ITALIAN LUXURY STYLE

Five years after the release of the debut album called "Le Ore I Giorni Gli Anni" Italian band Moogg pleased with the new album. Essentially, the new work of the Italians is a wonderful continuation of its predecessor. "Italian Luxury Style" is an excellent jazz rock/fusion with some Canterbury flavour, with a predominance of the instrumental component. Although, in some tracks there is some vocals. But it a bit and it is always appropriate and pleasing to the ear. Very pleased that along with the high level of performance of the musicians of the collective they don't forget about the melodic component. Therefore, the album listens easily and with pleasure. Each musician brings their own flavor, this album is the talent of each member of the group manifested perfectly. But, perhaps, especially to allocate the drums - listening to them a pleasure!

I give this album the highest rating and highly recommend it to listeners of prog-rock!

4.5 stars. Hard to believe it's been five years since their previous album "Le Ore I Giorni Gli Anni" but yes I'm happy to say these Italians are back sounding just as good as ever. One lineup change as we have a new bass player on this one. This new album seems to get away from what I felt was a pretty strong DFA vibe on the previous album. This one comes across as being more complex at times but for sure you know it's the same band with those excellent Italian vocals and that Jazz/ Canterbury style. Tom Hayes says "I want everyone to hear this!", yes this is another winner from MOOGG.

"Leri/ Italian Luxury" opens with piano melodies then a powerful soundscape takes over briefly before what sounds like clavinet takes over with drums, then a full sound arrives. This is catchy and somewhat funky even. Angular guitar after 2 1/2 minutes as it starts to solo over top. Synths take the lead before 4 minutes as the guitar steps aside. The guitar is back then we get a change 5 1/2 minutes in as it calms right down with intricate guitar as the bass and drums join in as well. It all stops before 6 1/2 minutes as a new soundscape takes over of riffs and spacey synths before we get vocals(love them) for the first time before 7 minutes, piano too. It mellows out after 8 minutes then builds as the vocals continue. A change before 9 minutes as we get some impressive drum work and more. So good! Ripping guitar 10 minutes in as the tempo picks up. Check out the bass solo that follows, then it all kicks back in with fast paced piano and more. The guitar and upfront bass is back! What a great opening track but I still think the title track from the previous album is their best song and opener.

"Nani, Veline E Cortigiane" hits the ground running and I'm so impressed with the instrumental work here. The bass, drums and guitar really shine. A calm before 2 1/2 minutes with prominent bass and drums only at first then the keys join in too. It settles back after 3 1/2 minutes but I'm still loving the bass work and piano. Oh yeah the guitar continues to be outstanding. Vocals arrive after 4 1/2 minutes. It's building, even the vocals are more passionate. So good!

"Turista Per Sembre" opens with a sample of someone sanding wood? I'm not sure(haha), sounds like he just blew the shavings away. That sample returns after 4 minutes as well, a rubbing sound. Anyway we get piano, a beat and intricate guitar lines throughout. It's fairly laid back and trippy. "L'estinzione Del Congiuntive" opens with a funky groove that sounds like Zeuhl all the way surprisingly. Electric piano joins in as well only adding t that flavour. It all picks up before 1 1/2 minutes and vocals follow as the Zeuhl vibe disappears. Check out the drumming a minute later. Angular guitar before 3 minutes then some strange spoken words as the guitar and drums continue.

"Le Voyage(Pour Christian Vander)" is a song that has some incredible drum work on it not surprisingly as it's dedicated to the MAGMA founder. Sounds rise and fall then we get some cool drum work and electric piano. Synths take over and then the guitar starts to solo over top before 2 minutes. Nice. More excellent drum work follows with organ this time then the synths return. The guitar is back before 4 minutes as themes are repeated. A calm follows as the drums and bass seem to play randomly. It kicks back in at 5 1/2 minutes with the guitar grinding away. An incredible song.

"Due Come Noi" is a beautiful and laid back tune with piano, a beat and strummed guitar. "Italian Luxury Style II(Including Ritorno A Liri)" has a big opening but it settles quickly. Synths, bass and atmosphere help out before the vocals arrive. The bass, drums and synths lead the way before 2 minutes then the guitar starts to make some noise after 3 minutes. It settles right down around 5 minutes in and check out the percussion a minute later. Some soaring guitar around 9 1/2 minutes as well.

I think this is a better and more consistent release than the previous album even if my favourite song by them is on that earlier record. They've upped their game instrumentally in my opinion. One of the best from 2016.

