LES CHÂTEAUX DE LA LOIRE

On the debut of Ellesmere from Italy (a project of Roberto Vitelli) we hear a chamber type of symphonic folk. Or progressive rock without the rock thing. It reminds me of groups like Celeste (also Italian), the classical tracks of Focus and more recently of the Jordsjo sideproject Eldsmark (which I can also highly recommend). The music also reminded me of the lighter parts of Karfagen's 'Echoes From Within Dragon Island' record. You'll hear warm Spanisch guitars, mellotrons, flutes, sounds of nature and some gentle percussion. What I like about progressive rock is its musical story telling and its ability to cast distinct atmospheres in your living room. This record does that very well in a gentle and pleasant way. The concept of that French castle, the beautiful artwork and the well written & coherent symphonic folk match perfectly. The album has some encore's of its main themes and might have well been a single piece. The quality of the vinyl is great and the production sound is also more than average for a small production like this.