FOGLI D'ACQUA SPARSI

Sometimes you can go home again. As the thunderstorms of losing loved ones become more frequent and the realization that a lifetime evaporates too soon, I find it is both my faith and the music of others that can bring some peace to the soul. Music has always been the best of soul tonics for me. And so it is very inspiring indeed to reconnect with a band who were so positively received at ProgArchives many moons ago, who return with a work that is markedly satisfying and heartfelt. It is all the more wonderful that these are the same four gents who recorded that first album 25 years prior! Often we see reunion projects with one original member and the rest are all new recruits, but the returning Cooperativa Del Latte is the same four guys. I love that. Returning again after so many sunsets are Gabriele Benfatto (guitar, vocals), Sergio Contin (bass), Claudio Farneti (drums, percussion), and Pierluigi Piccoli (piano, keyboards). In preparation of doing a review, I reached out to them to get some background on the story of Fogli d'Acqua Sparsi, their return as CDL.

The new album is not Il Risveglio, part two. Far from it. They did not want to repeat themselves, nor did they wish to pigeonhole themselves and be locked into a specific genre. They had years of new experiences and had been listening to all kinds of music since the '90s. Naturally, there was a desire to try new things and tell new stories. I recognized this change in style between the two discs before ever messaging with them. It reminded me of the change taken by friend and legend Stephano Testa, the difference between his '70s work and his more songs-based albums of recent years. Similarly, Il Risveglio, released in 1998, had more of that 1970s-influenced symphonic sound, often mellow and mysterious with longer dreamy passages and perhaps even some neo-prog feel at times. I felt the new album was very different, moving in a more songs-based direction, although not entirely. I don't think they're trying to mimic the past of the "cantautore" style masters here; there is still a nuanced progressive art rock feel, but it culminates not from the golden template of a Genesis or Italian symph influence, but rather from its inventive, collaborative playing and intentional songwriting.

While the overall sound profile is not earth-shattering or avant-garde in the way many ProgArchives adrenalin junkies expect new albums to be, the chops are there. More importantly, the heart is there. This is not just the next release in a career musician product line. It is the shared stories of regular people reaching out to talk about life. The songs seem inspired by a desire to communicate more effectively between musicians and to be more emotionally-direct with the audience. Critics could call the performances more succinct, less dense, or "economical" as compared to legacy symphonic prog-rock, but those adjectives don't do justice to the warmth, the organic vibe, and the feisty spirit that is captured here. To be objective, this album will not be wild enough for some of our prog-rock fans who crave serious bombast or metal-tinged technical heaviness, but it will please those in our ranks who are RPI fans, crossover fans, and those who enjoy cantautore but through a fresh lens. What I most appreciate is the care taken in the playing to serve the song rather than chest-pound, and I appreciate the high quality of the melodies that keep coming back into my head for days, little repeating motifs and lines that effectively find their way into your consciousness. That's a unique thing that many bands, while technically very accomplished, whiff on with regularity as they strive for the flash over elementals.

From the first moments of "Idrofilia," I smile. Having just reviewed an early '70s Battisti, it felt like I could be listening to some lost track when he was mingling new prog elements into his songs. Very catchy. Things quickly become more contemplative in "Oltre L'uragano," and it is apparent we are in for a treat. We settle in and close our eyes. I love that some space is reserved for piano rather than just using modern keyboard sounds. The ingredients of traditional RPI are still present (sans flute this time), but it is the thoughtful arrangements and the quality of the songs that create the magic here, not sonic window dressing. If you love good melodies enhanced by hours spent in practice crafting meaningful musical dialogue with each other, you will enjoy this. A couple of the tracks jump gears and rock harder with "Attimo Estremo" and "Fiume" having a particularly aggressive edge. The last two tracks are my personal faves with "Tensione Superficiale" building up with phased guitar sound, more aggressive drumming, and even a section of "lead" bass---yeah, bass in lieu of lead guitar---before "Foglie Sospese" perfectly decompresses everything with a glorious piano performance as the only element supporting the emotive vocal. What a great way to end the album!

Lyrically, the band seems to be writing about the human condition and personal relationships through the metaphorical lens of water in its various forms. I don't speak Italian, so I asked for more insight. Sergio gave me some notes on the lyrical themes as follows: ....water as a memory keeper ("Idrofilia," a song inspired by Aquileia, a little city near us which was the second port of the Roman Empire in Itay); a tempest of emotions ("Oltre L'uragano"); the back-scene of a love story (the rain in "Vero?"); the ability to change (in "Attimo Estremo," water is solid, liquid, steam); water that hides the world and leaves only old nostalgic memories ("Condensa"); water that passes violently like time ("Fiume"); water in nature (a little lake and its microcosm in "Tensione Superficiale"); and the absence of your beloved as snow on heart ("Foglie Sospese"). -italicized portion by Sergio Contin

It is often written that CDL were a "one-off" who vanished after Il Risveglio, but it's a bit more complex than that. After their debut, they eventually did part ways as CDL, but they all remained active in other artistic projects in music or theater. By the time CDL reunited in 2018, they immediately felt "at home" again, but now with 20 years of life to reflect on in new songs. I am only speculating here because I don't know the band, but it sure feels to me as if these guys share deep friendship and a gratitude for this chance to collect themselves again in the sacred space of creativity. It's one thing for young people to start a band and make an album when there is endless free time and energy. It's quite another thing for four people in busy midlife to have the chance to recreate this kind of fellowship and nurture it to create something new through a more mature dialogue. They were committed to making the time to do that for this material. I heard through the grapevine that perhaps we haven't heard the last to come from CDL. If true, let us hope it does not take another 25 years!

I am grateful to have found this music of the heart. Sometimes an album feels a bit more special than just another rock record, and for me this was one of those. Many thanks to Sergio Contin for sharing some of the CDL story with me.