For a progressive music lover, the search for the album that he will be able to add to his essential collection is a perpetual quest and there, I must say that with the last album of the Italian group 'Logos', everything is gathered for to offer us a progressive jewel, with first of all, a very strong theme which, icing on the cake, was declined in different artistic forms (see their very beautiful web page here which presents the different facets of the project and explains the story that I let you discover and an excerpt from the awesome upcoming video above) and then, a musical accompaniment which is completely in adequacy with the theme and which touches you in the depths of yourself. So, ready to dive into this story filled with emotion, authenticity and originality?
First of all, these are 6 compositions for more than an hour of music with, as you can imagine, long progressive developments which provoke the intense pleasure of discovering, little by little, all their richness and which will remain etched in your memory forever. 'Origami in SOL' opens the album with a short instrumental that sets an intense symphonic setting with omnipresent keyboards, then 'Paesaggi di insonnia' is the first long composition, over 11 minutes, already showing all the talent of this formation with a labyrinth of influences, sounds and different tempos which is a pure gem of progressive at the end of which we have only one desire, to replay it to soak up it well and which offers us wonderful parts instrumental with keyboards that are the masters on board and with admirable saxophone accompaniments : we are already in 7th heaven with lots of little stars that gravitate around us ! In an album in this style of progressive, we would already be satisfied to have only one title like this, but it is only an appetizer because then comes 'Un lieto inquiertasi', with a first half of the same level that a certain group 'ELP' who were precursors in the 70s, rich and imaginative, then the second half takes us on a symphonic and refined progressive with a singing that arrives rather late and a heady melody that keeps us company until the end, bringing us back to the starting theme : the circle is complete. After these two titles, to rest from these two extraordinary compositions, we embark on a little cloud with a sweet ballad as the Italians know so well how to compose them in a style close to 'BJH' or to 'Procol Harum', and it is another long development which awaits us with 'Zaini di elio' which continues in a mostly instrumental progressive in which there is not the slightest second of boredom and which give a goosebumps in the finale for several minutes. We arrive at the end of the album, to no, I am told in the earpiece, excuse me, there would be yet another title ! not possible after so much quality, we would have the right to yet another composition, of more than 20 minutes I am told; I do not believe it and yet, it is the pure truth, the centerpiece is at the last position of this already so dense opus. The emotion is then at its peak with this serene introduction but so strong given the theme (making me shed a few tears) then, a new fresco develops with some oriental sounds and with a richness and originality in each section that any amateur of progressive music is looking for. Enough talk, the best is still I to let you discover this wonderful ‘Sadako e le mille gru di carta’ by yourself.
In short, for a group that started to make covers of 'Le Ormo' and 'Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso' (not bad as references), the student is now largely at the same level as the teachers and after three quality recordings over the past twenty years, this latter has reached new heights which, as you will have understood, in will certainly make for me the recording of the year in progressive and which should satisfy any lover of this style who likes to take his time to discover a concept album... | |
