RESPIRI LUNGHI 1000 MIGLIA

This unknown Italian band hailed from the city of Acqui Terme, having a core of four musicians.Original formation appears to have been Valter Camparo on keyboards, Roberto Camparo on bass, Davide Pronzato on guitar and Roberto Maggiotto on drums, later to expand to a five-piece line-up with Maggiotto switching to the vocals, Fabrizio "Biz" Genta replacing Pronzato on guitars and Fabio Zorgno jumping in as the new drummer.Only release of Plenilunio came as a digital purchase in 2012 under the title ''Respiri lunghi 1000 miglia''.

Plenilunio were extremely influenced by the 70's scene of Italian Prog, not much of the Banco or Le Orme school, but more of the FORMULA TRE, ERRATA CORRIGE and similar bands' stylings, which was an undisputed Symphonic Rock of the softer side with slight poppy injections.Their debut contained twelve short tracks with mellow keyboards, smooth guitar plays and excellent vocals, all obtaining the classic romantic sound of the Italian tradition and le by some exceptional melodies, refined orchestrations and light electric tunes.Despite the relaxed atmosphere the armour of the band comprised of Mellotron, organ, acoustic and electric piano and synthesizers towards a flexible instrumentation.About 1/3 of these pieces are very accesible with Melodic Rock sensibilities, driven by the background keyboard parts and the emotional solos, while the rest of the album is good, albeit a bit secure, Italian-flavored Prog Rock with symphonic interludes, spacious textures, sentimental vocal harmonies and Classical-tinged piano themes.But even these cuts tend to be very memorable with focus on solid songwriting than complex moves, not necessarilly a bad thing, because the music is pretty great with Maggiotto being a fantastic frontman and the instrumental core performing at a sufficient level switching from symphonic to artistic to ultra-melodic deliveries.

I guess with this album the band was done for good with no further updates on their FB page, but the document left behind is a fine example of melodic, soft Italian Prog with symphonic orientations and a discreet old-school aura.Recommended.

Plenilunio come from Acqui Terme, a small town in the province of Alessandria and in 2012 released an interesting debut album with a line up featuring Roberto Maggiotto (vocals), Valter Camparo (keyboards), Fabrizio Genta (guitars), Fabio Zorgno (drums) and Roberto Camparo (bass). It was entitled Respiri lunghi 1000 miglia and was released on the digital label Battitorumore/Believe Digital (so far, unfortunately, there is no physical copy available I'm aware of). Although the love of the musicians involved in this project for bands such as Premiata Forneria Marconi or Locanda delle Fate is apparent, their main influences seem to come from classic rock and Italian canzone d'autore with a strong leaning for melody. The songwriting is not particularly challenging, there are no long suites or extended solos but the final result is pleasant and never banal. According to the band, their pieces should be considered as small pictures on the walls of the feelings with gleaming frames to enhance their content, every single note is meant as a chisel for the lyrics that capture the meaning of emotions lost in winter mists and troubled hearts lightened by a full moon on a sleeping plain...

The opener "Giugno '78" (June '78) takes you back in time on a journey on the wings of nostalgia. Sitting in an armchair with a cat at your feet, watching at an old photo-book with a smell of white glue, you listen to an old vinyl album... The first notes take off like bats drawing mysterious trajectories in your room and conjure up the images of a trip to Zurich in the seventies, a solid friendship, hopes and dreams. Now your memories are like lightnings escaping from the clouds of Time...

The title track "Respiri lunghi 1000 miglia" (1000 miles long breaths) tells of old split ups and painful separations, ships sailing across infinite, metaphorical oceans, people and lovers that you can't forget, moonless nights without love, timeless vigils and unexpected come backs after years of absence... The following "Il blu" (Blue) depicts in music and words a magical dawn and all you have to do is close your eyes and imagine a dreamy landscape with woods and hills all around: you would like to pick up a piece of blue sky and put it in a canister saving it for the grey days...

Next comes the melodic "Pioggia" (Rain) that describes an autumnal day with rain drops falling on the windows like tears from the sky and dancing leaves in the air swept by the wind. You can see the bolts on the horizon tearing apart the sky like knives while romantic memories are still lingering in your head... "Il finestrino" (The window) takes you for a while on the dark side of the moon and depicts a train running fast across hills and plains. The thoughts of a commuter on his way back home unfolds while the panorama changes outside the window...

"Sogno" (Dream) is lighter and depicts a man who is living a kind of musical fairy tale, a daydreamer strolling around the city and feeling like a child in an amusement park. It leads to the suggestive "Inconfessabile" (Unconfessable) that tells about the meeting of two lovers in the city, on a windy winter day lightened by desire and passion. Then it's the turn of the calm, reflective "Le paure" (Fears) that evokes old fears, haunting memories and icy dreams melting in an autumnal day, swept away by the inner light of a new awareness.

"Arrivi tu" (You come) recalls Lucio Battisti and is light and melodic. On an autumnal day the image of a charming, smiling woman comes out of the blue and makes your heart beat fast... Next comes the bitter-sweet "Lettera al paradiso" (Letter to Paradise), about the relationship between a father and his son. "Sui gradini" (On the steps) is a romantic piece that tells of emotional alchemies that set your eyes on fire while your reason get lost on the rocks of your senses. It leads to closer "Pleni", a short instrumental with an ethereal, baroque atmosphere...

On the whole, this is a nice album with strong melodies and some good ideas but I'm sure that this band can do better. At the moment they are recording a new album with a renewed line up and I'm looking forward to listen to it...

By the way, you can listen to the complete album in streaming on deezer or spotify: have a try!