Mamma Non Piangere - N.3

Since their formation in 1978 in Milan, RIO/Avant-Rock group, Mamma Non Piangere led by guitarist/violinist Lorenzo Leddi were an unknown band from the genre and released two albums from 1979 to 1980 in which one of them was a live album and then, suddenly disbanded after they did 15 shows in Italy and Germany in 1981. It’s feels like something straight out of an episode of The X-Files on who was this band and why they broke-up is a mystery.

This year, they’ve released their new album and it’s their third and on a new label with the AltrOck label. This was four years in the making in which they recorded the sessions from July 17, 2011 to November 2, 2015 at the three recording studios; Frasca Studio, Studio Barzan, and Leddi Zeppelin Studios. And marking the return of the band’s music with a new line-up including original members; Roberto Meroni on Woodwind and Luca Perreca on Cello, Bass, and Vocals. Alongside Roberto, Lorenzo, and Luca, the line-up includes; Laura Agostinelli on Vocals, Maurizio Del Moanco on Alto/Tenor Sax and Vocals, Ferdinando Farao on Drums, and Walter Prati on Bass.

Ai Confini Della Realta sees MNP doing a twisted take between the essence of Zappa and Avant-Surf Rock with some odd time changes and swirling watery effects from the synths. You can imagine the band having a blast going into bonkers mode as they have the humoristic elements that would have given Weird Al Yankovic a chance to be taken by surprise of their sound and could be a perfect track for the Dr. Demento show.

The eerie and jazz-ballad with Ferdinando using the brushes on the drums setting up the tempo followed by the saxes dancing into the midnight skies followed by the string and ‘60s organ twist is an interesting idea, but it works in various levels with Sotto Di Noi. Laura herself has this operatic mind-boggling twist that she can go into those levels which gives MNP a chance to go into see where she will go next.

Opener, Spostamenti nods its hat to Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator, and Present’s Le Poison Qui Rend Fou-era. You have the guitars following in the spells of Roger Trigaux’s Guitar, Jazzy bass lines, Xylophones, and odd signatures that will get the jaw dropping with right momentum. Laura herself can shine brightly as if she is almost doing the patter musical boundaries featuring cars racing down the alleyway and Lorenzo almost writing this for her as a one woman musical short on Finestrino.

The chamber musical operatic touches of styles of Alban Berg bring an eerie touching tribute to Mario Marenco’s poetry of Sognavo as Laura’s voice reminiscent of Pierrot Lunaire’s Jacqueline Darby while the two tracks see MNP going into a Marching Band mode. The evidence is in there with Hanno Suonato and the closer, Siamo La Banda. Here, the band really takes the homage to Frank Zappa as if he had rewritten Meredith Wilson’s musical, The Music Man and made it a wacky and insane musical avant-rock dixieland opera.

It’s almost as if Mamma Non Piangere are doing it right and really nailing the sing-along beauties of the two tracks and giving the animated series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic the big gigantic middle finger and showing a musical number is done right and making it fun and in your face. And once you read the lyrics for those two tracks, you can imagine the bouncing ball is following along the lines and singing them to know that the humor and whimsical wackiness is right there.

I always imagine these tracks could be used in one of the old Looney Tunes Merrie Melodies cartoons of the 1940s of the Robert Clampett-era or an episode of John Kricfalusi's Ren and Stimpy to give it a real jolt of electricity! This is one of the most vital, eruptive, mind-blowing and mind-boggling yet off the wall and zany albums I’ve listened to. 

Here, Mamma Non Piangere show the humor and bits of the Zappa-sque vibrations thrown into the circle and they have done it right. Amazingly recommend for Zappa, Present, Gentle Giant, and Stormy Six.

