ALEX CARPANI BAND

'Microcosm' is the new (2022) album delivered by ALEX CARPANI, my first review attempt when it comes to this experienced composer and multi-instrumentalist. Yep, I immediately was convinced, most certainly got stuck on this when starting to listen. Since more than 15 years he has produced a vast amount of music, which might be referred to several genres in general. That means not exclusively progressive rock, but I would say equipped with a strong preference on that anyhow. Sometimes the project is assigned with the suffix BAND, sometimes not, it doesn't matter in the end. It's a case where he has the hat on for sure, manages a lot on his own. But this is augmented by several guests too in any case, where some of them are really big names, for example featuring David Cross (violin) and David Jackson as well as Theo Travis on diverse wind instruments. Carpani is managing a very appealing progressive art rock album featuring some singer/songwriter touch overall. Let's say akin to Kevin Gilbert on solo paths somehow, just to give a proper clue regarding the stylistical classification and the quality standards in general.

This album is spreading a wonderful atmosphere to the world. It all starts with the touching Starless that will promise an enjoyable excursion furthermore. First 'Don't lie, don't cry ...'. Kiss And Fly is rocking the boat, a really interesting multi-varianted composition. And then 'Let me cry, let me lie ...', God Bless Amerika, 'I just know it's not for me ...', lyric-wise accusation or at least some criticism is shimmering through obviously. Excellent organ and piano appearance on The Mountain Of Salt furthermore. Terrific, initiated by a nice piano line the instrumental Prime Numbers turns out to be my personal album highlight, at the moment at least. The cheerful jazzy mood, diverse solo activity, wow! I can't come to another conclusion, this are round about 60 minutes playing time where every track has something special to offer, absolutely entertaining. It grows with every round, a colourful experience, just like it is with the tempting front cover picture.

"L'orizzonte degli eventi" is the fifth album by Alex Carpani and was released in 2020 on the Independent Artist Record label with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (vocals, synth, programming, virtual guitar), Giambattista Giorgi (bass) and Bruno Farinelli (drums). According to the official website, this is "a kind of visionary and existential concept album about the imaginary line that divides the possible scenarios of our lives, in the moment when we are in front of big life decisions". The overall sound confirms the new course of its predecessor, open to pop and new wave influences, but this time the lyrics are in Italian and in my opinion a good term of comparison could be represented by some of Franco Battiato's recent works like "Dieci stratagemmi" or "Ferro battuto"...

The album opens with 'L'orizzonte degli eventi' (Event horizon) where, on a base of sound effects, the narrative vocals of an astrophysicist give the scientific definition of event horizon, a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. After that, the event horizon becomes just a metaphor to describe some crucial life passages and the relativity of every thing and the first track is just an introduction linked to the following 'Lava bollente' (Boiling lava) where the rhythm rises and you can ride on an imaginary train "running against the grain" through dream and reality, time and memory.

'Fiore d'acqua' (Flower of water) is a dynamic piece that deals with love and nostalgia, the desire to reach a person who is far away from you and the importance of the memories she left behind. Memories that seem like pages of a book written in the wind... Next comes the ethereal atmosphere of 'Il perimetro dell'anima' (The perimeter of the soul), a piece that describes in music and words the strange feelings of a foggy morning and the rising power of an invisible force that shines through the clouds... The nervous 'Tempo relativo' (Relative time) is about time passing by. As As the merciless blade of time comes down, darkness devours light and life while deceiving illusions melt in a storm of emotions... Then it's the turn of 'Sette giorni' (Seven days), a surreal track about the effects of the daily grind on dreams and regrets, freedom and desires.

'La fine è là' (The end is over there) deals with environmental issues. The rhythm is frenzied, the atmosphere tense and threatening while the lyrics evoke the need for a desperate run against the clock to stop the human tendency to self-destruction. What comes after is the aggressive 'Nel ventre del buio' (In the belly of darkness), a kind of invitation to dive in the heart of the night, an advice to look for the hidden side of things to find the right balance between expectations and reality. Then 'Le porte' (The doors) closes the album with its reflective mood and a pinch of spirituality.

