QUIA NESCIUNT QUID FACIUNT

Ivan Rozmansky and friends/collaborators are back with yet another interesting collection of loosely rendered songs.

1. "Bait of Success" (5:55) the opening motif was so cheezy and hokey that I nearly skipped the song. The slowed down middle section is somewhat better but sometimes I really think a group of teenagers could play, record, and engineer the music on these Roz Vitalis albums to a better end form than Ivan publishes them in. (8.3333/10)

2. "Daybreaking" (6:29) a saccharinely beautiful opening turns two chord rock at the end of the second minute before collapsing into some kind of multi-continental mish-mash in the third. (8.5/10)

3. "Fountain" (1:28) solo piano played delicately with feeling and poignancy. Probably the best song on the album. (4.25/5)

4. "Se Camminiamo Nella Luce" (LP Version) (5:49) a song that plods when it feels that the band should be able to easily step up at least double time (and when they do, what was the purpose of those first three minutes: respect for the dead?!) The bass is mixed so incongruously with the rest of the band. The Mike. Oldfield organ is my favorite (next to Vlad Korotkikh's trumpet play, of course). (8.375/10)

5. "Premonition" (9:07) Was Ivan/the band in so much of a hurry to publish an album before the end of the year that they never tested these songs on anybody before they pushed "go"? It's an engineering mess! The weave of separate and innocuous melodies emanating from multiple in the fifth and sixth minutes is so messy and contradictory. The song should be called "Tower of Babel." (16.75/20)

6. "Walking" (5:19) bluesy R&B/jazz? Why not: Ivan's tried it before. 1970s Bob James with Eric Gale on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, and Ruslan Kirillov on distorted, mushy bass. Bob can't resist, of course, to show off his chops on his newest instrumental purchase: a harpsichord. Then the band jumps back on board to ? who? what? Who's the leader here? (8.5/10)

7. "Wides" (6:24) an attempt at some cinematic music in which the inability of the individual band members to stay in sync with one another is intentional (to evoke the sense of tension and disharmony on the movie screen). Unbelievable! Are they even in the same universe? This is a song that my brothers (and daughters) and I could pick and play infinitely better than this crew! (Not that we'd want to, though.) Maybe there is a limit to how much ethanol a Russian can imbibe while still maintaining functionality.(6.5/10)

8. "The Man Whose Wings Were Cut Off" (LP Version) (7:48) Now here's something that is syncopated and yet everyone seems capable of staying together with. There must have been magic in the vodka during this recording session. Around the four minute mark I start to hear the VESPERO influence. Not quite as tight or smooth as their country mates, but a fairly decent product. (12.75/15)

9. "Beautifulness" (LP Version) (4:06) an odd mish-mash that sounds as if it could be a soundtrack to a Russian puppetry performance. I hear some skill in both the composition and performances but, once again, it just feels unfinished/unplished. (8.666667/10)

10. "Nocturne" (1:23) solo piano piece to wrap things up. Too bad they couldn't find a real piano anywhere. Guess the computerized one had to do. (Expedience, mates!) (4/5)

Total Time 53:48

Ivan and company obviously have skills--and I understand Ivan's desire and inclination to display his versions of blending world styles and sounds, but I don't know who his test audience members are because, in my opinion, his blends only work about one in five times; the rest of the times are awkward, sometimes conflicting or contradictory, and never mixed into a "polished" version. It is SO FRUSTRATING because I know these guys have talent and I like a lot of Ivan's ideas, they just rarely feel fully worked out much less finished. Alexey Gorshkov is the album's only saving grace for me. And, occasionally, Vlad Korotkikh's flute.

Were I a professional musician with any sense of pride whatsoever, I would never have published these songs in the states of partial-completion that they're in. It is, to my mind, disgraceful.

C-/2.5 stars; the worst album rating I've had to hand out in over a decade! It's so flawed and unpolished but, okay, listen to it for yourselves if you must!

The last quarter of 2023 witnessed the release of 'Quia Nesciunt Quid Faciunt', the first Roz Vitalis studio album since 2018, which of course, was great news. Prior to this, they had given us a live album entitled 'Peace Live', which I enjoyed a lot, and which carried a very special message, inspired sadly by the war Russia and Ukraine had been fighting in the past couple of years.

Now, maybe with a bit more light in the context, the band gives us a new production where we can find elements from their essence: avant-prog music, Crimsonian sounds, tension, classical and cinematic music, but I think this time with a lighter sound. It is comprised by 10 tracks that make a total time of 53 minutes, songs that as I understood by the description in their Bandcamp site, were composed in the 2010's but developed live in concert years later.

