ORBITAL

Pig Farm on the Moon is one of those many South American bands that are currently giving a renewed strength to the prog movement from the periphery of the Anglo- Saxon musical market: with English lyrics and a style robustly based on classic Yes (multicolored nuances and massive polyphonic layers) and classic Genesis (deep melodic approach), PFOTM did a great job with their debut effort "Orbital". Their musical roots are heavily stranded on the ground of old vintage symphonic prog, but they manage to provide a modernized spirit to their music - not unlike Galadriel, H2O or Glass Hammer - in this way, managing to create something somewhat original under this recurrent prog pattern. At times, some aggressive passages may sound similar to the average prog metal (like DT circa "Images and Words"), but the band's main essence remains as old- fashionable symphonic prog. This group certainly feels quite comfortable creating, delivering and arranging wide-range numbers: three of the album's five tracks range between a 12-19 minute duration, while the remaining two are not too below the 10 minute frontier. This interest in long stuff is complemented by the penchant for epic textures and dramatic mood shifts, two things that this band accomplishes quite proficiently: the clever use of the contrasts between the energetic passages and the relaxing ones is the band's main virtue. The opening track may not be completely successful at this, but generally speaking, the diversity of musical ideas and the links between them are very effective and executed in a refined manner; the 12-minute long 'I Lost My Wings' is, in comparison, more cohesive. The 5-part 'The Queen Maibe' goes to more places, it is a very successful composition, and so is the stunning instrumental 'Genesis' - these two numbers are, IMHO, the highlights of the album. The closure 'The Return of the Rain' starts with a very up-tempo motif, displaying some of the punchier lines in the album, until the coda brings a slow, ceremonious motif that conveys the usual epic ambience - after this coda's conclusion and a few seconds of silence, a delicious Renaissance-inspired sarabande emerges upon the sound of a very worn-out vinyl record. This evoking moment serves as a proper ending for an album like this, full of nostalgia for the good old days of progressive glory. PFOTM have made a damn good entrance in the recording business with this amazing debut album: based on what I find in "Orbital", I have good reason to believe that the latin American progressive scene will continue to generate new great music in this genre.

[I dedicate this review to my Venezuelan brothers Ernesto Caldera and Felipe Martins]