L'OBLIO

Some Prog purists might find this one quite dated and old-fashioned, hence my medium rating but (so far) one and only album by this Italian band is really a jewel for anyone loving flute-dominated heavier prog. The mood is mostly rather dark, at times aggressive with a few more mellow moments and the music is most of the times in up-tempo pace. Of course Tull comes to one's mind if listening to this record but due to the similar rough vocals as well country fellows Jumbo though certainly less complex than their music. But none of the six quite lengthy tracks gets boring at any moment and there arn't any fillers. Probably not really essential in a general sense and Progfans looking for something unique and innovative should check it carefully if it's of any interest for them before purchasing. Nevertheless I just can highly recommend it to anyone who's into 70's style prog folk! 3 1/2 stars REALLY!!

I'm a bit surprised to realize and admit I've been sitting on this disc for a few years now and have never really listened to it. I picked it up along with some stuff from a couple other Italian contemporary prog artists like Sad Minstrel (well recommended!) and Crystal Phoenix (not so much). This one was only a fraction cost of the Sad Minstrel CD; I can't recall but I may have only thrown it in my order to round up the shopping cart total and qualify for free shipping or something.

So for whatever reason I never bothered to really listen to these songs before now, and am quite surprised to realize that this is a pretty decent album all things considered. This is contemporary Italian music (contemporary being relative with progressive music but in this case meaning it doesn't predate the introduction of CDs or digital recordings). While it was released in the latter nineties the music here sounds much older, but there are enough neo-prog nuances here and there to place it in the past couple of decades.

The band offers up a pretty decent opening with some sultry saxophone, grooving guitar solo passages and plenty of piano and flute that hint just slightly at jazz-like structure and end up morphing with the guitar at the end for a strong and rock-tinged ending. "Quando verrà il tempo" had the potential to be the strongest track on the album with a gorgeous guitar/flute/hand drum opening, but honestly Mario Sacco's singing isn't all that strong and I personally think this would have come across much more powerfully had it remained an instrumental.

The basic lineup of the band is pretty standard fare with electric guitar, keyboards, drums, bass and a lead singer. I suppose what pushes them into progressive folk territory are the acoustic guitars, accordion and flute that are present throughout but especially on the first half of the disc. Toward the end and particularly with "Il diavolo dentro" the band retains the flute/acoustic motif during short passages but also veers off into heavier territory with strong electric guitar riffs and borderline metal percussion. That song finishes with a beautiful piano passage although the first several minutes are quite heavy.

The closing "Arjuna" has a little of everything. The opening seems influenced by the neo- progressive bands of the early eighties (check out "Quinta stagione" as well for some faintly Marillion-sounding riffs and vocals passages). At the same time persistent percussion and variations on repetitive instrumental themes are almost post-rock, while the flute flourishes are undeniably folksy and the closing is a blend of ambient and ethnic percussion. A very interesting composition.

This is a much better album than I thought when I first bought it, which just goes to show one really needs to take the time to get to know the music in their collection and not jump to quick judgments. A strong three of five star album and well recommended if you're looking for something that blends a rock and folk foundation with Latin inflection.

peace

''L'oblio'' is a late-nineties album by Italian band Amanita and although this was their first and only release it's a fairly mature work consisting of six lengthy tracks, all around the 10- to 14-minute mark. They're categorised as Prog Folk but there's quite an aggregation of musical styles here, with several of the songs having a space-rock vibe and even a bit of Krautrock. Dynamic vocal sections followed by extended jams are pretty much the order of the day. The songs are pushed along by passionate vocals while instrumental sections feature great interplay between flute and guitar; fellow Italian group Jumbo is probably a reasonable benchmark.

''Mistica'' opens with a riot of crunching guitar and fluttering flute. Flautist Andrea Monetti Roccasanta totally bosses this album and he uses a lot of the same techniques employed by Ian Anderson, such as overblowing and yelping into the flute at the same time as playing. Remember this guy's name the next time there's a poll on favourite flute players in the forum. The track then heads off on a laid-back, spacey jam with a shifting dialogue between flute, saxophone and guitar.

''Quando Verra Il Tempo'' is more restrained but still contains some blistering guitar-work in the background. This has a killer melody, full of pathos, with the flute omnipresent but never getting in the way of Mario Sacco's heartfelt vocal. ''Astrazione Cosmica'' is altogether heavier, being an out and out rocker with delirious guitar and organ. The middle section of this track consists of psychedelic jamming as flute and guitar trade licks, and there's some folksy accordion to finish.

''Quinta Stagione'' is probably the most straightforward song, although it's still nooked and crannied with some great moments, while the last couple of songs are more experimental. ''Il Diavolo Dentro'' incorporates a repetitive groove with flute extemporising over guitar, treated with effects, while ''Arjuna'' incorporates a hypnotic Eastern vibe of wailing vocals, saxophone and sitar-guitar

Amanita disappeared after this album and I guess we'll never know what ''place'' these guys were in when they produced it. Musically it moves from melancholic openings to an experimental conclusion, as if from doubt to darkness. And I can't make up my mind if the ''There's No Place Like Home'' musical box ending is ironic or optimistic. Whatever, this is a fine album invigorated with diverse influences. It's a must for the RPI freaks among us, and Tull fans might well want to check it out too. What a pity these guys only released this one album.