Marco Ragni - Land of Blue Echoes

I’ve always keep an eye out for labels including Melodic Revolution Records to see what will give my ears a big surprise and hear what magical boundaries has come to mind. Whether it will be from Unified Past, Corvus Stone, Kinetic Element, The Minstrel’s Ghost, or Murky Red to name a few, I know something special is awaiting and lurking to know it’s going to be great. One of the artists that have blown me away is Marco Ragni.

Marco Ragni’s adventure into music begin when he was 6 years old when his mother got him a Farfisa Organ. He became fascinated by the work of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and the Psychedelic scene in California of the late ‘60s followed by the Progressive Rock sound of the 1970s. He released two albums in the late ‘80s that captured the Psych sounds (Kaleido and Illumination in 1987 and 1988). He was in two bands including Deshuesada, Heza, and Mokers from 1990, 2000 and 2006.

In the summer of 2009, he decided to go solo and founded his own indie label Crow Records and released his first real solo album entitled, In My Eyes followed by the autumn of 2010 with 1969. He then released in 2012, Lilac Days that brings the modern sounds of the psychedelic music. It wasn’t until June of 2014 he was signed to Nick Katona’s label Melodic Revolution Records and collaborated with lyricist and his wife, Alessandra Pirani and did a rock opera about a story between Man and Nature’s relationship with Mother of the Sun.

This year, he’s released a new album from the label entitled, Land of Blue Echoes. Now mind you, I’m very new to Marco’s music and from the moment I put the CD on, I was embarking on an adventure to another world, another time, and another universe that I’ve never seen before.

Along Marco, he brought some help from people such as drummer Jacopo Ghirandi (Stalag 17), Vance Gloster (Gekko Projekt) on Keyboards and Organ, Fernando Perdomo (Dave Kerzner Band) on Lead Guitar, Hamlet on Keyboards and Bass (Transport Aerian), Jeff Mack (Scarlet Hollow) on Bass, Peter Matuchniak (Gekko Projekt) on Electric/Acoustic Guitar and of course Colin Tench (BunChakeze and Corvus Stone) on Guitar, and 1987 Pink Floyd and Dave Kerzner backing vocalist Durga McBroom.

When I’ve heard about this, I knew this is something worth checking out. And right away it’s a breathtaking, magical, and adventurous beauty that will make you think of the Progressive Rock sounds and Space Rock that comes to mind. Between Moon and Earth, is the voyage into the Milky Way introduction with atmospheric ‘60s psychedelia doubling guitars and a mission towards the Moon to give it a different time signature as you as a listener, go through the stars and the planets for the first time as you prepare to throttle through the cosmic landscape.

Think of the sounds of Agitation Free’s 2^nd. From the pastoral and haunting Mellotron view of the soothing 15-minute and Hawkwind essence before delving into Clavinet homage to Kerry Minnear as Durga’s vocals come in with singing and spoken with a mysterious twist for Horizons.

Since I’ve mentioned about Minnear, Marco himself takes the Fusion approach and stays on top form. Here on Money Doesn’t Think, he takes it into a funky groove as the Clavinet, Slapping Basses, Sliding Bluesy Guitars, and mysterious rhythms come to mind. From Rick Wakeman’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Gentle Giant, and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters-era.

On Canto D’amore, Marco takes a break from the electric instruments and move into the dreamy and gentle chamber flamenco classical guitar textures with a double-tracking remedy in the midsections as they soar into various locations. Marco takes the listener to those deep, darker tunnels and show that have a deeper, heavier boundaries. Durga herself is mesmerizing on her vocalizations and still has the chops.

It’s evidential on the sensitive and cavernous beauty, Deep Night. It has the eruptive guitars with a shattering punch and a few twists that capture the early Floyd and Yes boundaries. All then getting ready to fasten your seat belts for the 8-part suite of Nucleus that clocks in at 22-minutes and 47 seconds. Here, the circle comes fully complete.

