ORFANADO

It often happen that without specific signals a musician felt the need to search for other paths, other possible ways to express himself musically. The power and the passion for music appear when you least expect it, suddenly, modifying all your setting. This is what happened to these two musicians.

After their personal ways to play music (not related to Prog and maybe something very extreme for my ears) in search for strange distortions, high volume and noise, Alessandro De Zan (percussion but also guitar)and Riccardo Mazza (guitar) start their personal project called "Orfanado". This unconventional duo come from Conegliano (Veneto - Italy) based their project on acoustic guitars, sitar, wind instruments and percussion with 11 short songs (only one of 5 minutes) for the most instrumentals. The first listening could seems taken for granted or even nothing new, but when the ear get back confidential with psychedelia this album really results a delight!

"Iter" (that seems to allude to a kind of journey, a procedure to do) born in 2011 after three years of collaboration between the two musicians. It is expression of a field of music often hard to understand, maybe for its vastness and its numerous ways to be played. The structures of the work are evocative and dreamy, where the atmospheres are deep and seem to come from a place with no time. It sounds as one of that late 60's Psych Folk with many Arabic sonorities and Eastern-tinged guitar explorations, some touches of Krautrock and some classic arpeggios. At the end of the listening you may feel yourself more peaceful, in harmony with the all. Really a strange sensation that I don't felt since firsts Pink Floyd's albums. The names that come to mind are POPOL WUH for tracks as "Zenith" with the sitar in evidence and a rhythmic session in line with the atmospheres (as indeed throughout the album), or "Giordania", truly evocative and introspective with the inclusion of gloomy electronic structures; or another influence so pleasant is that of LED ZEPPELIN's folk side into the beautiful "Avorio" (Ivory) with the add o flute and beautiful arpeggios, and even in "Niagara". Some proof of their more creative mark is "Pianti" (Crying), short but very impressive and "Albero Maestro" (Mainmast) which sounds seems come from a mysterious wood where gnomes and elves are celebrating a ritual. The song "iter" that gives the name to the album, seems to follow the same line of "Avorio" always in Led Zeppelin's style but here with a sung piece. A wooden flute opens "Aria" (Air) and it seems to come back in the previous forest to walk for hidden path and fatally attracted to the curiosity of adventure. "Mantra" gives us a moment of primordial sounds. With minimal and simple instrumentation are created warmth and intimate atmospheres which evoke a world of peace, calm intense and introspective. The last 5 minutes song "Delta" is an inspired moment very pleasant and more vibrant if you accept the term seen the calm tones of the album.

A very inspired album, free from defined structures or particular label. Sure it is into Folk and Psychedelia but I felt free tones, light and dreamy. It is an obscure pearl forgotten into "no yet heard" folder that is pleasant to rediscover. It lights up the will to appreciate again Folk music to get lost again into meanders of psychedelia.

3,5 Stars ... Your own little psychedelic evasion from reality.