ELEMENTI

Perhaps I am growing soft in my middle age. Once again, I find that a seemingly mediocre effort becomes an excellent one in the space of a few attentive auditions. Sure, it's true that I am a pretty big LE ORME fan, but not at all a blind apologist, and this album did appear at first to typify the classic sound of this classic band without capturing its spirit. The main theme of "Danza Del Vento" would seem to be the primary culprit, a bland B movie sci fi theme that keeps coming back on us like a cheap buffet meal. When looking beyond this misstep and even considering it as a mood setter for a cohesive subdivided suite, I am left rather impressed that such wizzened proggers could proffer such a...er...cohesive subdivided suite.

The first sign that all is well is the intricately and lovingly constructed "Il Vento, Il Cielo E La Notte", with one of the only guitar solos of note on the vintage keyboard dominated disk. Aldo guides us on an emotionally charged encounter with the sensual elements. From here, the short instrumental pieces interlock the short songs in compendium style, with inspiring results, chiefly due to brilliant synth work, vocals and melodies, be it the uplifting "Risveglio", the fiery "Lord of Dance", or the reverent "Canto di preghiera". Even the scat like vocals of "Il Respiro" connect to the primordial in both man and prog. And, as if we couldn't spot the pedigree, the sitars of "Dove Tutto E!" remind us from whence we came, blended artfully with Andrea Bassato's violin.

While the nostalgia factor of le Orme's best seventies albums will always trump the recent releases, it's clear from this mature and lovingly compiled effort that they remain an elemental force in RPI.