IL TEMPIO DELLE CLESSIDRE

Il Tempio delle Clessidre is both a new Italian band, and the name of their 2010 debut. While the music here is rooted in the style of classic Italian prog, the band's self titled release offers some of the most exciting music released this year, and is looking like a contender for album of the year.

In a recent interview on this site, the band shared that the music style in their hearts the retro RPI sound, and they are not shy about letting that come through in their music. This is incredibly Italian sounding, and if it weren't for the high production values, you could believe this came right out of the 70s. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, because the band manages to find its own sound very quickly, and from the first lone organ notes, hooks you right in.

The music found here is mostly very dense and highly energetic. Many of the instrumental breaks are led by the organ and guitar playing off of each other in very entertaining ways. Along with the organ, the piano takes the helm as the most prominent keyboard instrument, and the other classic keyboard, the Mellotron, is in effect, with tasteful but effective string and choir sounds. In contrast to the usually busy sound, there are a lot of solo piano moments, that give the listener's ears a break, and also make them realize just how thick the music usually is. Fans of the one shot wonder, Museo Rosenbach, will recognize lead singer Stefano Galifi, though in the near 40 years that have passed, his voice has deepened and matured nicely. All but two of the songs have singing, but Galifi's voice is very well integrated as part of the music, and the other instruments don't mind playing complex harmonies under his verses and choruses.

There are two somewhat lengthy songs on the album, but the majority of the rest hover around the 5 minute mark. Even though this is short as far as songs in this genre are normally concerned, Il Tempio manage to squeeze in some really exciting and progressive moments between verses. All of the melodies found within these songs are all strong, and the band lets the listener get very familiar with them. They have just the right amount of repetition, and interesting variations. While the introduction and middle sections of songs are wonderful, none of the endings leave me satisfied, and really don't do their respective songs justice. In addition to this, though most of the music offers lots of surprises, there aren't a lot of good payoffs or buildups that affect me deeply. There's a lot of potential in this area though, and I would love to see more long compositions and more development of the band's ideas. Hopefully the second album, whenever it releases, will tighten up the closing moments of songs, because it's the only part of the arrangements here that need work.

While a weird or quick ending isn't enough to ruin the music that came before it, there are too many to stop this from reaching masterpiece status. That does not, however, stop this from being a great album, and Il Tempio delle Clessidre should be applauded for doing that on their first try. This is exciting, adventurous, and wonderfully progressive music. It doesn't break new ground in the genre, but that was never the aim. If you're into the RPI scene, or just a fan who doesn't mind a blast from the past, this album is definitely worth picking up.