On the whole, a good album although very different from Alex Carpani's excellent early works in a more symphonic style.

"So Close, So Far" is fourth album by Alex Carpani and was released in 2016 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (keyboards, programming, vocals), Ettore Salati (acoustic and electric guitar), Joe Sal (vocals, guitar), Giambattista Giorgi (bass) and Martino Malacrida (drums). If compared with his previous works, it marks a deliberate change of musical direction veering to an elaborated A.O.R. and leaving behind vintage instruments and symphonic prog in favour of a modern, simpler sound. All the tracks have a common thread, the difficulty to communicate with each other even in an era dominated by social media and by a technology that seem to create interpersonal barriers instead to help us to break them down. The artwork by Gigi Cavalli Cocchi tries to capture the image of this world in reverse...

The opener "The Eve" is a short, melancholic instrumental track that leads to the lively, melodic "I Tried And Tried" where rays of light pass through heavy clouds and distant marching steps resound in the air, growing like shadows from an obscure past. Musically, memories from the eighties are knocking at the door...

The lyrics of the following "Man On The Wire" conjure up the image of a man walking on the thin rope of life between madness and fear, trying to avoid the tricks of everyday life. Here the music every now and again reminds me of Ultravox...

The bitter-sweet "Stay With Me" opens with an acoustic guitar arpeggio, the music and lyrics try to evoke the scent of the sea and a sense of inner magic sweeping off fears and doubts... A good style council where more eighties influences are mixed with a shy touch of prog!

The nervous "In Your Absence" starts by an aggressive electric guitar riff and drives you into the frenzied nightlife of a modern city, bewitched by the scent and memories of a missing lover while the following "Let My Drop Of Sweat Fall Down" is a good rock ballad about the need to push your heart against the tide and stretching out your limits.

The nocturnal "Crystal Falls" tells in music and words about a solitary, regenerating walk under the moon and the falling stars... Then it's the turn of the dreamy "One Face, One Lie" that begins with an excerpt from famous Martin Luther King's speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence": "I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice... A time comes when silence is betrayal... The truth of these words is beyond doubt but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one...". As Martin Luther King's words fade away the music and lyrics portray a man meeting a ghost, one day at home... Or it was just his image reflected by a mirror? Well, like all dreams, this one has its own illogicality and truth and lies are blurred.

The light "Next Time" features electronic sounds and catching melodies while the lyrics describe the attitude to postpone decisions as time flies away. It leads to the melancholic, introspective last track, "The Last Sign", a reflection about the relativity of life and time.

On the whole, this is a nice, accessible album but beware! Many prog lovers could by highly disappointed by Alex Carpani's new course.

Far from what is offering Waterline and The sanctuary, musicaly. Practical from that solid and inspired symphonic prog, Carpani is sounding now on So close so far from 2016 like a pop rock band with electronic keyboards and totaly dull modern sounding pieces.

Forgetable at best, sorry to say but I expected a lot more from him. Is same in sound with another band where he is involved Aerostation, another skip and miss band for me.

Not a piece is in front, same atmosphere, same arrangemnents, same all. Maybe the art work is the only good thing here

This modern type of prog is not for me, hardly 2.5 stars.

Alex Carpani was born in the Swiss city Montreux in 1970, with an Italian father and a French mother. On his sixth he was taught organ, then piano and also writing compositions. The way he discovered progressive rock is very special: he was in the same class as the son of the late Keith Emerson named Aaron, at Keith his home he got familiar with ELP and Alex loved it!

In 1993 he released his first solo album entitled Hypothesis, followed by numerous projects including the very interesting CD Waterline in 2007 featuring Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme), Tony Spada (Holding Pattern) en Paul Whitehead (designer of the early Genesis LP's).

