All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread

A few days later an album came, I listened to it and said to myself - “nice”. Such an Italian Porcupine Tree. I don’t know who should be more angry with me for this statement. Firstly I perceived it as enjoyable and nothing more. Why after more listening something in my brain have unlocked? I don’t want to say that the others are not able to unravel with their limited minds the whole artistry of this music and only mine did it. No. I am not an obsessed fan of some subordinate band. Still I am some sort of a big boy (unfortunately lately I am growing widthwise) and I won’t be tricked by some trifle, or won’t admire any damn nonentity. That’s why have I become such a big advocate of “In Ogni Luogo”? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just my peculiar penchant, or genic configuration.

It’s my favorite prog-rock album of last ten years. One of my favorite album of 90’s – first pentad. After “Amused to Death” by Waters, “American Ceasar” by Iggy Pop, “Grace” by Jeff Buckley, “Stille” by Lacrimosa. “Up the Downstair” by Porcupine Tree and the debut album by Rage Against The Machine. Like I mention, this album began my acquaintanceship with the work of this worthy Italian band. But when I heard other albums, the earlier one’s – “Finisterre”, “In Limine” and recently issued “La Meccanica Naturale” I felt a bit disappointed. The band did their tribute to traditional progressive music – Italian tradition of PFM, Le Orme, Banco, but in more modern version. Mainly, because King Crimson from “Lizard” to “Red” also. “In Ogni Luogo” is the first and by far the last album, which can be fully perceived as progressive. The band have tried to do a diverse music. Not by mistake is it dedicated to Jeff Buckley. And thanksgiving to Radiohead, or Smashing Pumpkins are not coincidental also. It’s hard to unequivocally define what’s on this album. There isn’t much typical progressive rock playing. And you can’t say – here it’s progressive, here it’s not. Everything is permeating and mixing. It’s very close to jazz on “In Ogni Lougo” and “Continuità dilaraneltempo” – mainly because of the stylish, sensual singing of Francesca Lago. And only she sings on this album. And on “Snaporaz” we can hear some dialogues, from Fellini’s “8 ½” I guess… So many voices. The rest are instrumental works. Very diverse works, musically rich – frequent and beautiful violins, sometimes like VDGG, sometimes like King Crimson, sometimes like a music from a smoky jazz club at 3 A.M., when the band plays more for themselves, than for the public. It sounds like a musical patchwork sewed with many different pieces. But it fits to each other and makes the whole thing coherent. Maybe because most of the songs are connected? Like a fifty-minute single.

Warm, dappled patchwork, with which you can bundle up yourself by putting your headphones on and effectively drag away from reality. Truism. But in fact it’s one of those few albums that are worth of such words. And it really doesn’t matter that “Le città indicibili” begins exactly like “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.

One advise – it’s best listened as a whole.