ECHOES FROM THE UNDERTOW

This is the first solo album by Davide Guidoni, the drummer and percussionist of DAAL, along his work in other Italian bands Gallant Farm, The Far Side, Nuova Era, Aries and Pensiero Nomade. About the name of his project Davide explains: 'the B-Rain project is a play on words, it means somehow 'rain-brain', like a mental rain, which is generally my mood'. He has invited a wide range of musicians: Roberto Vitelli (Ellesmere), Steve Unruh (The Samurai Of Prog), Luca Pietropaoli (Fonderia), Vincenzo Zitello, Salvatore Lazzara ( Pensiero Nomade) and Alfio Costa (Daal, Prowlers).

These musicians did a wonderful job by colouring Davide his very atmospheric sonic landscapes (with all kind of noises and samples by Davide), often very tasteful and subtle. Especially with the Ehru (Chinese 2-string violin) and the bamboo flute, this gives the music a pleasant ethnic flavour. And like Steve Roach here Davide also blends electric instruments and organic instruments.

The music on this album often reminds me of Steve Roach his pioneering atmospheric ambient electronic music, very experimental and very, very laidback. At some moments it's more dynamic, like the JL Ponty inspired electric violin in Lakeshore, the powerful trumpet sound in the percussive titletrack and the interplay between the electric violin and sensitive electric guitar in The Cold Time Of Solitude.

But in general it's music for lovers of atmospheric music, and very hypnotizing, like in the epic Descending Mist featuring lots of sample sounds, ominous keyboards and fine work on flute, violin, electric guitar and synthesizer, even some bass pedal work. Just take a look at the inspirational titles, close your eyes, feed your imigination and let you carry away by this 'atmospheric expirimental progressive electronic music' by B-Rain, very daring and special music.

My rating: ***1/2

P.s.: Thanks for your huge efforts Michael.

DAAL's DAvide Guidoni issues the 2018 result of a solo project he'd been working on outside of his work with ALfio Costa. Very nice progressive electronic music.

Track 1, "Far from the Madding Crowd" (2:56) sounds like disc 2 of David Sylvian's "Gone to Earth" with slower sections/interludes similar to Rick Wakeman's "Six Wives of Henry VIII." (8/10)

Track 2, "Lakeshore" (6:01) opens sounding like something from Hans Zimmer's "The Last Samurai" soundtrack before moving on to emulate violin-dominated work of Peter Gabriel collaborator SHANKAR on "The Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack," the work of Canadian electronic violinist Hugh Marsh with Bruce Cockburn in the 1980s and solo thereafter, as well as the work of many prog electronic artists including STEVE ROACH, ROBERT RICH, and YVES POTIN (JazzComputer.org). (9/10)

Track 3, "Overwhelming" (4:58) sounds as if it could come from PULSAR's "Halloween" as well as some of KLAUS SCHULZE's 1970s and soundtrack music. Mostly sound effects, creepy voices, and distorted sound until the symphonic second half. (8.5/10)

Track 4, "Echoes from the Undertow" (6:10) This one sounds like music from Belgian masters of cinematic music, BATTLESTATIONS, with the addition of treated trumpet á la Kenny Wheeler, Mark Isham, or early Jon HASSELL with DAVID SYLVIAN. GREAT song! It's only flaw is it's lack of dynamic development over its six minute course. (9/10)

Track 5, "The Cold Time of Solitude" (5:37) cello and viola over progressive electronic music alternating with primo STEVE HACKETT electric guitar soloing. Great tension and engaging melody (á la Maestro Hackett) throughout. (9.5/10)

Track 6, "Descending Mist" (a 20 minute epic!) (20:28) could come straight out of the musical repertoire of ALIO DIE, ROBERT RICH, STEVE ROACH, early TANGERINE DREAM and KLAUS SCHULZE, as well as so many 21st Century Prog Electronic songs and artists. Cool, eerie song! (34/40)

Track 7, "Homeward Bound" (5:38) is interchangeable with any symphonic cinematic concept album outro, like from the SEVEN REIZH albums, FREQUENCY DRIFT, LEBOWSKI, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, MY EDUCATION, even Genesis artists' solo albums (HACKETT, BANKS, RUTHERFORD, COLLINS). (7.75/10)

Four stars; a collection of great cinematic music in the tradition of such masters as PULSAR, TANGERINE DREAM, STEVE HACKETT, PETER GABRIEL, LEBOWSKI, KLAUS SCHULZE, and even GOBLIN. An excellent contribution to the progressive electronic subgenre!

