ECCO L'IMPERO DEI DOPPI SENSI

Homunculus Res is a band with a name as hard to spell as any RPI band, even though the hard part isn't another language, and also these Italians aren't playing RPI. Rather, the Res here are chasing the Canterbury sound, that happy jazzy little circle of prog where everything is stuffed full of fuzzy organs and other double-entendres. Despite the language barrier, some (I can't say all, since I don't know what I may be missing) of the album's humor comes across. Look at the first song being called "Il Gran Finale," I don't need to speak Italian to guess what that means. Good song too, they all are.

Quintessenza la la la is probably my favorite song on the album. I listen to this one the most, I love the buildup that continues all the way to the end. I'm also an admitted sucker for "la la la" type stuff, cheesy I know, but this is a prog site so cheesiness shouldn't be frowned upon anyway. The song plays with the la-las quite a bit too, another reviewer said it was poking fun at the concept of music itself in a way. The next song, Il Bello e il Cattivo Tempo ("Good an bad weather") also starts with some repeated harmonizations, not really "la" but in the same vein. This song is a lot poppier than the previous, though still pleasant.

Then comes Viaggio Astrale di una Polpetta, which translates apparently to "Astral Travel of a Meatball." Fun sentiment, the song is certainly bouncy enough to do such a whimsical concept justice. There's some high-pitched vocals in the second half, and the whole song has some fun spacey synths. Then there's Fine del Mondo, which takes a tonal turn in the title ("End of the World"), if not the music itself, which is happy as ever. Perhaps the dour guitar tone is the differentiator. Pentagono, about a (the?) Pentagon, is another jaunty joint, also a tad on the darker side like the previous song.

Parole e Numeri ("Words and Numbers") is a slower one, but still very nice. Qinque Sensi, which I probably don't need to translate, speeds back up. The album has a good balance between more laid back songs and ones that put a little bit more in your face. Fiume Dell'oblio ("River of Oblivion") is a bouncy tune, with some diversions into a more avant territory with discordant warbling underneath downbeat la-las. Then it ends with a trickle and a whistle; another reviewer says the whistler is showering, but I think it may be something else. A strong wee in the garden, perhaps.

Doppi Sensi ("Double Meaning") is the final and longest song. The first half is very jazzy and typical canterbury fun, I don't know the lyrics but I can hear them singing "blah blah" at many points. The second half of the song is a slower ambient piece with some chattering children echoing beneath the synths. A different side of the classic Canterbury scene is explored here, the more spacey Gong side.

This was my favorite album of 2023 on PA's album ranking thread, and I think it still is. It hits all my favorite things, the humor, fun instrumentation, lush and varied synths, and a whole heap of whimsy. I've listened to all of Homunculus Res' albums after this one, and I still think this is my fave of the five.