ALORCONFUSA

Apryl began life in 1995 in Conegliano, a town in the province of Treviso. After a first immature demo that was recorded in 1996 and entitled "Tela", in 2002 the young band finally managed to release their debut album on the Mellow Records label entitled "Alorconfusa", recorded between 2000 and 2001 with a line up featuring Ermanno Barsè (keyboards, piano), Giorgio Riondato (bass), Alberto Celotto (guitar), Andrea Lorenzet (drums, percussion) and Leandro Di Giovanna (vocals). The result of their creativity is an interesting mix of vintage sounds and more recent influences although, in my opinion, the vocal parts are not always up to the task. The art cover by Flavio Gregori tries to capture the musical content...

The long, complex opener "Hesperia" sets the atmosphere. It begins by experimental sounds and a sudden surge of pulsing energy alternated with more relaxed passages. The music and lyrics evoke the image of boy who has just captured a beautiful, colourful butterfly with a net. As he admires his prey in a transparent box his fantasy begins to run and the butterfly becomes a nymph, daughter of the night. Atlantis is her home, a lost island where golden apples grow... Eventually, the magic beauty of the butterfly and its desperate efforts to escape from the box move the boy who decides to set the little creature free...

The evocative, cinematic "Ghe-pardo" (Chee-tah) is an instrumental track that goes through many changes in rhythm and atmosphere drawing a kind o game full of jerks and slowdowns where you have to get lost to find yourself again... The following "Tarta-ruga" (Tur-tle) starts softly by a simple guitar arpeggio. The atmosphere is dreamy while the music and lyrics conjure up surreal images of hanging waves, suspicious clouds and tidy seabeds hiding mysteries and memories. Then something strange shines through and gets out of the lagoon, towards the land...

The last track, "Nelle vesti di Adia" (In the guise of Adia) begins by an oblique waltz tempo while hermetic lyrics add touches of autumnal colours upon the musical canvas to stir your imagination. The music drives you through many changes in rhythm and mood alternating soft, dreamy passages to bursts of energy taking you between lights and misty shades where subtle, dying figures dance in the twilight, so close to touch you...

On the whole, an interesting work that deserves a try.