PROGRESSIVE BEAUTY

I'll admit it. Sometimes when I come across an artist page like that of Dorian Wilde---hugely prolific, self-released material written and performed by one person, and cover imagery/aesthetics/song titles that all suggest sort of a hyper-fantastical, airy-fairy vibe---I will simply move on and continue looking for something more up my alley, something more gritty. But this time around, I paused and dipped a toe, and I'm quite pleased that I did. Dorian Wilde is the alt-moniker of Italian composer and performer Fabio Borghi, who lives more recently in Columbia apparently. He's been recording and releasing oodles of material for many years now. Progressive Beauty is his latest as of this date, and it is the only thing I've heard from him.

Let me get my criticism out of the way first because I actually enjoyed this very much. The songwriting could use a bit of tightening, a bit of selective editing. There are great ideas here, but there are some parts that could be streamlined a bit while other parts could be fleshed out. There are a few plasticky keyboard sounds I'm not a fan of, although most of them are fine. This biggest issue for me is the drumming on this album. He's a great keyboardist and handles the guitar work well, but I struggle a bit with the drumming. The playing is a bit pedestrian and less-than-challenging in my opinion. Even for mellow symphonic not looking to rock out too much, I just think the drumming could be more inventive and varied. For these reasons, three stars is the best I can do. But perhaps I'm just missing the nuances of his style.

But let's get to what I liked. A whole lot of this album is just gorgeous, keyboard-heavy light rock with plenty of "progressive beauty" indeed, and it was a welcome change-up to much of the heavy/intense bands I've been playing of late. Fabio writes these grand, elegant, and aspirational songs and then fills them up with his wizardry on the keys. He supports his keys with an Ant Phillips-like guitar presence, and he utilizes choir vocals here and there to excellent effect. Love the choir vocals choice rather than using sung lyrics. I would say his strongest attribute was the obvious passion and wonder and emotion that he pours into these compositions. Fabio wears his musical heart on his sleeve, and that excitement he has for the form just completely won me over.

Start with the beautiful opening sequence of the first track, "I am an old man," with the gentle classically flavored guitars and lush backgrounds. The album is a journey. The centerpiece of the album is the four-part, 17-minute suite called "The Distance," an expansive playground for the imagination of the listener. Without lyrical vocals, we really only have the song titles and mood to convey what the composer is intending, but I don't mind that part at all. Lyrics are way overrated. I love allowing my own creative and personal thoughts to mingle with the music, sometimes pushed in a direction by what I hear from the artist. This album almost feels like it could be a reflection on someone's relationships, losing someone special, and perhaps seeing them again somewhere, but that would be just my speculation.

As a whole, the album---and I'd wager other albums in his canon---are filled with lovely, mellow, refined symphonic-influenced soundtracks to his vision of the world, seemingly an affection for fantasy and tropical paradise imagery. Nothing wrong with that. It works and it is relaxing, chill prog listening that lightens the stresses of life. Recommended to those who love mellow symphonic that paints a vivid picture. In any case, thank you, Mr. Borghi, for sharing this bit of beauty with the world.

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