INSOLUBILIA

Blessed with an all-star lineup of collaborators--a vertiable who's who from the now defunct AltrOck Productions record label--Paolo Botta has once again produced an astonishing collection of songs expressing his eclectic and extraordinarily diverse musical roots and interests. Creativity of the very highest degree! An album that definitely takes several spins through in order to begin to make sense of all of the gifts inherent within.

1. "Sudo" (3:44) angular, heavy, symphonic, avant prog that sounds very much of an amalgam of all of the artists who contribute the realization of Paolo's composition(s). After the music of 2011's 1000 autunni, the opener comes a bit of a surprise--much more in the vein of Not A Good Sign and Camembert than I was expecting. (8.75/10)

2. "Insolubilia I" (6:24) brilliant, theatric, classically-infused prog. Again, the directions and styles incorporated 'under one roof' are quite surprising to me--quite a revelation. I love the use of female vocalise within the weave of the music--as if it's another instrument integral to the whole. Brilliant! On this exploration of the Insolubilia themes we are treated to strings, horns, and Jacopo Costa's brilliant mallet work (as well as the contributions of the Not A Good Sign rock ensemble). (9/10)

3. "Tor Cia" (1:38) an interesting experimental synth étude. Reminds me of Larry Fast's Synergy work. (4/5)

4. "Insolubilia II" (6:54) "old" sounding organ, flute mellotrons open this before guitar, harp, theorbo, marimba, and Ciccada's vocalist and flute player take over the leads in this folky song. The Not A Good Sign quartet provide the full rock baseline for most of the rest of the song while a wide variety of other instruments lend their intermittent and collaborative talents to the fore- and backgrounds. Cool song. (13/15)

5. "Lo Stagno del Proverbio" (3:07) part classic Italian folk song, part experimental jazz sound testing. Piano, glockenspiel, and trumpet seem to provide much of the foreground here. (8.75/10)

6. "Akumu" (6:06) pensive yet beautiful--kind of a cross between Mike Oldfield, Not A Good Sign, and Aranis. Love the effect of Thea Ellingsen Grant's Annie Haslem-like voice vocalise being used as a principle instrument throughout the song. Brilliant! A top three song for me. (9.25/10)

7. "La Nona Onda" (7:00) Quite symphonic with its wide diversity of instrumentation (especially the prominent vibes and bassoon) yet, at the same time, very heavy prog. (13.5/15)

8. "Scogli 4" (2:46) harpsichord, winds, and weirdly effected bass (clarinet?). Unusual, interesting, and humorous in a Markus Pajakkala kind of way. (4.5/5)

9. "Insolubilia V" (6:56) part Keith Emerson (organ, keys), part MAGMA (bass), part Yugen avant/RIO (many-layered orchestral jazz feel), part RPI (mellotron) with some powerful drumming and surprising dynamic shifts. Another top three for me. (13.75/15)

10. "Insolubilia IV" (3:50) opens with old Mike Oldfield like organ (almost Farfisa) with Mélanie Gerber's airy folk vocals embedded within. Quite nice--though feeling quite British! Love the almost mediæval, North Sea Radio Orchestra feel, as well. (9/10)

11. "Insolubilia III" (7:08) Using piano, I can hear the chordal and melodic similarities to several of the "previous" Insolubilias--especially #s IV and I. Once again, I feel a strong allusion to some of Mike Oldfield and Renaissance's music from the 1970s from, only a bit jazzier this time. The sparse soundscape is, again, something that I really like about this one. My final top three song. (13.75/15)

Total Time 55:33

Though I am tremendously impressed by the heavy, prog rock forms on this album, it is the more spacious, more Renaissance-like constructs that I found easiest to enjoy. However, ever single song here is so heavily nuanced with such a large number of diverse instrumental contributions that I can see discovering little gems within the music for years to come. Bravo, Paolo (and friends)! Your work and dedication continues to show how serious your are: you have delivered yet another masterpiece of fresh music to our artistically homogenized world. Thank you!

A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and definitely one of the most creative albums of fresh, new music from 2021. True prog lovers are going to want to add this one to their collection as it is sure to give years of enjoyment revealing its many treasures. I have no doubt that this, like 1000 autunni, will long be praised and cherished for its complex, masterfully-crafted and virtuosically rendered compositions. A treasure that will certainly grow on the listener over time.