It goes through the motions of melodic, heavy, space, jazz and psychedelic. Both Durga and Marco themselves do the vocals and it’s a chilling experience. The two of them work together very well sharing on the arrangements on where they would go to next. There are moments in where it can be atmospheric through the vocalizations in the ambient section in the last four minutes of the piece that resembles Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel.

Not to mention, the ticking clock sounds on the instrument followed by the eerie organ sounds before the Mellotron ends in the styles of the Foxtrot-era of Genesis that gives it a warmth and touching reminiscent for Watcher of the Skies. This is my fifth time listening to Marco Ragni’s Land of Blue Echoes. Melodic Revolution Records have taken me by surprise of delving into the music of Marco’s sound and vision of storytelling. 

And it’s makes you take on a trip to remember when. This is one of the albums that will make you think of the bands such as: Agitation Free, Gentle Giant, early Genesis, Pink Floyd, and the Rock Progressivo Italiano-era of the golden-era of the 1970s. And for me, it feels like that Marco himself has finally come full circle. 

The Rube Goldberg Machine - Fragile Times

Since my appreciation of the Bad Elephant Music label goes back in 2015 when I bought Trojan Horse’s World Turned Upside Down on Wayside Music, I’ve always wanted to discover what the label has sparkled more of the music in my eardrums. And the sparkle has come to light with an amazing up-and-coming band from England called The Rube Goldberg Machine. This is the band’s debut on the label this year entitled, Fragile Times. This is perhaps for me, another mind-blowing futuristic debut I’ve discovered. And with lyrical boundaries showing the essence of the darker subjects with taking from the involvement of Daniel Bowels, here they prove that it’s more than just Prog.

I remember hearing their music on one of my favorite podcasts I would listen to that I’ve mentioned called, Sid Smith’s Podcasts from the Yellow Room. Sid would always make my ears enjoy the music he would play on the episodes he would pick. Whether it’s the sounds of Canterbury, Jazz Rock, Avant-Garde, and Progressive Music. But from the moment I’ve heard The Rube Goldberg Machine on his podcast and he even wrote the liner notes for this album, I knew I had to buy this album. So I went ahead and bought the album on the Kinesis website along with Maglev’s Overwrite the Sin.

And from the moment I put on the Rube Goldberg Machine’s debut album on my portable CD player, I could feel that the trio are following in the footsteps of Steven Wilson and knowing that they are going to do just fine. There aren’t any auto-tuning, no pro-tools, and no digital enhancements, this is band playing real and sounding fresh right from the get-go and showing how real good music is supposed to sound. And it sounds perfect from start to finish. And with five enduring centerpieces, you might want to take notes on.

Opener, Background Noise deals with how the deals of fame from the digital ages from sites like a YouTube sensation, can come with a heavy price and knowing that you’re 15-minutes of fame with the obsession of the computer screen, social media, and texting is like being the butt of jokes. The lyrics themselves are spot on as the music carries an orchestral and ominous overtone thanks to the Alex Lifeson-sque guitars bringing forth the dark lullabies and the essence of Tool comes to mind.

The waltzy 3/4 time signature of Little Funerals has a clapping yet catchy acoustic alternative folk-rock flavor while the title track deals with the dystopian fear of a division with a political weapon and rising tides of a distant race and not letting the front line draw thin. Times Square starts off with a touch between the styles of Slash from the Appetite for Destruction-era and Rush’s Moving Pictures-era.

The guitars are going into the areas between lead and riff eruptions before the drums and bass in the midsection go into a Geddy Lee and Neil Peart approach with the different time changes coming at you in a quick second with the Swing-Jazz Metal touch with an unexpected twist. There’s more of the alternative rock sound of a journey that’s about to begin with a climbing melody.

According to the song behind The Captain’s Blackjack, the tradition of NASA before sending a ship up to outer space, the Captain plays this game with the tech crew until he or she loses a hand, then the mission can begin. It’s a great catchy song that we are inside the Captain’s mind of he will win the game of cards before heading towards his ship.

