IN OGNI LUOGO

Very similar to its forerunner - the same comments apply on the music direction. There are many ideas duplicated from In Limine to this one and the few new ideas do not work very well. I am thinking of the track where a woman is pleading a certain Marcelo (my imagination went for Mastroianni as this tirade seems to come out of a movie) and this does not stand repeated listenigs - becomes very annoying. Too bad for Finisterre is one of thiose fine groups that miss out to capitalize on their full potential.

Once you're self-considered as a humongous Italian prog expert, it comes the time where you should've bumped into FINISTERRE or at least, heard of them. Narrowing the Italian prog rock down to the 70's bands isn't useful anymore due the circumstances surrounding the current renewals and style updates day by day in the European scene. FINISTIRRE is certainly that kind of proposal to pay attention to; their fresh, jazzy, sometimes sentimental and punchy way of handling their instruments is quite amazing to anyone that listen to them for the first time and provokes this feeling of wanting more and more. Maybe some other previous releases by the band will appeal more to you than "In Ogni Luogo", and that I can't counterpoint to; but I find this album in particular as the holder of the missing pieces of the works of yesterday and the crucial key to the projects to come like "Storybook" for instance.

This piece is certainly a reflect of the hard work the band put in to accomplish the task in order to be innovative, unique and convincing. It's got almost everything you'd probably ask to get from a new band: beautiful composition and arranging, symphonic interludes, outstanding instrumental execution and quite an impeccable production. This recording is a must in your Italian prog rock collection; and once inside the record store or wherever you find this album, retrieve FINISTERRE's lead singer Fabio ZUFFANTI masterful rock opera "MERLIN" (written by Victoria HEWARD by the way) as well, you're gonna love it.

This album is quite different from In Limine and people liking their first two releases might be a bit disappointed by it. Whereas the two predessors were deeply rooted in the tradition of 70's Italian Symphonic the compositions on In Ogni Luogo are more modern and mainly straight with little or no complexity at all. One can realize some parallels to Fabio Zuffanti's second project HOSTSONATEN, as well as some NeoProg- resemblance in songs like the opening Tempi Moderni or Agli Amici Sinestetici. Nevertheless I find it a quite good and a very enjoyable, also for repeated listenings suitable album (maybe apart of Snaporaz which could become a bit annoying due to the vocal samples). The music is very versatile and covers Jazz, Folk, Rock and symphonic elements. Compositions are mainly harmonic in their structure with very "ear- friendly" melodies in combination with a quite good rhythm section. Apart of two songs, one with English, the other with Italian vocals the rest of the album is all instrumental. The title song is one of the two with vocals that are very nicely presented by Francesca Lago. The second one, Continuita'dilaraneltempo is quite jazzy and consists of several parts - a quiet vocal one followed by an orchestral one with lots of mellotron and again Francesca's wonderful vocals leading into the final part starting with a quite tense atmosphere and continuing with great electric guitar play. The best and most diverse track is Coro electrico, starting quite heavily with an awesome and furious electric violin followed by a middle part full of soundscapes provided by keyboards and electric guitar and finishing with violin again in a very much oriental vein. The driving Peter's House is offering nice Jazz Rock fusion whereas the last track is finishing the album in a very quiet and atmospheric mood.

As a summary I'd like to say that In Ogni Luogo is a very diverse album with beautiful melodies without being boring at any moment and although being not as intricate and classical influenced as In Limine I would call it as almost equally good as that one. Maybe it's not recommended for those who are more in the "heavy" stuff from them but if you like HOSTSONATEN or Swedish KAIPA you might like to check it out.

In Ogni Luogo (In Everywhere) is dedicated to the spirit of Jeff Buckley.

I have to say that the album is good (sometimes very good) but it did not impress me as I presumed. Dont' get me wrong: not a disappointment, but the general progressiveness of the opus appears, clearly, in a lower profile.