On this solo album The Sanctuary drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (Mangala Vallis and Moongarden) and guitar player Ettore Salati (ex-The Watch, The RedZen and SoulenginE) are invited as guest musicians. Listening to the 10 compositions on The Sanctuary I was often carried away to Vintage Keyboard Heaven due to the sound of flashy Minimoog synthesizer flights, majestic Mellotron choirs, sparkling Grand piano and sumptuous Hammond organ. Especially in the ELP inspired Templar's Dream and swirling solos in Knights And Clergymen). Ettore Salati's guitar work is in the shadow of the lush keyboards but he plays very tasteful and varied, from powerful riffs to flowing and sensitive runs with hints of Steve Hackett (like in Entering The Sanctuary). And in Master Of Ceremonies he delivers a captivating duel on flamenco guitar with Mellotron choirs, goose bumps! Some tracks contain English vocals, these sound decent but not on the level of the other instruments. I am sure that singing in their wonderful native language would have given these songs more emotional depth.

Nonetheless, this new effort by Alex Carpani and his musical friends has turned into a very pleasant progrock experience with the focus on exciting vintage keyboards, recommended! My rating: 3,5 star. In 2014 and 2016 Alex Carpani released two other acclaimed albums as I look at the PA ratings.

Top notch NeoProg from Italian keyboard/vocalist Alex Carpani and friends. Like their stellar release from 2014, 4 Destinies, the music here is complex, melodic, dynamic and very well rendered. While still retaining shadows of the Peter Gabriel-era GENESIS, Alex and the band have moved more into their own sound, with a more rock edge to it as compared to the jazzy-tinge that the four epic-length songs from 4 Destinies had. Plus the 10 songs here all fall within a two- to seven-minute time range and each carry their distinct flavors--even though this is a concept album. Human isolation and self-alienation are part of the topics here as it is posited that advances in technologies and virtual realities have allowed an appearance of global closeness that is in fact false and self-alienating. The music may support this theory while pointing toward a direction of hope, recovery, and health, but in the end, it is just nice music of the IQ kind.

Favorite songs: 9. "Next Time" (5:36) and 10. "The Last Time" (6:27)

Four Destinies is the third studio album by Alex Carpani and it confirms all the good qualities of its predecessors, Waterline (2007) and The Sanctuary (2010). It was recorded with a line up featuring Alex Carpani (piano, Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, vocals), David Jackson (sax, flute), Ettore Salati (electric and acoustic guitar, bouzouki, balalaika), Giambattista Giorgi (bass), Alessandro Di Caprio (drums) and Joe Sal (vocals) and produced by Cristiano Roversi who engineered, mixed and mastered all the pieces. The album was finally released in 2014 on the independent Festival Music label with a nice packaging and an art cover reproducing a statue by Michelangelo Pistoletto, The Etruscan, from the Forth Worth Museum collection. According to the liner notes, this is a concept album based on four eventual destinies that a man can find on the path of his life: four destinies that irradiate, moving from the same point, in four different directions of life. To be honest, the concept is not very clear: the lyrics alternate parts in English and in Italian and do not try to tell a story but rather conjure up images adding more colours to the four musical tableaux on the album, the rest is up to your imagination! Four destinies, four long tracks with many changes in rhythm and mood, very rich in ideas and musical colours well performed by an excellent team of musicians...

The beautiful opener, "The Silk Road", takes you on a long journey through valleys and deserts, following the ancient tracks of merchants and adventurers such as Marco Polo. It's a road that marks the destiny of many different people in a melting-pot of races, colours, smells and sounds... A road that crosses the borders between science and faith, where you can hear secret stories whispered by silent shadows under the moonlight...

"Time Spiral" takes you on the mountains where you can sit on the banks of a brook and bathe in the icy waters of the springs of Time. There you can get lost in the mystery of life, you can feel the weight of your days passing by like dust and sand carried away by the current... But a threatening storm is approaching and the rage of the wind will soon blow away everything around you in the crazy spiral of a deadly fate...

"Sky And Sea" begins softly and features some dark passages that recall Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. The music and lyrics take you on a boat sailing across raging waters under a thundering storm in a dark night... You've got to gather all your energies and fight hard for your life against the fury of the elements. At last the storm calms down, you see a lighthouse and you can breathe the smells of a seaport, you can reach a safe harbour. Now the danger is gone but sometimes tears take a long time to dry...

