The Italian Prog Appreciation den

More than a band, Akt is an experimental group who have been searching for something elusive since 1998. Born in Bologna, the band went through line-up changes but now consists of Simone Negrini, Marco Brucale and Alessandro Malandra. Akt has a strong philosophy that music is meant to be shared, criticized, and manipulated by the user. They give their albums away for free on their website, encourage downloading so as not to pollute and waste resources with physical CDs, and generally seek new ways for their eclectic progressive rock to be composed, recorded, and used. Their sound reminds me a bit of another Italian group called The Natural Mystic, though perhaps softer than that.

Their first album called "Déntrokirtòs" came out in 2007 and was well received by those who heard it. They now have released their 2nd full length album called "Blemmebeya" and have been quite pleased at the amount of downloads to date. The new album is presented with another new artistic feature called "OpenBlemme." As I understand it, when finished, their web site feature will allow the user to take the downloaded tracks and dissect them, removing various parts of the Akt members and inserting their own playing. Thus, musicians will be allowed to "jam" with Akt from their own home across the globe, and create some unique improvisation.

While their previous work seemed inspired by Belew era King Crimson, the new album finds Akt in a bit warmer, more organic, more flowing mood. It's still tight and refined stuff, but there are longer, dreamier passages that sometimes sound Floydian, and other times very much like classic RPI with flowing acoustic piano and plaintive vocals. Beginning with a spoken political rant about how the "limits of debate are established before the debate even begins", the songs are assembled like brushstrokes. The piano, guitar, and percussion parts seem very well thought out, and yet they do feel ready for the OpenBlemme project. I was listening with that in mind. I kept thinking, yes, if you remove that part, you could insert a great guitar part there. If the OpenBlemme comes to fruition (watch their site for updates), I think musicians will really enjoy this.

There are some nice moments where swirly keyboard runs tangle with tight guitar and bass lines, with light, disciplined percussion. More keyboards offer background coloring behind the main sections of playing. Acoustic guitars find their way into the sound as well. Really soaring electric leads permeate several tracks but for the most part the modern edge is retained. A slight fusion bent inhabits "Stati d'animo Uniti." This is one of those modern groups like Il Babau Maledetti Cretini for whom you don't know what to expect. There are nods to the classics but the music is always forward looking. The 10-minute "Di Vento" builds slowly to some great ending lead guitar. The final track "La Fine" is a lovely, slow reflection with melodic acoustic lead guitar over sad, spoken vocals. It almost sounds like a solo Roger Waters track. Aside from sound quality that is thinner than I like it, Akt's "Blemmedeya" is another unique and interesting excursion that satisfies.

This free recording is highly recommended to Eclectic prog fans and fans of Italian prog. Check it out and get involved in the Akt universe.

Gran Turismo Veloce is one of the exciting new breed of RPI artists coming online who prove the modern scene is vibrant and not simply a regurgitation of the retro sound. They formed in Grosseto in 2008 and are named after the exotic Italian sportscar. The band began playing live, writing original music, and winning national competitions. They were noticed by Samuele Santanna of Raven Sad and assisted by Loris Furlan of Lizard Records. Their 2011 debut is a fantastic success as well as a superb example of the great RPI still flowing.

GTV certainly have heard classic Italian prog and they sound influenced by it. The first thought that popped into my head as I listened was that this was like a young Banco-influenced band with lots of modern edge. All of the drama of the classic sound is there, with the beautiful piano runs and passionate Italian vocals. But also present are hard-hitting and powerful blasts of alternative rock and heavy, spacey progressive rock, sometimes bordering on metal. It is absolutely refreshing and quite original, infectious and very well executed. The songs are vital, energetic and accessible, containing plenty of quirky diversions and change-ups. You will not be bored and you will not be skipping tracks. Large and generous keyboards and piano, distorted rock guitars, a bitchin' rhythm section, and good vocals. I'm most excited by the songwriting however. I sense with GTV a band who will have a long future of diverse and creative albums which will experiment while always retaining the interest of the 70s RPI fans.

They walk that tightrope with great agility, creating music that will interest fans of current and modern music without sounding clich'd or predicable. There are elements of fusion, metal, and electronica, there is great mood and emotion. There's even a bit of shred, witness the killer wailing on 'L'estremo viaggiatore.' The wonderful 'Misera Venere reprised' features fantastic flute melody over gorgeous welling mellotron (or string synth, whatever it is). They include the fine melodic tradition that many of us oldsters swoon over, but they have that crisp and biting, meticulously hammered heaviness that has become especially important in the last decade. What I love most about listening to this disc is that it never falls into a rut where things all sound the same....each song sounds unique and filled with ideas as musicians are actively chasing their curiosities. This is what good modern prog can be like! We can have melody, reasonable complexity, and heaviness in an accessible band. I can see this appealing to many prog fans whose preferred taste may lie outside of RPI, and I think RPI fans will eat it up. So much to love'but especially the extended (and interesting!) jamming of 'Quantocamia', the voices, strings, piano of 'L'artista, and the hidden sax outtro on the last track! Love the heavy, up-front bass lines, the thoughtful drumming, and the great contrast of the traditional piano with the monster guitar crunch and bold synths.

GTV's debut is truly excellent and I consider this band one of the new trailblazers who will help define the modern RPI scene. It's not just about the 1970s anymore and yet GTV are smart enough to not dismiss the good things that old period gave us. I really believe they love the 70s Italian scene as much as we do, which bodes well for wherever they choose to go, for they will have a true appreciation. The artwork is a clever play on some fishy images that also deserves a nod. Fantastic job across the board, gentlemen. A new era classic.

5 yummy sardines as my friend Thomas might say.