DAVID'S LODGERS

David's Lodgers are an exciting young band hailing from Piacenza Italy. The five piece began in 2003 but several of the members have known each other since childhood. They have just released their first full length album (self-released) and it really grabs you in its sheer potential, passion, and beauty. The unusual name of the band comes from their producer David, a man who helped the band in their early days by providing a practice space and later by helping them design their home studio. The band reminds me quite a bit of last year's newcomers Coral Caves in that they are attempting to fuse '70s progressive rock with their own vision of quality modern music. Both bands have exceptional talent and songwriting potential, though there are some key differences as well. In Coral Caves I feel more of a channeling of Pink Floyd/PFM whereas from David's Lodgers I feel more of an early Genesis vibe though of course it's not that simple--DL have many other influences as well. Coral Caves sounds more in line with the Italian prog scene of the '70s, also singing in Italian, while David's Lodgers told me they were more influenced by the English '70s scene. Their choice to sing in English is regrettable in my view as I enjoy vocalists who sing in Italian, the language is so beautiful. But despite that I was thoroughly captivated by several of the tracks on this album and look forward to hearing more from them. Composition is shared by the three main members of the band Luca Dallatorre, Riccardo Molinari, and Lorenzo Bernardini. All three are multi-instrumentalists sharing the duties of various keyboards, guitars, and vocals on the album. Their website lists two other names (G.Ziliani, E.Crippa) contributing horns, woodwinds, and loops-not sure if these guys are guests or new band members.

The self-titled debut is an immediately friendly piece of music which shows off the potential of this band. It's full of lush ear candy that is just brimming with life and energy. There really are several genres which are touched on here, from symphonic progressive to neo-prog, from prog-folk to crossover. It starts and ends in dramatic form with longer, more elaborate material that will please any fan of vintage and modern music marriages. In the middle are a pair of simple and sweeter short tracks that may be a little too sweet for some, yet I enjoyed the sentiments and they were well done. The opener "Dice" puts the band's talents on display out of the gate with a tasteful acoustic intro that leads to layered, lush (there's that word again, but you'll know why I use it when you hear this!) acoustic guitars and excellent vibrant bass. The sound to me brings to mind early Genesis ambiances (Trespass/Nursery era) and maybe even some Cat Stevens (think of "C79" or some of the "Numbers" tracks) sense of beautiful melody in the simpler moments. Themes cover topics of destiny and the struggle between the various forces in one's life, good and bad, themes tied nicely into the gorgeous cover art showing mysterious hands holding the dice. Later in the track the drums and keyboards bring more heaviness and drama to the rich and potent melodies. More monster instrumental interplay arrives in "Out of Phaser" and I just love the bass parts again as the mood turns a bit darker on the vocal sections. Things lighten up in the middle of the album with some sweet, sentimental music such as the love song "What I Feel" which recalls Italian folk-rock band Nostalgia. "Ari" is pure folk-rock recalling bands like 10,000 Maniacs or REM with infectious songwriting and vocal harmonies. In the last two tracks the band returns to epic proggy form with over 10 minutes of compelling textures of the guitars, percussion, and keyboards. "The Sun is Shining Evil" has an odd little rhythm that keeps you off balance and reminds me of the last Moongarden album "Songs from the Lighthouse." The closer "Frenesy in A Minor" features colourful instrumental painting with some cool spacey keyboard exploration in the latter half, a really nice ending for the album. David's Lodger's bath the listener in an impressive array of keyboard textures through including ARP Odyssey, piano, mellotron, synth, and organ. And yet they don't skimp on the guitar either with lots of Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett energies being channeled throughout--beautiful stuff! All in all I enjoy the band's joyful, creative blend of melody which seems to favor thoughtful song construction over aimless jamming (though I can enjoy that too!) They join the growing list of young Italian prog bands that seem to be blooming at the moment.

Like Senza Nome, David's Lodgers is an entirely self-released affair and shows just how professional these releases can be nowadays, able to compete with label stuff. Production is not perfect here but it is very good and I would guess this album will lead to label interest if the band wants that. David's Lodgers is going to please any fan of melodic, modern prog-rock along the lines of Moongarden, Magic Pie, or Coral Caves, as well as those who love the '70s but want an updated slice of it. This is an impressive debut from a band that has much promise.

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