The closing track, Afraid of my own Shadow sees the band head towards a reminiscent of Agitation Free’s Haunted Island from the band’s 2^nd album, and Ash Ra Tempel. It has a heavier and melodic side as the lyrics deal of being your own worst enemy and depression with a suicidal approach of the shadow taunting your every move. Spacey guitars from the reminiscent of Manuel Gottsching and Fripp-sque lines come into place, they bring in the switch of no sign of peace.

Fragile Times is a promising debut and it can take a few listens to sink into. Here, The Rube Goldberg Machine proves that they delivered the heavier themes, and it’s a well job done of an accomplishment and for the label, Bad Elephant Music.

Darryl Way - Myths, Legends, and Tales

Darryl Way, the co-founder of Curved Air and Wolf, is for me, one of the most dazzling and blazing important figures of Progressive Rock. As a composer and violinist, his new album entitled, Myths, Legends, and Tales released on the Right Honourable Records label which is a part of the Cherry Red family, sees Way travelling at the speed of light and taking inspirations of the Greek mythologies in both of the ancient and the present day with a symphonic approach.

I’ve always admired Darryl Way’s work with both Curved Air and Wolf when I was in Junior College and their music hasn’t left my headphones. Now for me, I really wanted to check his time as a solo artist. And now in 2016, I’m getting new to his solo work and let me say, it’s very, very good. More than just his time with those two bands, Darry Way takes the Classical and Progressive styles into a scale of beauty.

With his new album, he’s bringing the listener along to an adventure of Ancient Times and History that will make you know that he hasn’t forgotten the chops of the Progressive genre. From the galloping and pastoral running opener of Apollo (Racing Against the Sun), it feels like a new day has arrived as electronic drums, keyboard guitars, and violin work sets the tempo for the story to begin.

Way’s vocals are not bad at all. Even though he may not be the best singer, but he can hit those notes for the race to start and end. He resembles at times of John Wetton (Mogul Thrash, King Crimson, and Asia) through his arrangement. Orpheus and the Underworld takes you deep, deep into the darker hidden territories of hell. It’s dramatic and shows an emotional beauty as Darryl takes the listener into those heavier places in which it reminiscent of il Tempo Della Gioia-era of Rock Progressivo Italiano group, Quella Vecchia Locanda.

Then, he does something very interesting. You can hear the inspirations on the three tracks on here. Way moves into almost a style between Classical and the Bossa-Nova groove featuring classical guitars with a watery effect from the keyboards on Aphrodite while The Ice Man brings forth a delivery of soaring melodies that nods towards between King Crimson’s Starless and Landmarq’s Entertaining Angels-era as the shuffling blues-jazz melodies with a swinging twist of heavy rock on Dove of Piece brings forth the early sounds of Uriah Heep.

Darryl Way emerges a powerful force of playing the violin and the electronic instruments and almost imaging as if he is making the listener imaging and closing their eyes by picturing a movie inside their heads and Darryl himself composing the short stories about the Greek tales of Ancient times. Myths, Legends, and Tales whether you love it or loathe it, it’s Darryl that shines on the rest of the album that knows that he still has the energy on his violin.

Lucifer's Friend - Live @ Sweden Rock 2015

Last year, this blogger just received a mind-blowing eruptive wake-up call by delving into the sounds of a overlooked band who have been around in the ‘70s called Lucifer’s Friend. Now, I’m very new to the band’s music. And when I heard their 2-CD set of Awakening that I received in the mail by Glass Onyon, I was completely jaw-dropped to the floor. It was heavier, proggier, and eruptive. I can hear the sounds of Uriah Heep, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest followed by both the AOR (Album-Orientated Rock) and the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) combined into a full circle. And I was hooked right from the very beginning.

