrial insects make for a difficult-to-listen-to introduction. The rock music on this one is pretty standard business, and the periodic shouting of "Hey!" gives it the feel of a sports anthem.

"Canticlu A Cucuveaualiei" After a light introduction, the band comes in, this time accompanied by some creative guitar goings-on in the backdrop.

"Zoomahia" More experimental electronics, this time with frightening vocals, create a terrible introduction, but this time the track isn't saved by a good song proper: There's a mishmash of noises coming from the various instruments- a dissonant muddiness.

"Phoenix" The final song is a pretty and relaxing one, with competence and restraint shown from all members. At its conclusion, the piece hearkens back to the end of the first one.