IL GIARDINO DEI VIZI CONTINUI

Not much is known about this quintet from the city of Senigallia, the only information coming from a biography of sorts on an archived webpage that hasn't been updated since 2002. They got together in 1995 and achieved success by playing in the Games Without Frontiers Summer Rock Festival. They released their only album in 1998 and played together through 2002, at which point they seem to have disappeared.

The band wanted to compose music that was accessible but more complex than typically heard. Early in the writing sessions they focused on the character of Fantalone , whose journey to self-realization makes up the concept of this album. It is a sort of "Pilgrim's Progress" in which Fantalone comes to grips with his own fears, depression, and loneliness, eventually finding love and satisfaction.

The music contains many wonderful melodies, textures and sounds (including some beautiful violin), and compositional twists and turns, while still maintaining its accessibility. There is a steady balance between guitars and keyboards. The digital keyboard sounds are occasionally grating to these ears, but overall they are forgivable when taken in context. Likewise the vocals, which are naive but enthusiastic, often engaging in delightful multipart harmonies. They chose to sing in English, and they do so marginally well, but the accent does distract occasionally. But these are small points--overall the music is solid, and I am left with the feeling (too often said of Italian artists) of what might have been had they been able to stay together and make more music.

Overall, this is one of the better Italian offerings of the 1990s, which I'm sure you'll enjoy if you come across it. Just reaches four stars (Gnosis 11/15).