Since their reformation back in 2015, I’ve always wanted to discover what they will think of next. This live "official bootleg" was recorded at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 5th, 2015 and their first performance in over 28 years at the 4Sound Stage. Listening to this live album, you can close your eyes and just being in awe, fighting back tears, and head-banging to the sounds of pure heavy metal at its best that shows Lucifer’s Friend are bringing in the big guns for an eruptive performance that needs to be played at maximum volume.

Peter Hasslein carries the heavy riffs and lead work on his guitar that just will have your eardrums pumping until the early sighting of dawn and John Lawton himself, while at the age of 69, he can still belt out those vocals. I can imagine a young Rob Halford listening to Lucifer’s Friend and Lawton’s time with Uriah Heep, just being in awe and wanting to capture the styles of his arrangements.

This whole set includes at the time they are promoting the 2-CD set of Awakening. And it’s a real adventure to enjoy the set by knowing they are back and there is not a single stop sign for Lucifer’s Friend. The quintet deliver a massive roar for audiences to enjoy the music. Jogi Wichmann still carries the flaming torch when it comes to the keyboard and in the styles of both the late great Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. He can go heavier and classical and knowing that they have got their backs when they need him.

The booklet contains photographs from the show including meet and greets with the fans. My second and third time listening into their live performance at Sweden, shows that the energy and power is still there and it will keep the flames burning until the end of time. So I highly recommend both the 2-CD set of Awakening and this live recording at Sweden Rock 2015 so that you can head-bang forever and ever to enjoy the sound and eruptive energy of Lucifer's Friend.

Syndone - Eros & Thanatos

Syndone’s music have grown on me. Since being blown away of their previous album which was based on both Beauty and the Beast and Homer’s Odyssey with their fifth release back in 2014 entitled, Odysseas, I’ve always wait to see what the band will come up with next. This year, they’ve released their sixth album on the Fading/AltrOck label entitled, Eros & Thanatos. Taken from the fifth book of the old testament of King Solomon, Syndone always bring interesting ideas for another concept album.

From Beauty and the Beast, The Odyssey, and now the Song of Songs, The six-piece bring back more of the adventures to give the listener more adventures that is waiting for them. And with help from two guest artists, Guitarist Steve Hackett (Genesis) and Flautist Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues), Syndone keeps the flaming torch burning for more of the forefront of Symphonic Rock and the Rock Progressivo Italiano scene that will make you close your imagine it’s 1974 all over again.

Opener, Frammento, you can hear the robotic vocalizations that vocalist Riccardo Ruggeri meld in the vocoder sound of an experimental approach. He melds in well and at times there are essence of Freddie Mercury in his sound before kicking into gear with Area 51 where keyboardist Nik Comoglio, drummer Martino Malacrida and bassist Maurino Delacqua create various and insane time signature level that goes into different locations that suddenly brings to mind Rush, Banco Del Mutuo Sorccorso, and Gentle Giant.

Track by track as the album grows bit by bit, you can see how much they have come and bring the string sections they will make you go through the depths and immersive boundaries they can both the sounds of Classical Music and Progressive Rock. From the homage to George Gershwin piano concerto and dramatic violin sections  from the Puntorec String Orchestra on Gli Spiriti Dei Campi to the Brazilian bossa-nova intense rocking boundaries of Qinah, they have done their homework very well.

Then, they move toward the music of Greece that’s reminiscent of Aphrodite’s Child and Le Orme on the catchy acoustic synth groove, Fahra while Ray Thomas lends a helping hand on the Flute on the moody and evocative composition, L’urlo Nelle Ossa. Ray himself shows that he still has the magic and soul in which he brought from his time with The Moody Blues and here with his appearance on a Syndone album, it’s almost a return to show that he still has the driving energetic force.

But with a little help alongside Ray, Steve Hackett brings the Genesis touch into the variations on the closing track, Sotto Un Cielo Di Fuoco. Syndone and Hackett themselves bring the energy and ascending climbing melodies as Steve just gives me chills every time his guitar goes through various emotions that is virtuoso and orchestral that will make you close your eyes and imagine the sounds of New Trolls Concerto Grosso Per I.

