URBAN GAMES

"Urban games" is not as progressive as the bands two predecessor's but it's still quite enjoyable. This is progressive rock with influences from seventies pop which makes it accessible if you're familiar to the typical music that was produced in that decade, but maybe this could also be called 'outdated' if you wish. Unlike other artist who change their style to a more commercial direction, this album still sounds as Machiavel. Still the great Italian singer with high voice and strange accent, still the songs based on piano lines, still the complexity of (some of) the compositions. "City flowers" comes close to a traditional prog epic with its different excerpts and majestic sound, some fragments in the vocals is reminiscent to Steve Walsh from Kansas. This album may be a bit uneven as the gap between pop tracks and proggy tracks is getting bigger. This doesn't mean some of the melodies aren't inspired. Even the commercial single "over the hill" is a great track which I do consider as one of the best songs in the history of the band despite its ska influences. For me the weakest moment of the album is "Dancing heroes", a pastiche to the disco sound that dominated the charts of 1979. Nice idea for a track but I rarely give it a spin.. Other, more progressive, highlights include "The humans" which includes another appealing melody. The bridge consists of the typical mellotron sound and a slice of lead guitar that gives this song an extra dimension. "Still alive" and "Let me live my life" are perfect examples of the fact that Machiavels compositions have been simplified, the progressive trademarks are still present but more apparent in the arrangements. Being both ballad like tracks, "Let me live my life" contains a memorable melody that enters your head and never leaves. A song like "the dictators" is an illustration of the influence of a band like Supertramp. If you like that band, you'll love this song.

Conclusion : The last good Machiavel album but better listen to "Mechanical moonbeams" & "the jester" first.