Some pleasant melodic symphonic tracks are still present, though, and I enjoyed them very much! As for the warm and melancholic "Snàporaz" (6,41 mns) that deserves a special mention due to the addition of spoken words from the famous italian movie by Federico Fellini "La Dolce Vita" ("...Marcello, come here..." et cetera). A dreamy and ethereal electric guitar builds up a magical atmosphere that mixes perfectly with the keyboards' section. The instrumental "Ninive" (the ancient capital of the Assirian empire) is also very good but, unfortunately, too short (just below the four minutes). An excellent track for sure and the sax is the icing on the cake.

"In Ogni Luogo" features vocals from Francesca Lago, a melodic pop tune as many in the contemporary italian musical scene only enriched by sparse strings' addition in the final part. Similar weak sound in "Continuità dilara nel Tempo" and in the album's closer "Wittgenstein Mon Amour".

"Coro Elettrico" is much more interesting. Strings duet with electric guitar and it's all very exciting. A more harder intrumental song that fades into a more serious and melodic mood. "Le Città Indicibili" opens with a soft duo between acoustic guitar and flute and then, keyboards and violin.

"Gli Amici Sinestetici" is probably the most favourite of mine. The general mood is melancholic as the whole album is. A sad (and hard) electric guitar opens and, soon, duets with mellow piano's touches. Then, again, guitar takes the scene and reminds me of Il Castello di Atlante. Another highlight is "Peter's House", a very good track with the catching sound of electric guitar fighting with sax incursions.

All in all, a very good album, as I said before. Not brilliant as it could be. Lots of ideas not completely well matured. Zuffanti seems, sometimes, to be too much prolific!!

A pleasant listening, though.

3.50

Finisterre produced some good albums (studio or live) but never over-excited me. Their leader, Fabio Zuffanti is a very busy man. Lots of projects in his musical life : Hostsonaten, La Mascherra Di Cera (my fave), Finisterre, Lazona, Merlin...maybe a bit too much for a single musician.

When I listen to the opening track "Tiempi Moderni" I am just blown away. These five instrumental minutes are magnificent. A short summary of the best Italian prog music. It takes a while to lift off, but when done it is a wonderful song. Magical rhythmic section, beautiful guitar and aerial keyboards. Very much "Genesis"-oriented (while they were four). It is a very strong opener. I just hope that it will not overshadow the other songs from this album. The melody of the second part is just so emotive. Such a beauty. A great and passionate moment. A five stars track IMO.

"Snaporaz" should also have been an instrumental because the "vocals" featured are rather unpleasant and somehow ruin it. Some strings are added and give a nice flavour along with wonderful backing acoustic guitar while "vocals" enter the stage. It almost sounds as a very old "ELO" song (from the "II" era). Really a pity, these spoken messages.

"Ninive" is another very good song. Fully space-rock with fantastic keybords. If you like the early "Floyd - ASOS" this song can only please you. Another highlight (already the second one in three songs).

On this occasion, there will be some guests on this album. I already mentioned some violin but there will also be a female vocalist : Francesca Lago. She has a deep, low-pitched voice which fits perfectly on the title track. On top of this, the violin also brings an added value. So, yes : four good tracks in a row.

"Coro Eletrico" is well named. One would believe it is fully hard-rock oriented. Wild to heavy for about two minutes (a bit too much actually), a wonderful guitar riff combined with strong background keys comes at the rescue. Another full instrumental song which second half is just repetitive and little creative with some Middle-East influence. The weakest song so far.

"Agli Amici Sinestetici" belongs again to the good side of this album. More-guitar oriented, rocking damned good, the mood is very pleasant and the final part of the song is fully symphonic. Crying and so emotional guitar work. Another beautiful song.

"Continuitta" is the second number with "true" vocals. A jazzy and very quiet intro (sounds as a "Sade" one). This long song holds a very good middle and instrumental part during which the symphonic side of the band is fully expressed but it will go back to the jazzy mood later on. Actually this song is suite from jazzy to symphonic sections. It is not a bad song but the mix does not work too well. It should have been two separate songs IMO.

