MEN OF LAKE
Eclectic Prog • Italy
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Current italian band that plays more in the spirit of the 70's than most of their contemporaries. MEN of LAKE mixes the influences of groups such as KING CRIMSON, a mix of psychedelic music ala early PINK FLOYD, Canterbury school, jazzy-pop from the Seventies, blues and psychedelic. "Out Of The Water" shows the maturity of their style with dark vocals & superb Seventies-like keyboards sometimes close to psychedelic. VERY GOOD OVERALL !!!
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Buy MEN OF LAKE Music
![]() | Out of the Water Musea Records France 2006 | $15.99 $18.98 (used) |
![]() | Music from the Land of Mountains by Men of Lake Wheezy Multimedia | $71.44 $43.32 (used) |
![]() | Music from the Land of Mountains By Men of Lake (2001-01-01) Wheezy Multimedia | $66.82 $41.97 (used) |
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MEN OF LAKE discography
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MEN OF LAKE Reviews
Showing last 10 reviews only
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

''Men of lake'' is filled with a vintage atmosphere due to the heavy use of keyboards and especially the Hammond organ.All tracks follow a slow- or mid-tempo,characterized by the intense vocals of Maurizio Poli (in English and non-accented),the psych 70's sounding guitars of Rene Modena (of Runaway Totem fame) and the swirling sounds of the Hammond organ.Actually the album is definitely song-based with no room for really complex musicianship,though its dark atmosphere is superb and thrilling and that's the real talent of the band.However,there are some moments with beatiful organ/synth/guitar interplays and good breaks,which make the listening even more interesting.No more or less,I find this album to be weirdly attractive and every fan of vintage progressive rock and especially VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR,would propably have the same opinion with me.Among my best discoveries ever regarding the lesser-known prog rock bands!
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

"Vipers (In The Bottom of The well)" opens with bass, organ and drums. Great sound. A nice heavy beat takes over as guitar plays over top. I'm thinking of the band STANDARTE at this point. Vocals come in with venom (haha). A calm after 2 minutes with some fantastic background organ and synths. The tempo picks back up 5 minutes in,then guitar ends it. Great tune. "The Day We Met" is more laid back with organ and vocals that really remind me of VIOLETA DE OUTONO. I really like this one. "The Dark Little Figure" opens with piano, bass and guitar. Vocals follow as the steady beat continues. Lots of organ and guitar in this one. Something moving about this song. "The Prodigal Father" features deep bass and vocals as drums and raw sounding guitar help out. I like the catchy chorus. Piano and organ come in as well. It turns darker after 3 minutes with some smoking guitar leading the way. The chorus is back before 6 minutes. That's four excellent songs to start us off.
"Dedicated To Saul Frances Levine And John" opens with a dark mood as keys and vocals lead the way. Synths after 1 1/2 minutes lead the way until vocals return after 3 minutes. I have a hard time getting into this one. "Strange Sleep" opens with drums and organ as faint vocals and guitar join in. A tasteful guitar solo after 2 1/2 minutes. A pleasant synth / organ soundscape follows. Those psychedelic vocals return 5 minutes in. "The Perception Of The Wand" is a feel good song with tasteful guitar and lots of synths. A great sound after 4 minutes as drums pound and waves of synths wash in. Nice bass too.This might be the best of the bunch. "The Ballad Of The Lake" is the shortest track fortunately. Oh it's pretty good, it just reminds me of east coast Folk music from Canada that's all. MEN OF LAKE do it better though.
I like this album a lot but it's just shy of being 4 stars.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

I am tempted to reward an extra star for the band's willingness to evolve, but Men of Lake continues to be plagued by some degree of inconsistency, so that there are just too many lesser tracks and segments to justify an excellent rating, even if certain songs and many moments would be worthy. One problem is that, on too many of the best songs, they abandon the mellow mood midway through in a way that is somewhat lacking in subtlety and evolution. In all, "Music from the Land of..." is a good album that shows Men of Lake going out on a high note, even if not with their "signature" sound. It definitely keeps the band's reputation afloat.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

The first highlight is track 3, "The Traveller", which does not let up for 7 minutes. Apart from Men of Lake's skills with the basic song structure, it features both keyboard and guitar solos of pure joy. They are also masters at mixing in the vocals in an appealing way, so that they really are more of an additional instrument. Then we have Rolling Globe, the shortest track on the album at 4:35, that features more grinding organ, a Moody Blues-ish middle 8, and an emotional chorus. "Any Place any Time" and "Immigrant's Complaint" are both bonus tracks on the CD but are both among the highlights. In particular, "Immigrant's Complaint", as the longest on the CD, is like a song within a song, and that middle section is the best on the entire disk, the lead guitar over the rich keyboard backing and drums being simply spellbinding. So, although Men of Lake is definitely keyboard oriented, they would not be nearly as good without their guitars.
Then you have the flipside, that very harsh psychedelic style with limited melodic value, exemplified by the darker side of the album, proof positive that some styles are best left in the late 1960s, as shown on "Abele's Garden". "Walking Along the Rhine" has its moments but plods along a bit too much, admittedly bursting into a great chorus, something at which MOL have tended to excel. "I don't want to know" and "October Night" round out the filler, if you will.
If you want to explore the full evolution of this group over 3 albums, start here. Otherwise I would recommend the follow up, "Out of the Water", for its more fluid approach.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

The best tracks are all great, so even though the filler quotient is a bit higher than I would like, the gems like the romantic and ethereal "The Day We Met" and the anthemic "The Dark Little Figure" more than make up for it. The peak of the Men of Lake career has to be "The Perception of the Wind", an epic swelling with feeling and virtuosity. The passage that immediately follows each chorus is a prog rock epiphany, with its keyboard heavy underpinnings and minimalist guitar lead to accompany it. The contributions of the rhythm section , particular the bass player, are also worthy of praise.
The album closes with an almost Celtic sounding "Ballad of the Lake". This delightful song seems as a cheerful signal to the end of the original Men of Lake sound, as the following album, "Music from the Land.." is a more modern work less reliant on the organ. It is also worthy, but if you have come to Men of Lake via comparisons to the 1970s classics, this is the album to get first.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by Pé[email protected]

Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by dsanful

Here you find "Canterbury" and "jazz" elements. I consider a great step forward, at least for the innovation in their music. They have a great sense for melody and they sound raw as 70's prog bands. Fantastic. Their music is mellow and dreamy. Imagine you driving your car in a mountain up to the sky with their music. It fits perfectly.
If you like "King crimson", "Van der graaf generator" and "Caravan", this album is for you. "Maurizio Poli" reminds me of "Jesús de la Rosa" from "Triana" as a great and humble leader.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by dsanful

If you take "king crimson" and "Van der graaf generator" with a fantastic voice and some "Canterbury" elements you get "Men of lake". Though, this album is more "King crimson" than none.
Dark and moving music, some times hallucinating and dreamy. Maurizio Poli's voice is dark and original, some times visceral, that's the charm of his voice. The band has a real sense for melody and are true progressive. Every album is different.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
Progbear
Prog Reviewer

Keys seem to largely be made up of organ and piano. Lots of acoustic guitar, giving this a very folky feel at times. Guest players on woodwinds and horns add a classical touch.
Men Of Lake Eclectic Prog
Review by
erik neuteboom
Prog Reviewer
