ZOICEKARDIÁ

Aria Palea is an italian contemporary prog band that focuses on acoustic and electric interplay, with an important role for flute. Instruments are reduced to the essence: flute, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums and percussions. The unespected element are the recitative and weird vocals that in some parts really reach the highest level of theatrical development I ever listened to. Just try, for example, the intro "Zoicekardìa (Prologo)" where recitative vocals alternates to strange laughings and noises until flute comes in and opens for an interesting duo/interplay with electric guitar, in a jazzy temper a la Jethro Tull's This Was. Very interesting, especially for Tull's lovers as I am.

The general sound of the album is clearly and freely inspired to early Jethro Tull, and also Stand Up features as the isnpiration here. The track "Scena Dopo Scena", in particular, has a similar structure of the Tull's big classic "A New Day Yesterday". Other tracks are more freely played with more improvisation and quasi-jazzy feel as "Verso la Foresta". Very good work on acoustic guitar, I admit it. The whole record is convincing and should be in any prog folk collection.

The magnum opus here is the closer "Zoicekardìa (Il Volo)" which is the longer song, over 11 minutes with high level of progressiveness and improvisation with the opportunity for all the band's members to show their own talents. Lyrics are not in italian but, I presume, in local dialect from where the band comes: the southern part of Puglia. This is a peculiarity of the italian prog folk experience, since the folk side of music depends on, mainly, to the local traditions that still are very strong here. The most relevant example is Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare and their lyrics in Neaples' dialect.

Aria Palea really deserves much more attention, even from fans of the italian prog experience. The fact that the prog folk sound was and is still almost always behind the scenes, explain well why this fine band remains one of the most obscure ones.