It kicks off with 'Bait of Success', which could be 3 songs in one because it has several changes, in a very prog rock melody. I love the bass lines here and the addition of trumpet, and of course, it is worth mentioning that one can easily notice both the guitar and the synth work, as usual. A pastoral sound enters in 'Daybreaking', a beautiful track with a peaceful yet melancholic atmosphere, 4/4, nothing out of pocket, however I believe this passage is quite sublime, so you can close your eyes and feel enchanted by it. But wait, because after the second minute it completely changes and the sound has now more energy, with a bit of tension, and then a nice mixture of prog rock with mid-eastern flavor.

'Fountain' is a short song, a classical piano interlude that open the gates for 'Se Camminiamo Nella Luce', whose first two minutes follow the same piano-oriented path, then acoustic guitar, drums and synth enter in a soft way, slow rhythm but nice and delicate sound. Seconds later new elements are being added, such as flute, electric guitar, bass and of course, that wonderful trumpet which is a highlight in this album, in my opinion.

'Premonition' is the longest composition, nine minutes of delicacy made prog rock. I like here the band rescued that obscure sound they usually put in their albums, but the difference is that in spite of that dark elements, it still sounds delicate and even peaceful. Of course this is a track full of contrasts where you can hear rockier moments with more energy, and some others with more experimentation and with some symphonic-prog sound, mainly made by keayboards, though all the musician's efforts are equally important. It is also worth mentioning there are moments where you might think every member goes in a different direction, but it's just a proof of their understanding.

'Walking' is an interesting piece because it brings a different mood, sound and rhythm. Maybe it is catchier, but at the same time its richness of musical genres makes it unique. Roz Vitalis also creates music that could wonderfully fit in a movie, and one example is 'Wides', which to me sounds like the background of an old European black and white film. It has a delicious mid-eastern flavor provided by percussion and harpsichord, and later new sounds are being introduced little by little, such as flute and a new-agey atmosphere make by keyboards. The second half will persuade you to dance, which was unexpected (and a little bit funny).

'The Man Whose Wings Were Cut Off' has again a cinematic essence, and the experimentation is always present, you can tell it by its constant changes in rhythm, mood and musical styles. Though I like they are always challenging themselves, I sometimes think there are too many changes, too much experimentation that in moments could make the listener feel confused and maybe lost.

The last five minutes come first with the song 'Beautifulness', a pastoral theme with a classical essence. The flute will give you charm and comfort, while drums, guitar, bass and synth wonderfully complement this peaceful experience. And the album finishes with the one-minute epilogue called 'Nocturne', a sweet piano piece that says goodbye.

Nice to see Roz Vitails so active, music always gives messages and in many, really many times, saves us.

The Latin title of this album can be translated to 'Because They Don't Know What They Are Doing' and it would be interesting to ask Ivan Rozmainsky (keyboards) who he is aiming that at, although one can surmise. It has been five years between studio albums, during which time the world has changed for musicians in Russia and Ukraine, but finally here we are back with their latest release. There has been a slight change in personnel since the last one, but Ruslan Kirillov (bass), Vladislav Korotkikh (low whistle, flutes), and Vladimir Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (acoustic & electric guitars) are still involved, while long-time drummer Philip Semenov has now been replaced by Evgeny Trefilov who also provides some keyboards. As is usual, we also have some guest musicians providing additional instrumentation, of which the most key is the trumpet of Alexey Gorshkov.

I have been following the music of Roz Vitalis for well over a decade now, and there is no doubt they are one of my very favourite Russian bands, but one is never quite sure in what direction they are going to lead us, and this album finds us in a different mood to what I normally expect. While there are still RIO elements, there are less of the modern classical (although some songs, such as "Fountain", still demonstrate those roots), and in many ways this release finds the band both experimenting with their sound and becoming somewhat more commercial. This means it is one of the easiest of their albums to enjoy the first time it is played, and I certainly do not agree with some of the comments I have seen regarding the content, arrangements or production as while this may not be as dynamic and off the wall as their wonderful live albums, they are a quite a different band in the studio and this is far more reflective.

This is their eleventh studio release, and it is nice to see a band continuing to explore what they wish to achieve and how they are going about it as opposed to going through the motions. I continue to be excited when I see they have a new release available and while this may not be as essential as some of theirs, it is still one I have enjoyed immensely and isn't that what listening to music is supposed to be about?