"The Infinite Room" takes you on a sleepwalk through an enchanted world, as in a H.P. Lovecraft story... Your body is out of control while you're strolling through the streets of a fantastic, unreal city. At dawn the dream melts and you wake up confused by feelings, thoughts and visions that are driving you insane. You can hear a strange music that's shaking your soul... "The sound of weird lyric melody was what aroused me. Chords, vibrations, and harmonic ecstasies echoed passionately on every hand; while on my ravished sight burst the stupendous spectacle of ultimate beauty..." (H.P. Lovecraft, from Beyond the Wall of Sleep).

On the whole, I think that this is a very good album: if you like bands such as Genesis or Van der Graaf Generator and Italian progressive rock, have a try! I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

This one has taken me a long time to really get a grip on. At first its jazziness captivated me. But then the more I listened to it I was hearing the GENESISness of it--and the PETER GABRIEL-like voice and vocal stylings. Then, more and more the imitativeness of GENESIS and other early prog masters like VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR came forward. Now I don't know how well I like this one.

1. "Silk Road" (12:58) is very much like a heavier THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE song made to excel by its constant morphing into a wide, wide variety of styles and tempos: awesome Italian singing parts, classical and jazzy piano parts, chunky bass, bouncy organ play, breathy flute soli, Gabriel-era Genesis background vocals, 70s era synths, 70s-sounding drums, and many tasteful solos. The continuous shape-shifting, however, does take its toll: It detracts from allowing this song to form an identity of its own; in the end I am left with the impression that this song was made to be a show piece (of the artist's skills). (8/10)

2. "Time Spiral" (13:22) opens like an old GENESIS song--one that was left off of Selling England by the Pound. It then settles into Neo territory--very imitative with plenty of melody but really with nothing new or innovative. But then the third minute seems to shake the mold with some more modern--no. (Fourth minute) Just my imagination. It's Neo. Pleasant enough stuff. KNIGHT AREA comes to mind. Unlike the album's first song, this one seems to want to plod along at the same pace, with a very predictable form and structure. The blatant GENESIS rip off beginning at 8:21 a bit is disappointing. Luckily it is soon followed by a jazzier KC/VDGG-like section. A Steve Hackett solo tries to fit in at the ten minute mark. ERIS PLUVIS anyone? Nice work. Again the singing in Italian may be the song's saving point. (8/10)

3. "Sky and Sea" (13:53) opens with a delicate weave of GENESIS-like instruments including 12-string guitars and clarinet. The Gabriel-era GENESIS vocal that joins in completes the song's obvious GENESIS reference. The B Sections move, again, into more VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR territory, until at 2:45 an amorphous bridge moves back into GENESIS territory with mellotrons and organ. The vocalist's likeness to Genesis-era Peter Gabriel is truly extraordinary. I guess the presence of Genesis-imitator THE WATCH's guitarist and VDGG's David Jackson throughout this album could also have something to do with its Genesis and VDGG sounds. The soft almost-spoken vocal part in the eleventh and twelfth minutes sound much like Fish-era MARILLION. This is probably my favorite song on the album--if you can get past its obvious roots and influences. (9/10)

4. "The Infinite Room" (14:17) opens with some untempoed piano and saxes--very VDGG- like. As the soundtrack feel builds a tempo seems to solidify until at the two minute mark drums and guitars take over to provide a foundation for a Richard Wright-like echoed synth solo. Mid-tempo Rock tempo is established for the vocal (again very Genesis-era Peter Gabriel-esque). At 3:55 a very COLLAGE Moonshine-like section begins, but it eventually morphs back into the vocal part--which turns from English to Italian at the end of the sixth minute. Dracula is mentioned just before the Richard Wright synths are let loose again. Grand piano takes over with the advent of the seventh minute before a more RPI familiar section takes over. Solos from multiple instruments are being traded until TONY BANKS' Arp synth (think "Colony of Slippermen") takes over. Grand piano then supports a Broadway-like vocal before David Jackson's sax supplants Steve Hackett for the solo on a section taken straight out of "Fly on a Windshield"--which then morphs back into "The Colony of Slippermen." I guess the Infinite Room may be just next to The Waiting Room! The song is pleasant listening--especially if you can get past the familiarity of so many sections--especially some lifted straight out of other classic 70s prog. (8/10)

It is very difficult for me to come up with a rating for this album. I don't do well with Neo-prog in general as the sounds, structures and formats are often too overwhelmingly lifted from favorite or familiar songs from my already prog rich and prog happy past. This is well done. It is well composed and well performed. It is pleasant to listen to. It isn't bad. I guess I'd recommend it to others so that you can make your own opinions. It is in my opinion more pleasant to listen to than most Neo-Prog--for me, moreso than Marillion or IQ--and certainly mores than The Watch or Citizen Cain. But "excellent addition to any prog rock music collection"?? Hmmm . . . I think I'll let you decide.