The short "Peter's House" also combines the same genre. It is a short track during which symphonic instants are so beautiful and the jazzy ones so dull. "Wittgenstein Mon Amour" is again on the soft jazzy mood. Definitely not my cup of tea.

IMO, this album holds several excellent songs but some (partial) other ones won't be on par. Therefore I will rate this album with three stars although it deserves seven out of ten.

This one is very modern sounding but it doesn't come close to the amazing "La Meccanica Naturale" in my opinion.

I love the guitar intro on "Tempi Moderi" as drums rise up, slowly building as bass throbs away. The focus is on the guitar as passages are contrasted. "Snaporaz" opens with spacey sounds and some raw guitar melodies as drums come in. It then seems like we are listening to a conversation in Italian. This comes and goes throughout. Annoying to say the least. "Ninive" features steady drums as the guitar kicks in before a minute. Sax after 2 minutes. This is a good instrumental. "In Ogni Luogo" has a nice relaxing soundscape including mellotron. Violin 2 1/2 minutes in. "Coro Elettrico" has an uptempo melody with heavy drums as violin comes in. Violin and drums dominate before the guitar takes the violins place with some ripping melodies. Mellotron is featured as well. The song changes 3 1/2 minutes in to an Eastern flavour that sounds great.

"Le Citta' Indicibili" opens with acoustic guitar as flute then violin joins in. Keys and bass are added before violin becomes prominant 2 minutes in to the end. "Agli Amici Sinestetici" is my favourite song on here. Drums and guitar lead the way. I like when it lightens slightly with piano 1 1/2 minutes in and later. Aggressive guitar is back before 3 minutes.The guitar is outstanding 4 minutes in with mellotron waves a minute later. Nice. "Continuita' Dilarneltempo" features smooth sax, bass and light drums. Female vocals are not that good in my opinion. Mellotron after 2 minutes. The mood changes from a jazz flavour to a dark and heavier sound. Mellotron to end it. "Peter's House" is an uptempo track with tons of mellotron. The guitar shines as well. "Wittgenstein Mon Amour 1.12" is a mellow and restrained song to end the album.

This is a good album, but not a great one by any means.

