I DREAMED OF ELECTRIC SHEEP / HO SOGNATO PECORE ELETTRICHE

It was just random luck that I ran across the information that this album came out...yesterday? Two days ago? Quickly found a full version online, and here's a rough sketch review, hopefully enough to answer the question-should I buy it?

The short answer is, if you are a PFM fan, yes.

If you are a lapsed PFM fan like many of their original fans are, you likely dropped out after Jet Lag in 1977. Some might have hung in there for Passpartu and Suonare Suonare (1978 and 1980 respectively). Relatively few stayed as the band transitioned from prog giants to a much simpler pop band with prog flourishes. Each successive album brought diminishing returns as the 80's transitioned to the 90's. 2017's uneven Emotional Tattoos brought us the first studio album proper in nearly two decades.

Which brings us to 2021. I had the good fortune of seeing PFM on the 2019 tour in Italy, and they were devastatingly powerful onstage as they ran through their hits, obscurities and classic pieces. So I knew there was a good chance this might be a decent album. New-ish guitarist Marco Sfogli crackles with energy, and brings a metal edge and quicker tempos to the band. Stalwarts Patrick Djivas and Lucio 'Violino' Fabbri have been in the band for four decades, and with Franz DiCoccio, drummer and leader of the band, form a core that is still very powerful onstage. DiCoccio has said in interviews that this release, I Dreamed of Electric Sheep (based on Blade Runner) was a tribute the times of Covid. Where socializing became taboo and bands were forced to record remotely in far flung studios miles from each other band member. This album is the result.

The album is released as a duplicate double CD or double LP on vinyl, giving the listener a choice of the English version or the Italian version. (Older fans should go straight to the Italian version while newer fans might want to start with the English version to get a handle on the storyline). Differences are minimal-most of the songs come off better in the written Italian language, far more mellifluous, syncopated and syntax precise than the English translation. Vocalist DiCoccio is clearly more comfortable in his native tongue.

The opener Worlds Beyond starts with classical flourishes that lead to a Dream Theater tinged metal prog instrumental. Adrenaline Oasis has a not so inspiring start, but soon brings some classic PFM energy and melodies to the proceedings. City Life starts with an ominous spoken word intro before dropping into a song that would not be uncomfortable on Starcastle's Citadel. Most of side one, or the first 20 minutes of the 40 minute album vary between high energy pop/prog/metal and Suonare Suonare era jaunty PFM pop.

The second side of the album is stronger than the first side, and the song featuring Steve Hackett and Ian Anderson (both recognizable in distinctive sounds) is one of the highlights. The final three songs (the last ten minutes) are the pieces that will bring out the most smiles from long time PFM fans. The elegiac Kindred Souls builds slowly in an Irish inflected mode, propelled by the instantly recognizable guitar of Hackett and flute flourishes from Anderson. Some minimoog work from Flavio Premoli cuts through the 90's sounding digital synth work. The final instrumental jam will perhaps be the highlight for many, a real blast of genuine instrumental high energy classic era PFM showing why they were one of the best bands on the planet in their heyday. (Listen closely and you can hear DiCoccio put his drumsticks down at the end of the jam to end the album)

Overall the album is a cool concept album of the covid era, albeit hampered by an overly digital feeling, with a little too much generic synth flowing throughout. Think transitional Marillion, some Dream Theater, Suonare Suonare era PFM and a bit of real classic PFM all swirled together. If that sounds appealing, definitely check this out.

3 stars

Apart from diehard fans, I guess most progheads know about PFM primarily for their output in the Seventies, yet they have never gone away and have kept going with what I would consider to be minor line-up changes given their longevity. This album was released in 2021, more than 50 years on from the debut, still featuring founder drummer and lead singer Franz Di Cioccio, while bassist Patrick Djivas has been there since 1974, Lucio Fabbri (violin, viola) was there from 1979 for eight years before leaving and returning in 2002 while everyone else has also been there for quite a while. Founding keyboard player Flavio Premoli has also returned as a guest, while both Ian Anderson and Steve Hackett also pop into assist.

The version if have here is a double CD, with the album available both in English and Italian ('Ho Sognato Pecore Elettriche'), and while the former allows the non-Italian speaker to understand the concept story, I must confess I prefer the Italian just because it flows that much better in their native tongue. Playing this reminded me of why I enjoyed PFM so much back in the day, yet it has also been brought up to date and while it still contains many of the RPI elements one would expect from one of the founders of the sub-genre (love the Mini Moog), there are also plenty of others which are far more Neo in their output. The guitar can be very rocky and biting at times, and the dated layered keyboard sounds work well with this more aggressive and powerful attack.

There are times when it becomes quite classical and symphonic, others when it is far more restrained and delicate, the result being an album which never sits in one musical area for too long before moving on. This does not sound like an album recorded by musicians who are no longer in their prime and they are certainly not just releasing an album they are hoping fans will purchase as this is something which is highly relevant and deserving of being uncovered by those who have not previously come across them. This can be vital and exciting, or laid-back and reserved, and one never knows where the music is going to head next as it twists and turns. I see I need to look back and investigate their more recent releases as this is a superb release which is worth investigation by all those who enjoy progressive rock.