WITH A LITTLE HELL FROM MY FRIENDS

This is not the first album of the Mexican Greco Bastian that I have listened to. The previous ones showed a talented composer, but were lacking, as Greco himself says, of skilled musicians on instruments different from piano and keyboards. Greco, in fact, declares that he is not a multi-instrumentist, and listening to the complexity of his compositions it's quite unbelievable. How can one invent bass lines, guitar solos, drums on odd signatures, if not able to play them? Probably the artist doesn't feel confident enough, but I don't think that he can't play anything but keys.

Anyway, thank to this "low self-confidence", Greco has been able to have some big names of today's avant scene playing in this album, together with his own band, a quintet of skilled musicians.

Describing track-by-track an album of this kind is not possible because there so much stuff going on that it would take ages, so I'll just point to the most peculiar elements:

- Zeuhl like repetitions - RIO flavor in the arrangements. - Unpredictability in the structures. - Time signatures that require differential equations to be computed...

But most of all, a great sensibility. Let me also add that the music is not as dark and depressive as RIO music can sometimes be. It has also some melodic moments.

A special mention is deserved by "Zeuhlito Lindo" (to be noted the humour in the titles): This track has a strong MAGMA flavor, and I must give my compliments to the drummer and the bassist. On this track they don't have anything less than Vander and Yannick Top.

The album is extremely enjoyable even by those who are not used to Avant and Zeuhl. They may start with track 4 (Oniontown) and the unexpected classical guitar that opens it followed by a guitar solo with some RPI flavor. It makes me think to the Goblin's debut.

What else to say: I remember when Greco Bastian asked to be added to progarchives, I had the impression that he was a little presumptuous, but he is simply correctly aware of his skill. "With A Little Hell From My Friends" makes the pair with "Monster Master" by SOT: the two best Avant albums that I've listened to this year.