More of the ideas that would come into Nik’s head is where he wants Syndone to go into next and where he wants the band to move in various areas. And here, it’s an excellent return and follow-up of another chapter of the band development. This isn’t just about Nik, he’s also a helper and a collaborator by helping out the members on the compositions that are on the album itself.

All in all, Syndone’s Eros & Thanatos, is one of those albums that I will keep on playing forever and ever until the end of time and it almost sounds like to me that they could use this as a live performance done in the style of the 1974-75 tour of Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by using a slide show and telling the story of Solomon. Let’s cross our fingers and see where they might go with this.

Bob Downes Open Music - Electric City

Originally released in 1970 on the swirling Vertigo Records label, Bob Downes Electric City is like a blaring red flaming fire that just won’t burn out as it keeps the burning energy growing until the end of time. Bob Downes is one of the most often overlooked figures in the history of Jazz Rock. He plays Alto and Tenor Sax, Flute, and Woodwind instruments followed by an eruptive Brass-Rock section including people from Herbie Flowers, Ian Carr, Chris Spedding, and Dave Brooks to name a few.

It’s the who’s who on the album that you might want to take notice. Bob is a poet, free jazz musician, powerful, poet, and mind-blowing vocalist. He takes his instruments wherever he goes and by the time you put on Electric City which Esoteric Recordings reissued back in 2010, you are on a journey that is out of this world and almost feeling the earthquake happening when you turn this up to maximum volume. At times, there are moments that represent bands like; Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Chicago, Mogul Thrash, and Manfred Mann’s Chapter Three.

Now I remember hearing some of Bob Downes’ music on both the 3-CD compilation released 11 years ago entitled Time Machine: A Vertigo Retrospective and Andy Votel’s sample tribute to the swirling label when I was in Houston Community College back in 2008 when I was studying on my degree in Jazz Studies and hearing the sample with Vertigo Mixed. At that time, I almost forgot about him. But cut to this year, I’ve finally picked it up. And the album is worth checking out.

Not just Jazz and Brass-Rock, but World Music, Samba, Funk, and Blues Rock that comes into the fold. West II will make you close your eyes and imagine yourself dancing to the sounds of Bossa-Nova and Brazilian Jazz as Bob Downes leads down into the path with the palm trees following his lead. The 12-bar Blues-Soul R&B shuffling groove thanks to the bass melodies following Downes vocals for a heavy rockin’ sound as we Don’t Let Tomorrow Get You Down.  

Go Find Time sees Bob Downes heading into a film score for one of the Blaxploitation films of the golden-era of the 1970s. The brass section followed by shuffling guitars and bass create a mysterious film-noir roar in the styles between Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones while the catchy melodies erupt with an explosion to driven proportions with his sax flying with insane improvisations by Walking On.

The motorcycling free-jazz improvisation driven punch thanks to the funky ‘60s heavy guitar licks with the brasses and shrieking saxes go into overdrive that will have momentum jaw-dropping to go through the Crush Hour before mellowing down with the flute of who we are as strangers and consciousness to a new horizon with In Your Eyes as the essence of the homage of the late great Terry Kath comes to mind brings the tour de force with a sonic ascending touch.

Then in the end we head towards the light for an amazing party into the sunset. Both Piccadilly Circles and Gonna Take a Journey, sees Bob and the team head into a mind-boggling and eruptive yet explosive finale. The 8-page booklet contains liner notes by both Sid Smith and Bob Downes himself as they talk about the making of the album and Bob describing how long it took time to make and record the album.

This is one of the most heart-stopping albums I’ve encountered from beginning to end. I nearly dropped to the floor from the moment I put the CD on and embark on Bob Downes’ journey right to the very end. Esoteric knows their Jazz Rock when it comes to this. I will delve into more of Downes’ music.