I was fortunate to follow Finisterre's career since day one, enchanted by their 1995 debut and have hopped on board ever since , even venturing into the various Fabio Zuffanti-led offshoots like La Maschera di Cera, Zaal, Höstsonaten, Aries, La Zona etc?. It's almost always a most pleasant adventure, full of luxuriant melodies and fantastic musicianship, allied with some inventive creativity. "In Ogni Luogo" the lads have chosen a more contemporary tone that surfaces more often than not as the basic principles of RPI are always religiously adhered to. "Tempi Moderni" reflects on these past glories with a gorgeous Camel-like melody, fiddled with Stefano Marelli's magic guitar leading the way. "Snàporaz" abounds in assorted modern colorations (sound effects with Italian dialogue) and a scorching beat fueled by Zuffanti's growling bass, while the guitar waddles in muddier thrashings, occasionally breaking out in some tense leads, all so exceedingly charming and contrast-laden. "Ninive" has that historical leaning that characterized their debut by travelling back, way back into time and addressing the Assyrian capital's reflective power. A sublime "roll down the carpet" entrance morphs into a forceful Marelli workout, the Andrea Orlando drums keeping it nice and tight and some superlative keyboard tapestries from Boris Valle. This is good, ragazzi! The equally brief title track seduces tenderly with a husky female guest voice, very "Girl from Ipanema" cool that whispers voluptuously, some elegant violin fills in the breaches with some romantic lines and the synths ply their trade symphonically. The colossal 7 minute+ "Coro Eletrico" rages from the onset, a whipper- snapper track with more violin (though way more frenetic), a true romp in the sense of the word, bruising and inexorable featuring a stupendous guitar solo slipping on a mellotron choir slide, some wah-wah tossed in for a little sizzle. The mid-section collapses into a somber affair giving the rhythm section a new groove of raw impetus to play with, hypnotic and yet merciless, escorted by some savvy synthesized bubbles until the Arabic horn caters to the ripping violin, giving this a refined Middle Eastern feel full of quarter tones , masterful slice of RPI. The medieval tones of the achingly beautiful "La Citta Indicibili" has a early hint of Zep's Stairway to Heaven, acoustic guitar in cahoots with violin and each taking their pastoral shot at proggy bliss. Another stamp of approval here, as they show clearly their gilded heritage. The raunch level is raised notably on the next track, "Agli Amici Sinesticiti" the guitar getting murkier and raging in barely restrained frustration, very poignant and European, a melancholic jaunt into storied classicism with a truly whopping guitar spot where Marelli really shows off his substantial chops with numerous solos , each one more effective than the other. The choir mellotron adds the obvious grandeur deliciously. The longest track has a long name too, so I won't bother. The agonizing lady vocal returns to the fray, in that same oozing-weeping jazz style, the sax dancing with the vixen, embracing her and the guitar suggesting some torrid thrashing in the bedroom (hey, they are Italians, okay?). Electric piano (one of my fave instruments) pooling droplets with the sultry saxophone, tick-tock-shuffle drum beat, and that tired female sexy voice, hmmmmm! This is original stuff, very daring and dreadfully creative, kind of hard to describe. A wah- drenched axe goodbye has the head shaking anew, man can he play smart. "Peter's House" is more straightforward a pounding little ditty that encapsulates all the prime qualities that the four musicians wish to demonstrate, a bleeding Marelli solo on that mellotron carpet is hard to resist, biting ravenously into submission (which is what a solo is supposed to do!). "Wittgenstein mon Amour" is a stellar finale, the clarinet doing its romantic best to elevate the breezy mood, a whimsical prog lullaby. Fantastic album not a weak track here, so I cannot see why it doesn't get the penta spurs. Sorry , Johnny! So there it Is = 5 Barolos

After the brilliant ''In limine'' drummer Marcelo Mazzocchi left Finisterre to be replaced by Andrea Orlando and the band started a US tour during the summer of 97',highlighted by their performance at Progday.The same year their first live album ''Live... Ai margini della terra fertile'', recorded in Italy and France, sees the light,but this was also their last on Mellow Records.The band moved to Iridea Records and released their third studio album ''In ogni luogo'' in 1998,helped by Francesca Lago on vocals,Hostsonaten/ex-Eris Pluvia Edmondo Romano on reeds and future Zaal member Sergio Caputo on strings.

This time Zuffanti & co. searched for a more specific style of playing steeped with a variety of atmospheres and the sound on ''In ogni luogo'' is deeply atmospheric Progressive Rock with Post Rock elements,characterized by crunchy guitars, spacey melodic solos and hypnotic keyboards and pianos.But while every track moves more or less through this path,Zuffanti and Marelli blend it every time with different tastes,like symphonic orchestrations,powerful rhythm sections,folkish tunes and jazzy overtones.Typical examples are the strong, groovy but trully atmospheric dark cut ''Ninive'',the long ''Coro elettrico'' with the nice combination of rock music with driving violins,not unlike P.F.M. of ''Chocolate kings''/''Jet lag''-era,the symhonic folk instrumental ''Le città indicibili'' or the obscure Post-Rock/Jazz/Prog ''Continuità dilaraneltempo''.The band uses also the advances of technology with pre-recorded narrations,distorted instrumentation and sound effects to make the album quite unique and personal.

While not reaching the unapproachable level of ''In limine'',the new Finisterre album finds the band crimping into deep waters,establishing a more focused style with an extreme diversity of different, light influences and comes strongly recommended not only for fans of their previous albums,but also anyone searching for some really serious music...3.5 stars.