GAROFANO ROSSO

So what do I think of it? Well, it's quite remarkable, frankly. It's dark and gritty at times while also being uplifting and powerful. It is very classical at times, but very electronic at others. The odd yet beautiful artwork compliments the music well. This album has so many different moods housed within that it is a completely different experience every time. If all Italian Symphonic Prog is like this, then I am sorry for putting it off for so long!

My favorite tracks on the album are: 10 Giugno 1924, Quasi Saltarello, Esterno Notte (Casa di Giovanna), Suggestioni Di Un Ritorno In Campagna, and Tema di Giovanna. Each song has its own theme or mood, while sometimes carryingf that over into new territory, while other, shorter songs seem to stay where they are the entire time. Neither song style is bad, and both work very well, here. I assumde since this was written for a film that the band must have been making the length of each song pertain specifically to certain situations already recorded on film. So the sometimes stagnate state of some of the shorter songs doesn't bother me much. They recorded only what was needed to create a certain mood for any givens scene, and sometimes that took longer than others. I hear some recopitulation as well here and there, reminding the listener and/or viewer that this is pne big piece of something. The album on the whole is very visual, and that is how any good soundtrack should be.

All of the tracks on the record just seem to speak to me emotionally in ways that I haven't been spoken to since Tool's ''La te ra lus'' back in '01. Yes, some of the tracks may get a little funky here and there, but that's what makes this album so cool! One minute it sounds like your listening to Bach, the next moment you could be listening to Ozric Tentacles (this form of genre-meshing can be heard very clearly on the album's title track). The combination of classical music and psychedelic influences really works somehow for these guys, and I for one am very impressed.

So there aren't any lyrics, I frankly don't care. The music itself is so pleasent that any voice overtop of the compositions would most likely kill the effect the music itself has on its own. Trumpets, guitars, keyboards and violins all converge on this effort, and somehow, this odd combination works! What impresses me the most with this is that the band never seems to fall short anywhere. Never does it sound like the musicians are missing their marks or not quite saying what they want; on the contrary, every note, every song, every mood change or sudden switch of pace all seem to be part of te plan, and the emotions come out of the music seemingly effortlessly. Now THAT is true talent there, folks.

The technical prowess found here is exceptional, as well, and while I don't always think that is what makes for good music, it can work to the music's strengths and make it better as long as the person playing the instrument has talent to begin with, which I feel this band certainly does.

Granted, I am not sure how the band's other albums compare, and I do realize that this is technically a soundtrack and not a free form studio album, but hey, if the bands albums proper are anything even remotely as good as this (or even better, perhaps?), then I will be more than happy that I discovered Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso.

So, there you have it. My first venture into uncharted waters in Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's instrumental album Garofano Rosso was a success. I loved every minute of it, and I will come back to Italian Symphonic Prog and more specifically BMS again very soon for a second helping. Truly remarkable stuff. I am quite pleased. I only retract the one star on the rating scale because I still don't know how this album compares to the band's other work, otherwise this would have gotten a perfect five. Four stars isn't bad, however.

Happy listening.

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