MANO AI PULSANTI

A modern RPI "one-shot" classic, and a free download

RPI fans know well the story of the 1970s "one-shot" band, those groups of young guys who released their lone esoteric classic before fading into the dusk of history. Well it still happens in the 2000s. Adharma were a hard working band in the mid 2000s when they got the chance to record a full length debut, and just like the old days, they had but a short time to nail it. And nail it they did. I'm so sad this cool band didn't last. "Mano ai Pulsanti" was a concept album dealing with criticisms of media and television, the relationship between reality and media-reality, and power. Their influences included the usual English prog giants Floyd and Crimson, modern bands Mars Volta, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Radiohead, as well as legends of the Italian cantautori De Gregori and De Andre. They personally remind me of their fellow Italians in Akt, as well as the Wilco of the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" era.

The music is a superb meld of modern sensibilities and classic progressive rock atmosphere. Unlike so many of the 2000s albums which can be overly loud, overly dense, and over-produced, Adharma has an almost-minimalist sound, but one which is by no means timid or flat. This rocks and has bursts of aggression and chops, but it also has the most serene and poignant moments of space, where the keyboards create pure atmospheric highs. Stressing atmosphere over melody at times, the keys create a broad background palette where you can hear both Radiohead and 70s influences come alive. Electronic blurbs and washes work together with perfectly constructed runs of piano or organ. Rarely do keyboards grab me like they do on this album. Alongside the colorful keys you have guitar and drums that are both comfortable laying back or attacking aggressively. All of the other Italian pleasantries come and go as well. You will find your share of boisterous Italian vocals, heated passages of saxophone jamming, odd sound effects, and choirs.

"Per I Balli di Domani" surfs along in almost detached fashion for a while before the finale launches into pure aggressive, blissful abandon, with super-chugging guitar and raging drums over saxophone. "Colpo Grosso" embraces the avant tendencies never far below the surface in good RPI, with odd sound effects leading to an Eels-like dreamy loop. The 3-part, 12-minute "La Gabbia Nel Mare" is my real favorite. Starting with spooky keys and veiled vocals, it offers a mix of the beautiful and the disorienting. A nice fusiony jam of piano and sax comes. There are even spacey sections here almost like Kingston Wall might throw in. Again, it's the choice of key sounds that blows me away more than the notes or speed. There's great intuition for mood. Part 2 is a sound collage of pure violence and part 3 is also quite strange. The closer "Rue di Rivoli" is a perfect finish, typical RPI piano of a stoic nature backs some narrative vocals over what sounds like a dinner party in the background. It then jumps into a more muscular section with some high pitched keys retaining the common "dreamy" vibe running through the album, then slowly fades. I love this album. If you read this guys, get back together for a 2nd album!

This is one of those fantastic obscure gems which every RPI fan should grab before it disappears. There is no CD. It is offered as a free download or stream here: www.trovarobato.com/adharma/mano-ai-pulsanti.html

From metal to flesh

Dealing about the unholy marriage between mass media and television, and how we year after year slowly get sucked into a vortex of stupidity, Adharma's sole album may not be reinventing the wheel, but it feels honest - and furthermore does it touch upon a subject that is as real and tangible as ever. Sadly, it is not the cultural fine tunings of a media in touch with the human equation that we meet the most in this our much beloved box. Yeah well maybe it is, because there are obviously people out there who keep reaching for the remote, whenever Jersey Shore is about to start...

Whatever it is, we still love the comfortable numbness that we are met with whenever we turn on our televisions. Resistance is futile!

The music on offer here is a thrilling mix of Italian old school progsters as well as a modern sound that sneaks its way in through the back-door. Whether it is done through radar-like subsonic electronics that simmer underneath most of the album, or felt in the vocal department that echoes the sensibilities of Thom Yorke - that is without ever sounding like the man himself, - you are never in doubt as to which era this record belongs to.

If you can imagine a concoction of slow moving Dillinger Escape Plan, Mars Volta, Radiohead and a decisively more electronics dominated Cervello, then Mano ai Pulsanti should be the final equation. I remember downloading this a good while back - genuinely taken aback by the sheer quality of this free album, - and yet here the other day I suddenly dug it out from my computer, where it had remained unplayed for a long period of time. One of these days I'll probably forget my own head... Is this what it feels like getting old?

The moods here are generated by dense and luscious guitars that twinkle and shimmer - holding hands with the aforementioned electronics - culminating in a powerful and quite melodic approach. Sprucing things up we are treated to something that is pretty rare inside the world of RPI, that is at least to my knowledge, which is the maniacal almost punkish rhythm section, where especially the drums thunder away like a percussive tropical rainstorm. Again, just like with the guitar and electronics, the intimate feel of instruments finishing each other's sentences is continued within the keys department. You hear how the occasional mellotron laps up against the swaying of the frail piano, and the world suddenly turns from grey to colourful - from metal to flesh.