It appears that fate has had quite a part to play in Carpani's career, as being in the same class as Aaron Emerson, and having the opportunity to meet his father Keith at the tender age of 7 started his interest in progressive rock and keyboards from a young age. Later, when recovering from an accident he took the opportunity to compose and record what ended up being his debut album, 'Waterline', which was released in 2006. Since that time he has formed a full band and has toured much of the world (although not this area I note). The second album followed in 2010, and now he is back with the third. This album features all of the Alex Carpani Band with Alex providing all keyboards and lead vocals, Ettore Salati on guitars, GB Giorgi on bass, Alessandro Di Caprio on drums and Joe Sal on additional vocals. In addition, David Jackson (VDGG) adds various saxophones and flutes as special guest, while it has been produced by Cristiano Roversi (Moongarden, John Wetton Band, Submarine Silence, CCLR).

4 Destinies is a progressive rock concept based on four eventual destinies that a man can find on the path of his life. Alex states that there are four destinies that irradiate, moving from the same point, in four different directions of life... and needless to say this is depicted in four songs, all of which are thirteen minutes or more in length. If one was asked what country Alex hails from, I think that many progheads would fathom a guess at Italy as although his style may be more symphonic at times, then there is no doubt that the Italian scene has had a major impact on his music. The use of Jackson is really interesting, as although there are times when he is very much in step with the rest of the music there are also times, such as on "Sky and Sea", where there are passages where he is producing a melody that is almost as odds with the rest of the band. There is a fine line here between creating chaos and providing emphasis and he just stays on the right side of the line but it is a close call at times. From ballads to more powerful numbers, this is an album that is quite atmospheric, and while never getting to the same dizzy heights as Goblin also have nods in the same direction.

There are times when the contrast between the instruments, and the arrangements being deployed, makes on think that here is something that is going to veer off into avant-garde jazz territory, but it always comes back safely to the prog side. Overall this is an intriguing and interesting album, while never being truly essential, but worth hearing all the same. www.alexcarpani.com

Alex Carpani is one of the lesser known keybordist from Italy in last years with quite long career untill now being parts of many projects, but somehowe he only mange to atrcat attention with his 2 solo albums released untill now, the third one is in making as his official site says and will be released somewhere in the next month. His second album from 2010 named The sanctuary is quite a solid album in symphonic prog realm. He gathered around him some well known and skilled musicians here coming from quite known bands like The Watch, from here is the guitarist Ettore Salati being member aswell in The Redzen and now in Soulengine. The music is very chalenging and well played with clear direction to the '70 greats in this filed and I mean Genesis or some ELP influences here and there. I like aswell that Carpani concentrated on writting and compositions mostly and not only on skills, each pieces has a vintage feel and is very intresting. The keyboards are very variate and bring some good moments. Alternating instrumental pieces with vocal ones, Carpani voice is not particulary strong but is very warm and fiting ok in this context. This is not at all a copy/paste music from the old school, he was only influenced by that period and aswell he infuses his own ideas, the result is more then ok, even great. Nice keyboard driven passages, where each musician shine, make from this album a real solid one in every aspect. Symphonic arrangements with nice inventive melodic lines, only a pleasure to listen, the opening track Burning Braziers for instance is a good example. So, all in all this is a memorable album that any serious fan of the genre must have or listen at least once, worth evrey second, not to mention that the package is very well presented. Digipak with a great very evocative cover art made by famous Paul Whitehead. 4 stars easy and recommended, is really sad that this album gone under the radar in that period, for sure desearves a far better recognition.