STEFANO LUPO GALIFI

"Dei ricordi, un museo" is the first solo album by Stefano Lupo Galifi, historic vocalist of Museo Rosenbach, and was released in 2021 on the independent AMS Records label with a line up featuring along with Stefano Lupo Galifi (vocals) also Luca Scherani (piano, organ, keyboards, flute), Marcella Arganese (guitars), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass) and Folco Fedele (drums) plus Alessio Calandriello and Irene Spina (backing vocals). Rather than a solo album, in this case it would be more correct to speak of a team effort involving numerous musicians from the current Italian prog scene who are also members of bands like La Maschera di Cera, La Coscienza di Zeno, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Ubi Maior or Panther & C.. In particular, Luca Scherani and Gabriele Guidi Colombi have tailor-made for the singer's voice music and lyrics suited to his exuberant vocality, perfectly in line with his musical history. Marcella Arganese contributed to the composition of the title track and took charge of the beautiful art work of the cover and booklet, inspired by the content of the lyrics...

The opener "Cuore (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 1)" (Heart - Of memories, a museum Part 1) sets the atmosphere. It starts by a dreamy piano passage, then the music and words evoke the image of a homeless, a man whose house is a bench in the park. The yellow lights of the city feed the silent and thick mud that covers his past. Then, suddenly, appears the image of a lent helping hand and of emotional doors that are opened by a good heartened person. There's a strong sense of empathy, questions about family and identity and the figure of a forgotten son who reappears from the past...

The hermetic "La morale cede" (Morals give way) evoke a crimson wire from which pain and time are hanging. There's the image of a running man on a golden beach, but at the end of his path there is nothing but pain. Then comes the image of a woman who walks with a heavy pace on her lost soul. Male and female are just two arrogant halves, coherent with their desires but far from each other. And morals give way...

"La stanza e l'angolo" (The room and the corner) is a melancholic, disquieting track that deals with the fear of the unknown and the need for a shelter from the outside world. On the delicate piano pattern, heartfelt vocals tell of a man scared by someone who's knocking at his door. He stands still, silent and motionless, then he retreats in a corner of his room with his hands on his face. He waits for the unexpected knocking noise to fade out...

The beautiful title track, "Dei ricordi, un museo (parte 2)" (Of memories, a museum Part 2), is a long, complex piece that describes a man walking in the wood, in a light rain. His hands sink into the sand and the feeling of the sand falling through his hands brings back memories of old childhood games. Then he comes out of the wood and pushes open an creacking red gate. A driveway leads to an old empty house. A quivering rainbow feather flies around him and its flight opens the way to memory. A relentless wave of memories overwhelms him. Soon, the flow of memories turns into a museum...

"Le due linee gemelle" (The two twin lines) is another hermetic, dreamy piece that portrays in music and words a charismatic artist suspended between past and future. Voice and silence for the show are like the hidden depth of two twin lines. An idea of courage and the unawareness of maturity stem from an unsolved, enigmatic past and an unknown future...

"Sterile" (Sterile) starts by a beautiful acoustic guitar arpeggio and the vocals in the forefront. It's a wonderful piece that depicts a winter landscape and evokes an atmosphere of decadent resignation. The pungent smell of burnt wood and ash fills the air as a freezing breeze crystallizes the thoughts. In the morning the protagonist wanders aimlessly in the forest with the heavy burden of his existence weighing on him, reacting like a hunted deer whose blood stains the ground, unconsciously helpless. That blood is so similar to ash, black dust under the protagonist's feet. Then he searches for a way out of the labyrinth of the forest. Eventually, around him he can hear the noises of the industrialized world that soothe his pain in a sterile wait...

The final piece, "L'amante" (Dei ricordi, un museo parte 3), begins softly and evolves into a sensual crescendo. Music and words try to describe a controversial and morbid relationship that charms and upsets the protagonist. Dragged into a spiral in which senses and reason are lost, overwhelmed by the spells of his mistress, the protagonist is subject to dangerous emotional storms. Storms overflowing with a desire from which he tries to escape with mixed success...

On the whole, a perfect exercise of style and a real treat for Italianprog lovers.

No need to have completed advanced musical studies to realize that we have something heavy here! Look at the names of the musicians present on this album, apart from the drummer who is not very well known (not everyone necessarily knows PANTHER & C.) the rest of the band has a track record and an aura that is respectable to say the least. Note that it is Luca SCHERANI who composed most of the melodies which are magnificently suited to the expressive power of Stefano Lupo GALIFI's voice. Marcella ARGANESE co-composed the title piece in three parts which still totals no less than twenty-seven minutes out of the forty-nine of this "Dei ricordi, un Museo", a conceptual album obviously.

It is remarkable to note that this "Dei ricordi, un Museo" (Memories, a museum) is the first solo album of Stefano Lupo GALIFI, singer of the legendary MUSEO ROSENBACH who published in 1973 the no less legendary "Zarathustra", the one of the greatest opuses of Italian progressive rock, all decades combined, almost half a century! Stefano has since returned to the stage and recording studios as singer of Il TEMPIO DELLE CLESSIDRE and the reformed MUSEO ROSENBACH. We can consider that our man wanted to take stock through music of everything he has experienced in fifty years of career, remarkable will and stubbornness on his part.

One of the last musical flashes of the year 2021 comes to us from ITALY, not too surprising some would say, as the transalpines have offered us quality releases for years and which for the most part age well.

The musical highlights of this album are the inaugural title "Cuore" (first part of the piece divided into three) with a magnificent instrumental introduction before Stefano lays down his slightly abrasive velvet voice worthy of the best Italian progressive rock (9/10) then the second part of the eponymous piece, more peaceful with beautiful symphonic nuances embellished with acoustic guitar (9/10) and finally the third phase of this famous "Dei ricordi, un Museo" divided into three, more classic in its conception, imbued with a brilliant "Italian" symphonism with layers of mellotron to die for, in short you understood it fans of progressive flights this is for you (9/10).

The remaining pieces are not to be condemned for all that, they are overall more songlike and therefore less able to satisfy our demanding ears of progmaniacs, I do not skip them while listening, rather an encouraging sign, they are therefore at least listenable without difficulty.