L'ISOLAMENTO DEI NUMERI PARI

I had to bide my time with this one as well, reading all the glowing critiques with unfettered jealousy, waiting for its arrival into my collection, as this album is being vaunted as the next great RPI thingy. I am also a sucker for the powdered lime green album cover/inner art, a delicious forecaster of the moody music that may lurk inside (Think PFM and Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs), plus the band is from Verona , one of Italy's many urban jewels.

As my dear Aussie colleague pointed out, humour is are commodity in prog (thank goodness for Jethro Tull and Uncle Frank) and these Italians certainly know how to shovel a fair amount of it with utter glee. The title means "the isolation of even numbers", so every second track lasts 6 seconds and is bathing in silence, a goofy little trick whose only purpose is not to take their craft too seriously. Secondly, there are prog winks to King Crimson and nods to Jethro Tull, a mischievous show of respect and cheek. They can get away with it because their inherent chops are quite imposing too, no hint of Gorgonzola anywhere!

Each track targets a differing mood, showcasing a wide palette of inspiration and technique that spans the entire RPI spectrum from folk to space, psychedelic to symphonic with slivers of blues, rock, jazz and electronic. Perhaps my expectations were too high but I somehow did not really get into the stark sound, the rawness did not really inspire me. I prefer the more melodic side of RPI and have difficulty with the growlier options such as Museo Rosenbach (which I still can't get into), De De Lind, and such?..

"E Stato del Tutto" is a slinky affair with a bopping bass, intricate drumming and a raw synth that somehow acts like some sonic serpent, coiling and hissing along the way, winking at Manfred Mann in a salacious relationship with Gary Numan (Thanks Michael) . The guitar is fresh and rambunctious, certainly in paralleling a famous KC riff just to remind us who their icons are.

The same applies for the reptilian "31 Aprile" with its 'like a dead duck' Tull riff, a little "My Sharona" ?like guitar montage, while the olive oily synthesizers carve boldly above, juicy and colorful. Stop and go prog this is, punky and brash.

Humor, you ask? The magnificent "Brie-Collage" is a play on words (love that stuff!), the French word 'bricolage' means a hobby but also serves as a cute wink to the famous Polish neo-prog band and the lovely French cheese associated with the genre! The 8 minute affair is way moodier and atmospheric, the Paolo Iemmi bass showing bold moves! Guitarist Michele Antonelli has a gruff style, even when in a blues mood with the wah-wah pedal, but his vocals are imperial. Keyboardist Massimo Babbi has a retro-modern style that is quite effective in keeping ones guard vigilant.

"Fotografie" is another slow burning bluesy dream work, rollicking bass shovels forward like some deranged snow plow gone berserk and Michele emotes on the microphone with alternatively howling, hushed, echoed and gravelly abandon, on a diversified platform of sonic experimentation that will include some judicious use of flute. Babbi does his Emerson/Premoli interpretation (winks at 'Celebration') to stamp more RPI glory onto their craft.

"Sono Io o Sono te" is more upfront and splashy, choppy organ tribulations and raunchy guitar that verges on hard, while the voices slip into raging and angry mode. Drummer Pontone provides some serious bashing to the mix in order to better ascertain that a sense of dissonant neurosis rules supreme. Balls.

A brief musical interlude, time for some gentle pastoral respite from all the previous tornadoes, before returning into Dante's Inferno , as the nasty "Servito" pillages forward like some horde of Huns heading to conquer Rome, agile yet utterly brutal. Antonelli's axe thrashes hard-edged riffs like Thor hurling thunderbolts (the 'Akkerman on Hocus Pocus' guitar is obvious), swerving this into a delirium that cannot leave one cold.

The epic piece here (and the highlight really) is the 10 minute + "Non Ricordo", a fluttering ride of haunting vocals built on a careening theme that is both vast and manly, the musicians preferring a muscular approach that is hard not to like. I am once gain impressed by the engulfing and overt bass guitar, as it sets the mood with both confidence and conviction. Antonelli is not just a chop-maestro but can also emote on his axe, as his meaningful solo is both bluesy and intricate, a real eargasm of the finest order, his licks clanging, searching and desperate. His tired voice does wonders on the receiving end, a heady mixture of exhaustion and grace. The mercurial flute is perfectly penciled in to provide some sense of distant hope. Fantastic stuff!

"Pugni Chiusi" ends this affair on a more upbeat note, playful in music and theatrical in voice (Cormorano's Raffaello Regoli), sounding almost like some hit song from the Italian pop world gone prog. Though not my cup of espresso, it's fun to see and hear musicians who do not take themselves too seriously especially in the ornate world of prog.

It took me a few spins to find my way into their astral laboratory but the patience has been rewarded with some serious appreciation. This coming from one who prefers the more moody aspects of RPI and prog in general. The gorgeous cover work only enhances the reputation of this fine newcomer on the Italian scene, I am looking forward to their next work.

4 Binary Incarcerations