From time to time the music gets vitalized by different reeds feeling warm and welcoming - though still possessing that angular and quite teasing expression to them - relegating the feel of Cervello, or indeed Danish band Burnin' Red Ivanhoe. Other such types of guest appearances are a choir, noise or an extra guitar - all helping gain that passionate and engaging sonic experience. My personal fave is however the wonderful theremin of the first part of multitrack La gabbia nel mare. An 'epic' in its own right that threatens to explode at any given moment - and actually does in the very end sounding like a bomb has been set off.

I really dig the feel of this album - the beautiful piano melodies that every once in a while come to the fore - subduing your high blood pressure and stressed out mind - or the astonishing mix of modern electronics and fusion touches all mixed up with a clear adoration of the RPI of old. This one's got a genuine personality of its own - whether it is speeding on the highway with punk-like attitude or chilling in the grass with ethereal voices and docile gentle accompaniment. 3.5 stars.

A trio of three young Italian musicians from Sardegna, established in 2000, moving to Bologna a couple of years later, searching for some success.Adharma consisted of multi-instrumentalists Simone Ena, Riccardo Aresti and Jacopo Incani and, after several lives, they signed with the Jestrai label, on which they recorded their debut EP ''Risvegli''.The following year they recorded their full-length debut ''Mano ai pulsanti'' at the MagazzenoBis Studio in Bologna during the Easter time.Failing to secure a deal, which would lead to the official release of the album, they disbanded in 2008.However ''Mano ai pulsanti'' was offered as a digital download via the site of trovarobato.com, featuring a few guest musicians on sax, guitars, drum machine and theremin.

Adharma were definitely an original group.The vocals of the lead singer Jacopo Incani had a strong, theatrical edge akin to Nicola Randone and parts of the album even resemble to the sound of its own RANDONE band, having an epic, Italian flavor with orchestral overtones and decent melodic lines.However musically Adharma were much more varied than RANDONE, mixing Heavy Rock, Pop Rock, Avant Prog and Fusion stylings into one, attractive and very dense package of solid musicianship.They went from frenetic, fast grooves with a high level of energy to furious interplays with dominant use of guitars and lots of keyboards around, while some tracks had a jazzier edge with sax in evidence.Even so this effort seems quite balanced with rich instrumentals parts constanly followed by deeply atmospheric soundscapes, always supported by Iacopini's excessive vocal performance.Very modern and stylistically competent material, which often seems to break new grounds and that's because they combined unrelated paths in a clever way, starting with dark piano themes and sinister narrations and ending in powerful interplays and ecstatic vocal/music interactions with the 3-part ''La gabbia nel mare'' being the absolute highlight, sounding a bit like BIRDS AND BUILDINGS.

From the band members, Jacopo Incani continued a career on his own under the name of IOSONOUNCANE, exploring more Alternative/Indie Rock territories.

The sole document by Adharma is a solid album of consistent, captivating and schizophenic Progressive Rock with numerous, different influences and every listening unveals something new, making the demise of the trio a letdown.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

My experience with the RPI genre has been mostly dipping my toes into the pool every now and then, usually with albums by the likes of PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, and a host of other more obscure acts. So I cannot put Adharma's sole release of Mano ai Pulsanti into its proper context within this genre, but if this aspect interests you, there are other reviews for this album that might be very helpful right here on Prog Archives.

My discovery of this album was from reading other reviews noting that this album was a free download. In many ways, this may be the group's invitation to say, "Hey, listen to our music! Spread the word!" And so I am...

Adharma's debut is a good mix of old school prog rock (to my ears, both RPI and British prog rock influences) and modern prog rock. Reference points might be a mix of Radiohead, King Crimson, Modry Efekt, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, and PFM. Their music is genuinely energetic, sometimes picking up to a frenzy wall-of-sound in places. Sometimes it calms down to a beautiful, peaceful section, only to rip you back into another frenzy. There aren't any acrobatics by any of the musicians; they all perform their roles as if part of a whole. Vocalist Jacopo Incani approaches theatrical heights sometimes, but never overdoes it. I guess the only downsides to this wonderful album are a sort dated- sounding production (which isn't necessarily bad) and what I would call a cheesy misuse of drum machines in places. But the power, energy, and sometimes eeriness of the music outweighs any of these weaknesses.

Well worth four stars. As I understand it, this band is no longer together and that's too bad. They left behind a wonderful debut album, another "one-shot" RPI classic.