By Eduard Antoniu
This is an Italian band formed five years ago in the Rome area. Their name means “No name”. And this is their debut, self-titled album. Their music is a mixture of elements from the cream of the Italian progressive rock of the ‘70s (Banco del Mutuo Socorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Le orme, Il balletto di bronzo, Biglietto per l’inferno) and of the ‘90s (Finisterre, Hoestsonaten, Germinale, A piedi nudi). Added to such ingredients are also some Gentle Giant and some Italian easy-listening. Their lyrics are most often philosophical. Various cultural references are used.
There are nine tracks on this album that clocks at 46 minutes. It opens with a three part suite “Illusioni di un’anima lontana” (“Illusions of a Distant Soul”): “Tesi” (“Theses”), “Antitesi” (“Antitheses”), “Sintesi” (“Syntheses”), of which only the second part is an instrumental track. Soft, shy, slightly trembled vocals are used in the other two.
“Passi” (“Steps”) is about stepping through life as a couple in which each influences the other. It uses a free adaptation from “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupery as a recitative.
“Tumore” (“Cancer”) is quasi-instrumental with only a few lyrics. “Non sono mai esistito” (“I Have Never Existed”) starts with funky guitar that reminds of the “Venus” hit of the ‘70s. The title may hide a pun, a reply to Rene Descartes’s “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I exist”.
“Ulisse” (“Odysseus”) reviews the quest of the hero from the Olympian legends. It also uses a stanza in Greek, as well as a quotation from Dante’s “Inferno”.
“Si La Do” (“B A C”) is an experiment in which the vocals are only sung music notes (European notation). Their combinations possibly lead to various puns. “Sopra a un pensiero” (“Upon a Thought”) is an instrumental miniature that closes the album in a melancholic, meditative tone.
The CD also includes a video-clip of “Si La Do”. You may as well save 3 minutes. To this reviewer, the visual contents and the music don’t seem related.