Alex Carpani is an Italian French composer, keyboard player, singer, producer, musicologist and artistic director who lives and works in Bologna. From the late 90’s to the mid-2000’s he wrote and self-produced a lot of instrumental music, ranging from new age, electronic, symphonic, music combined with poetry, DnB, electro-jazz and music for theatrical performances and documentaries. However, since the mid 2000’s he has dedicated himself mainly to rock, releasing 8 albums with Italian and foreign labels, which has led him to collaborating with the likes of David Jackson, David Cross, Theo Travis, Jon Davison, Bernardo Lanzetti and others. For this album the core band again comprises drummer Bruno Farinelli, with whom he has worked on the last few albums, along with bassist Giambattista Giorgi and guitarist Emiliano Fantuzzi with guests Alessio Alberghini (soprano sax) and Valentina Vanini (mezzosoprano).
This album comprises two long suites and represents an uninterrupted story, an experience lived through the folds and fragilities of the human mind, through the infinite nuances of our emotions and feelings. This never sounds like a band headed by a keyboard player, as this is very much a rock album which while progressive switches through multiple sub-genres from hard rock through Neo, Crossover and rarely into Symphonic which is where he sits on PA (but having never heard any of his other material it is possible this is quite different to the rest). The two suites are very different in approach, with the first being instrumental, following more fragmented and diverse paths while the second contains far more guitars and is more melodic and straightforward in some ways. The nuances added by the classical female vocals and the sax are a really nice touch, and one is never really sure where the music is going to lead as it is never quite as straightforward as one imagines it is going to be. I can easily see the second suite being enjoyed by those into melodic rock as well as prog, as it straddles the line, and while Alex may not have the largest vocal range, he knows what he can do, and he does it well with the arrangements being set to maximise the emotion and passion.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable album on the first time of playing, feeling homely and welcoming and does not take any hard work to get inside which is a pleasant change given much of the prog I am sent these days. I can certainly see me looking out for more from Alex in the future, and if you enjoy this then why not check out his substantial back catalogue.
