ROUND MIDNIGHT

Often dissed by the prog community, I find Moongarden's contributions quite relevant to the prog revival, even if they are more NeoProg than expansionist. The final Moongarden album with singer Luca Palleschi in the lead position.

1. "Round Midnight" (7:48) one of my favorite prog rockers from 2003--great tension, shifts, musicianship, and melodies. (14/15)

2. "Wounded" (7:25) acoustic guitar strumming while Luca's scratch-compressed voice sings melancholically. In the third minute the music changes ('tron, electronic kick drum and bass). In the fourth minute Luca emerges from his submerged location and the music becomes flanged electric guitar strumming. Fifth minute full band coalesces and everybody is front and center--drums and sustained Hammond chords and sustained guitar (power) chords (kept in the background). Interesting but kind of scattered and nonsensical. (12/15)

3. "Killing the Angel" (4:53) builds into an excellent, power song. Great drumming and vocals. (9/10)

4. "Lucifero" (6:36) heavenly choir with spacey wind sounds panning around until the second minute when Roland electric piano takes over. Luca enters shortly thereafter singing in a voice that is like a combination of Thom Yorke and Peter Gabriel. Never really amounts to much. (7.5/10)

5. "Slowmotion Streets" (5:47) innocuous enough but takes too long to develop. (7.5/10)

6. "Learning to Live Under the Ground" (10:24) power metal? settles down in the third minute for entry of vocals. Nice melodies and chord progressions throughout the vocal sections. Stop/interlude 5:10 to 6:12 which is filled with Luca's four RADIOHEAD-like vocal tracks. Nice instrumental section follows. Another interlude 7:50 to 8:35 filled with reverse guitar notes and then solo electric piano. Interesting drumming display slowly brings us back to vocals--this time more subdued (though doubled up in harmony). (17.25/20)

7. "Coda: Psychedelic Subway Ride" (1:56) (4/5)

8. "Nightmade Concrete" (5:42) solo piano motif is joined by metronomic jazz-rock combo for Luca to sing. The stripped down solo acoustic guitar chorus is cool. A pleasant song about young love. I like the relaxed GENESIS palette of the instrumental passage. (8.5/10)

9. "Oh, by the Way, We're So Many in This City and So Damn Alone" (1:54) (4.25/5)

Total Time 52:25

Great sound, excellent musicianship (especially love the up-front bass on this LP), and a strong, powerful, emotive voice in LUCA PALLESCHI, their music is always an enjoyable and interesting listen. The songs "Round Midnight" (7:49) (14/15), "Killing the Angel" (4:53) (9/10), and "Learning to Live Under the Ground" (10:24) (17.25/20) are all worthy of inclusion in the pantheon of excellent prog music.

C+/3.5 stars; Round Midnight is a nice addition to a prog lover's music collection.