HABITAT

The fourth album from this Argentine band.

I have heard a lot of positive things about this band and we also have an interesting interview with them here in ProgArchives. But this is my first exposure to their band.

Habitat does prog somewhere between neo-prog, symphonic prog, rock, eclectic and folk rock. They have some toes in each of these genres without really making any serious footprints in either of them. Crossover, in other words. That makes this an interesting album too.

The Spanish vocals is an added bonus and the vocals is excellent. The vocalist sounds like the folk rock vocalist he (Aldo Pinelli) probably is. The instrumentation is very clever with a lot of interesting folksy instruments. That makes a very rich sound.

The quality of the music is somewhere inbetween good and great. My main gripe with the album and it's main shortcoming is the lack of any really great songs. Then again, the sound is great and I am warming more and more to this album. An album fans of both Genesis, Marillion, Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson would really enjoy if given the chance. Putting up stars is a quandry for me and I feel cornered. But a great album requires at least one great song and this album has none. But this is still a very good album and I reserve my rights to visit it again to update the score.

3.5 stars

Argentinean outfit HABITAT has been a band with infrequent spouts of activity ever since the mid 80's, with an elongated period starting in the late 90's that so far has seen the release of four studio albums, of which "Tratando de Respirar en la Furia" is the most recent. This studio effort was issued by the Italian label Lizard Records in 2010.

Those fond of symphonic art rock of the kind that emphasizes moods and melodies will find a lot to enjoy on this high-quality example of the genre, and while the distinctly challenging compositional and musical aspects of this approach don't make many appearances, there's a fair degree of subtle details that, at least to some degree, should cater for those craving for material of a more sophisticated nature. A fine release I would guess should find favor amongst those fond of acts such as Camel.

"Tratando De Respirar En La Furia" is Spanish for "Trying To Breath Amidsts The Fury", and by listening to what Hábitat have achieved in this fourth release you can tell that the fina lresult was more than just an attempt - it turned out to be a real accomplishment of composition, musicality and sonic transparency. It seems as if all three previosu albums had shown sketches and moments of the sort of symphonic splendour that the band (led by guitarist-singer Aldo Pinelli) had always always pursued, and now it breathes in their hands so they could translate it entirely into the beautiful repertoire of this album. It is just so paradoxical that Hábitat should meet its real greatness while decreasing in number - the line-up tha trecorded this album was reduced to the duo of Pinelli (adding keyboards, bass and percussion to his usual duties) and Roberto Sambrizzi (drums and percussion). The majestic instrumental 'La Luna Roja Y La Montaña Negra' opens up the album with a solid colorfulness that sounds like a son of Espíritu and Camel; as a sourde of variation, a pastoral interlude of dual acoustic guitars and flute sends sweet memories of classic Genesis with hints to the quintaessence of folk-prog South American style. The first sung track in the album, 'El Humo Delator', bears a mid-tempo scheme that is cleverly punctuated by a consistent syncopation: it somehow reminds me of Redd. 'Periplo', another instrumental, is one of the album's definitive highlights: dynamic and elegant, very similar to what you would expect from any of your best Italian retro-prog bands nowadays. After this symphonic exaltation comes a minstrel's vibe with 'Lenguaje y Ámbar', an acoustic piece adorned with Arabic colors near the end. The sequence of 'Torres' and 'Detenido Por El Viento' bears yet another straitghtforward commitment to the essence of symphonic prog. Both tracks converge in the manifestation of a moderate sense of energy, with the latter being more focused on melancholic nuances while the former states a solemn vibration that is both appealing and sophisticated. The 'Etnias' section of 'Torres' consists of a brief tribal mood that conveniently segues into 'Detenido Por El Viento'. Influences from Le Orme, H20 and Mangala Vallis can be noticed, although they are not overdone at all. After the wind sounds tha tconclude 'Detenido' arises the crashing of seawaves as a prologue for 'Las Musgosas Rocas Del Muelle': the piano intro and the main motif remain well rooted in the Italian influence. Evene if the compositional basis is quite warmth, there is some greyish mood at times that reminds me somewhat of BMS. 'Desde Una Ventana Del Castillo' brings a passage of Hackettian landscapes in a most ceremonious way, beautiful and subtly uneasy. The officia lrepertoire ends with the 9 minute long piece 'Pastores De Renos': its first section is dominated by piano and synths (emulating a string ensemble and a bagpipe), then comes a mid-tempo progressive section that combines Camel and Apoteosi, and finally, an intimate classical guitar coda brings another Hackettian reference to teh fold. The album's real closer is a Spanish language cover of Le Orme' 'Gioco Di Bimba', which includes an extra rocking interlude: a nice idea to end a very nice album, indeed. "Tratando De Respirar En La Furia" is, all in all, a beautiful example of symphonic prog imaginaion from South American lands and the manifesto for Hábitat's maturity as a progressive rock voice it its own terms.

Hábitat is an Argentinean band that has been around for quite some time: their musical proposal is focused on art-rock elaborations fed with progressive symphonic developments that arise in varying degrees of intensity and colorfulness. Under the constant guidance of guitarist Aldo Pinelli, the band's main writer, Hábitat delivers a stylish sonic framework that is highly melodic, not always as complex as it could be but always bearing a crystal clear melodic scheme, prevalently joyful. Their third release "Puente" is their most solid one so far in terms of standardized progressive musicality. Well, going hands over matter, the namesake opener brings a positive mood in which the catchy flavors of AOR and the straightforward dynamics of neo-prog are gracefully intertwined; Henestroza's keyboard work reminds me of Downs-meets-Banks. More sophisticated is the mid-´tempo track 'Sacando Punta', which might as well remind us of Genesis' 78-80 era: although the instrumental arrangements fail to state the potential of majesty that is ultimately left unfulfilled, the guitar and organ solos are very well crafted. Now, 'Réquiem', penned by keyboardist Henestroza, is an exercise on pompous symphonic ambiences, pretty much a-la Wakeman. 'Juguetes Durante El Día' has to be the album's highlight ? based on playfully sinister ambiences, it states a weird story about toys that come alive at night in a framework that mixes traces of Redd, Espíritu, Goblin and Gentle Giant. 'Labradora Espacial' sounds like some out-take from Yes' "Big Generator": artsy pop-rock moderately augmented with symphonic colors, but of course, the sound production only accomplishes a partial manifestation of the track's overall vibe. This very description also fits the album's closer, 'Guardianes Del Jardín', whose AOR mood is very akin to that of the opener's. Between the two aforesaid tracks, we have the following: a pastoral excursion on Renaissance moods entitled 'La Enamorada Del Juglar' (a duet of guest lute player Enrique Hittos and Pinelli on percussion); the intense, almost- Crimsonian 'Tema Para Universo Limbo'; and the acoustic ballad 'La Última De Las Arañas Buenas', very much in the Anthony Phillips' vein. This is what we get with Hábitat ? stylish eclectic rock with generous doses of progressive elements brought in for good effect. This is what we find in "Puente", an album that has enough good moments to be considered genuinely as an interesting prog album, if not essential.