TERRA

Italy is not just about RPI but also other neighborly genres such as Heavy Prog, Crossover, jazz-prog and even Canterbury but Space is also prime territory as witnessed by groups such as the masterful Sunscape (only 1 album in 1999 but what a whopper!) or Mary Newsletter. This is just another new kid on the cosmic block, a classy quartet where the bass is up front and center (kind of necessary in this genre to be succesful), the propellant of astral tapestries that alternately float, glide and whoosh. The platform is based on a solid grid of interweaving keyboard courtesy of the brothers Fiorin , Mario and Andrea, hard percussives pounding between bass rumbles, all providing the catalyst for guitarist Umberto Schirosi to flutter at ease from one screeching universe to another. While highly contemplative and soporific, the quality of the playing is masterful. After a dreamy opener ("Egitti"), the true nature of Nautical Maps is revealed on "Dub One", a pulsating adventure into starlit expanses, featuring swirling synths, marshalling drums and uninhibited guitar rampages that are an omen of things to come, all within a tight compositional context. This is exquisite when there is an actual melody to boot. "Ti Ricordi?" proves that Space/Psychedelic is not about senseless noodling or some hip silliness but rather a timeless focus on slow developing melodies and sonic dimensions with intense soloing (Schirosi really rips here) and the ability to evoke cerebral invocations in the listener's mind. The Eastern vibe previously mentioned by other reviewers enters the fray, mostly due to a sitar-like tone from the picky guitar, who uses this spice with gentle persuasion. "Paradossi" is the longest track at 9 minutes and highlights their style perfectly, an aural catapult that zooms forward unabated, setting down a breezy groove that recalls a distant Isle of Everywhere (a Gong classic) , a celestial rapture that conjures images of subtle power and forceful drama. The bass guided tempo is pursued on the gorgeous "Lacrime", featuring wailing swaths of fuzzy vocals and meaty rhythms, a cosmic cavalcade of the highest stature that will whoosh your mind into farflung space horizons. Garbled voices pinging and ponging recklessly, kept in line by that hypnotic bass furrow, it does not get any better than this. "Frontiere" seeks out more adventurous boundaries, perhaps a bit beyond the usual spatial romp but one has to only hook up with that nasty bass line and get back into the groove. This is perhaps more psychedelic what with all the vocal bellowing amid the snail-paced beat, very reflective, ponderous and yet febrile. Umberto then takes the spotlight for a sweet and extended solo that ushers in some interesting innovations, almost breezy (that wah-wah section is so yummy) winking at spaced out early period Steve Hillage. "Mura" is a slightly more tangible monument, reverting to more conformist space noodlings, still conducted by that devilish bass guitar , the binary drums pounding relentlessly with added effort from a sublime electric piano and zooming synths. There is a more experimental Floydian premise here; combined with some Eastern tones a la Gong or the Ozric lads. The brief "Satellite Centro" is sweetness incarnate, twangy guitar pickin' that just boggles the mind, crafty little devils, these Italians. The finale "E Le Stelle Siano Con Te" gets very reflective, sitar-like tones in the background, a slow-moving mirror pool of soothing sounds from the glorious piano and assorted percussives , showing immense creativity and musical variation.

A thoroughly impressive listen, this is Space the way it should be perceived = constantly adventurous . These lads are.

I feel sad for all those audiophiles who resort to ambient shoe gazing material to paint sonic landscapes in their living arrangement when there is so much expressive Space prog releases out there for the taking. This Mappe Nootiche album is ideal living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and den music! I can't wait to get their next one, as I can listen to this universal bliss forever. Space fans need this now, call Santa ASAP

5 ocean charts