ARS NOVA

Ars Nova was an Italian band,which never got the opportunity of a proper LP release in the 70's.Led by the Piergiovanni brothera, Luigi (who suffered from polyomyelitis since he was four) and Stefano, and based in Rome, they only released two singles in 1977 and 1978 respectively.1978 sees the departure of the band's original drummer and bassist,then Ars Nova became a sextet with double keyboards,but this formation wasn't meant to be for a long time.From their formation in 1974 till their split in 1980,they covered many different styles of rock music,most of them where collected both from studio and live recordings and released as a posthumous release by Mellow Records in 2005.

The album sees the band stepping into various rock sections,from Classic Italian Prog to Heavy Rock to Orchestrated Pop.The live tracks are characterized by a very raw sound due to the bad recording equipment and contain also some atonal moments on vocals,but seem to be the most interesting for the prog rock fan.Romantic vocals,sensitive guitar work,strong use of synths in a light symphonic soundscape will leave the Italian Prog follower definitely satisfied,recalling bands like early IL CASTELLO DI ATLANTE, L' ESTATE DI SAN MARTINO and PIERPAOLO BIBBO.The studio tracks are a different story,it is mostly Orchestrated Pop/Rock with a good production this time, certainly well-arranged,but it depends on the listener to like them or not.Personally I found them quite interesting,they are filled with intense vocals and good pianos creating a few splendid melodies.

After the demise of the band,both Piergiovanni brothers ccontinued to be involved in the music industry and even established the Interbeat label.''Ars Nova'' is a strange story actually,a uneven but so balanced album at the same time.The good progressive tracks suffer from the mediocre production,the poppy tracks will not be everybody's taste,but they are recorded sufficiently on the other hand.Yet all compositions are fairly enjoyable in my opinion to be at least recommended.