Despite involvement in numerous Italian prog-rock projects over the last couple of decades, multi-instrumentalist Davide Guidoni is primarily known for his part in experimental duo DAAL. B-Rain, a play-on-words of `Brain', and meant to reflect a `mental rain' that the artist feels was his general frame of mind throughout this debut 2018 recording, acts as his first solo release, and is the very definition of eclectic! `Echoes from the Undertow' might retain traces of his Daal `day job', but primarily it moves in electronic, soundtrack and ambient directions, as well as incorporating touches of goth, jazz and symphonic. Mood and unhurried ambiance is key here, and the whole disc maintains a sumptuously cultivated atmosphere the whole way.

`Far From the Madding Crowd' is a spectral opener of gently weeping synths, icy Mellotron slivers and sombre electric piano musings, with just a few fleeting Jean-Michel Jarre-like wisps creeping in. The exotic `Lakeshore' unveils trickling synth programming that repeats into infinity around searing electric violin and meditative bamboo flute, ending up not far removed from the works of Robert Rich and even Kitaro, although the piece takes some unexpectedly ominous and urgent turns in the second half. `Overwhelming' is a gothic sound-collage of falling rain, creaking effects and intangibly whispering voices eventually permeated by grandiose orchestration, and the title track `Echoes from the Undertow' unfurls twitching programming, distorted weary trumpet weariness, moody synth caresses and Yves Potin/Jazzcomputer-like electric guitar jangles.

A complete change of direction, `The Cold Time of Solitude' could have appeared on most of ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's solo discs, a symphonic theme of stirring cello, violin and regal electric guitar reaches rising up around scratchy Mellotron coatings. Mysterious and aloof, the twenty minute `Descending Mist' is primarily an ambient drone in the manner of Steve Roach , but there's a faint Seventies horror movie eeriness to its lurking electronic pulses, Mellotron drapery and chiming guitars (think Italian soundtrack legends Goblin). With sighing voices and the overall brooding unease, the whole quietly dramatic piece is captivating and completely mesmerizing. Thankfully, closer `Homeward Bound' is then a gently stirring acoustic finale that proves joyful, comforting and victorious.

Davide has delivered a tasteful and luxurious work of enticing subtlety and great variety here on his first B-Rain disc, and if any of the artists mentioned above interest you, chances are you find similar qualities to connect with their music here. While `Echoes from the Undertow' may not be something you'll listen to every day, each time you do, this elegant work of refinement and poise will cast a truly bewitching spell.

Four stars.

B-RAIN is the solo project of the percussionist, handyman Davide GUIDONI who has worked in number of more or less known groups like THE FAR SIDE, GALLANT FARM, personally I will quote TAPROBAN, DORACOR and currently DAAL which blends planantly metal, stoner, violin and melancholic spaces, quite confusing! Here, we are in a very soft space where the atmospheres give priority to percussions of all kinds, low, almost sub-low, punctuating the different pieces of this album. There are also noises of the heart, noises of a windshield wiper, loud voices and noises from beyond the grave. To this come inlaid disparate limpid, crystalline notes from synths, violins (like, DAAL is not far!), Flutes and trumpets, making me say that the new Canterbury school is making its way currently (I just quote ARGOS working remarkably in this area). So we're in experimental New-age, in environmental pieces and compositions that wouldn't denote in certain films.

In short, GUIDONI surrounded himself with beautiful sizes for that, taking with him R. VITELLI from Ellesmere, L. PIETROPAOLI from FONDERIA and A. COSTA from DAAL. These pieces, 7 in number, follow one another quite naturally to make us plunge into sound atmospheres at the SERRA ("Far from the Madding Crowd" and "Homeward Bound" with its symphonic organ and its small violin-cello of the evening. ), in the footsteps of TANGERINE DREAM on "Lakeshore" and "Overwhelming" (yes "force majeure" remains one of my favorites and I heard it a little above). On the next title, the title of the album, it is towards the Canterbury school that we start directly with a progressive trumpet and a Genesis guitar. "The Cold Time of Solitude" prolongs the symphonic and almost meditative prog atmosphere by bringing violin and cello as on D. DARLING albums and this time the purely Hackettian guitar: listen again, you will see! As for "Descending Mist", the river's album title with its 20 minutes on the clock, we literally plunge into an end-of-the-world atmosphere with the sounds of the woods (and not forest fruits which would be too colorful!) And binary rhythm in sixteenth note (no, I laugh, I know nothing about it, but I wanted to slip a musical term once in my notes so as not to fall asleep and see if you follow!), in short, a cavernous alphorn will come to you ask around 14 minutes if you are not asleep; I note in this title some reminiscences of "Supper's Ready" by GENESIS, voices and "Sorcerer" synths by TANGERINE DREAM and a rise that even K.SCHULZE in person could not contradict, my favorite piece of the album!

As you can imagine, this album has two functions: on the one hand, a contemplative, relaxing disc, which can be used as background music; on the other, a prog-hovering disc with a lot of different tones and catchy tunes allowing you to listen to the album to ask yourself, like a party night. A disc finally two speeds with which I did not bother a single moment.