KIM

"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.

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