Formed back in 2003, Italian band Moogg released their great little debut album `Le Ore I Giorni Gli Anni' in 2011, and a charmingly melodic take on the Canterbury Scene sound it turned out to be. It was a sprightly and polished effort that won the band a small fanbase, but in retrospect it seems like a mere rehearsal for what they have delivered on their follow-up `Italian Luxury Style' five years later in 2016! The politeness and carefully composed pieces have been replaced by a fiery and spontaneous liveliness, with more emphasis placed on red-hot Seventies-styled full-blown jazz-fusion, and even a touch of Zeuhl here and there! The seven extended pieces on offer are performed with an attacking heaviness that brings the group a little closer to an Italian fusion band like D.F.A, but there's still little traces of the infectious playfulness of the debut found throughout too.

The album is bookended by two lengthy self-titled parts, a mix of busy constantly reprising jazz-fusion themes and deft jamming. Opener `Ieri / Italian Luxury I' buoyantly bristles by way of Toni Gafforini 's sparkling electric piano and whirling keyboard runs, Marco Dolfini's exotic and nimble percussion and Ivan Vanoglio's electric guitar gliding between bouncing funky licks and strangled wails. A vocal break in the middle is wistful and smooth, Marco's charismatic croon purring as the piece tears towards a racing tantrum of rattling drum attacks, Roberto Matiz's stuttering bass spasms, a frazzled guitar wig- out and spiralling piano implosion in the finale.

With its frequent drawn out raging electric guitar runs, the high-energy `Nani, Veline E Cortigiane' wouldn't have sounded out of place on D.F.A's `4th' disc or one of the more guitar-dominated Canterbury bands like Gilgamesh, but it also seamlessly works in a cool Caravan-esque electric piano-tiptoed saunter in the middle and a cheerful vocal scat to close on. `Turista Per Sempre' is a dreamy and mellow summer finger-snapping stroll with a spring in its hopping step, but there's teasing little fiery bursts here and there to keep you on your toes.

The mid-way point and `L'estinzione Del Congiuntivo' plies a permeating Zeuhl atmosphere and sense of danger to the Canterbury sound jazziness, with murky grumbling bass and glistening electric piano tendrils behind dirtier snarling guitars, and Marco even adopts a ravishing Christian Vander-esque murmur to his voice. His busy and sparkling drumming dominates the slinking `Le Voyage (pour Christian Vander)', dedicated to the Magma visionary, and around some catchy repeating themes it slides into a darker groove of gnarling guitars and slithering bass/drum duelling, and plentiful delirious zippy keyboard freakouts are not too far removed from modern band the Tangent, themselves a frequently Canterbury- inspired group.

Instrumental `Due Come Noi' is a sublime late-night sobering come-down, full of a longing romantic tenderness to its gentle acoustic guitars but it also manages to avoid being overly pretty or too delicate, and the impromptu electric piano throughout recalls Steve Miller's contributions to Caravan's hugely underrated `Waterloo Lily' album. It just might be the album highlight, and that's on a disc crammed beginning to end with amazing music!

`Italian Luxury II (include Ritorno A Ieri)' then returns to the opener and delivers a final run of powered up and driving jamming packed to the gills with peppy rapid-fire whizzing keyboards, plenty of foot-tapping grooves, slithering Zeuhl-flecked bass ruminations, big percussion-fuelled breaks and a searing guitar climax to end on high.

Moogg's debut might have already been a winner, but `Italian Luxury Style' is exactly how a band not only improves on a strong first product, but completely steps up in status as a band and delivers a vastly superior follow-up crackling with inspiration and future potential. Up there with eclectic and colourful genre-melting works like the Mad Fellaz recent second album, `Italian Luxury Style' is an essential jazz-fusion/Canterbury-related release (and one that Zeuhl followers should also investigate!), and one of the finest releases, Italian or otherwise, that emerged in 2016.

Five stars.

Great album.

This is a good album, although I find the quality dips a bit after the first two tracks. Basically sounding like an Italian National Health the music one can except is without a doubt Canterbury Scene. The first two tracks I'd consider excellent for their exciting instrumental prowess and well placed vocals (in Italian). The music is all very cool and even at its worse is still good. Unfortunately after the first two tracks particularly on the fourth track the songs are not excellent, just good. The songs after feel thinner, less bold. For me this album just loses steam as it goes on which is a shame as it has a great start that takes up 1/3 of the album.

Also #Canterbury Scene

Easy 4/5, great album.