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Pierpaolo Bibbo - Genemesi CD (album) cover

GENEMESI

Pierpaolo Bibbo

 

Rock Progressivo Italiano

3.52 | 6 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars A welcome return after three decades!

Pierpaolo Bibbo is known by RPI fans for releasing the eclectic, off-the-wall "Diapason" in 1980. For years after he moved on to other projects, notably creating his own studio and doing recording work for others. But for the self professed fan of VDGG and Banco (PFM not so much), music was never far from his mind. In 2009 he began working on the conceptual album "Genemesi" which finally released in late 2012. The album's themes deal with the search for God and issues of religion. Despite being a bit lost in the crush of year end album releases, RPI fans will want to find time to hear "Genemesi."

Eclectic is again a word befitting the ambitious Bibbo, not so much for the structure of composition or even intent, but for the sound. On both albums Bibbo has a unique keyboard sound and on this one he again manages to sound a bit different from most contemporary RPI projects. There is a heavier guitar edge to several tracks, sometimes quite fast and furious, and there is a good dose of electronica that goes beyond the programmed percussion. Dig that epic opening of "Il Viaggio" showing that the multi-instrumentalist Bibbo is a hell of a bass player with an ear for presentation, before the song lurches into nearly a light prog-metal chugging. Bibbo is joined on "L'Osservatore indifferente" by Silvia Ciudino who contributes a deep, luxurious vocal to the song, a lovely moment. Similarly it is Luca Agnello's violin work on "Metastasi d'autunno" that adds some of that traditional RPI lace to the curtain. Bibbo's more frequent contributor here is Fabio Orecchioni, a talented guitarist and much younger presence who has undoubtedly been an inspiration for some of the more contemporary sounds at work here. My favorite moments are the lighter ones when the harder guitar falls away to expose the hazy background keyboard, when in comes acoustic guitar and Bibbo's gift of song and melody is illuminated by soft electronics and as in the case of "Deus Ex Machina", some wonderful choir vocal. Some great moments. The final tracks take a more structured song approach initially as the set-up for big hearted solos, on both guitar and keyboards.

Bibbo's songs are nuanced and feature multiple layers with a good sense of shifting modes, keeping the listener entertained but without getting too distracting. There are times when the programmed drumming leaves me longing for the real thing but this is a fairly minor complaint. For the most part I really enjoyed the Bibbo comeback and hope he continues his progressive rock journey.

Finnforest | 3/5 |

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