L'ISOLA DI NIENTE

L'siola Di Niente is the last classic PFM album before lineup changes and pop influences crippled their sound. There is nothing much sonically and compositionally different from their previous two albums, their sound is still filled with countless catchy melodies and diverse instrumentation. However, this album is perhaps a tad more laid back, and softer than their previous releases, often focusing on gentle atmospheres.

The album opens with the operatic singing of the title track. The song has a perfect mix of atmospheric parts with keyboard and acoustic guitar and some harder rocking parts. Though listed as almost 11 minutes, the song always seems shorter, a true testament to the musical abilities of this great band.

'Is My Face On Straight' Is probably the only weak point of the album, if only because of the vocals. Instrumentally it's quite good, but the weak attempt at singing in English when it could have been done beautifully in Italin always irks me.

'La Luna Nuova' is the star of the album with its chaotic interweaving of a myriad of melodies. The one beginning at two minutes and thirty seconds is a good example of this, and is probably one of my favorites. This is easily the most energizing track on the record.

'Dolcissima Maria' is a very gentle, down-tempo track with a beautiful atmosphere of acoustic guitar and vocals. There are still some catchy melodies to be heard here, especially when played by the flute near the end.

The album ends on a slightly jazzy note with the great 'Via Lumiere.' Consequently, this is also one of their more complex tracks, with a few time and tempo changes occurring throughout. The first half is King Crimson-inspired experimentalism, while the second half is the pure symphonic beauty they're known for.

Overall, while I wouldn't say this album reaches the same level as the previous two, it still has plenty of musical merits, and is hardly worse. Despite the rather lacking 'Is My Face On Straight' I still believe this deserves a solid five stars for being the last great PFM effort.

9/10