Yugen - Labirinto D'Acqua


Year of Release: 2006
Label: AltrOck
Catalog Number: ALT 001
Format: CD
Total Time: 46:54:00

There is no doubt about it. Italy is one of progressive rock's birthplaces and most influential hotbeds, as well as arguably the only true competition that continental Europe has had to offer to the vast quantity of influential prog for which England is responsible. But a RIO oasis? Hardly; the genre being more attached to francophone countries instead as far as the Old Continent is concerned. So while the fact that Yugen is mostly a highly elaborate symphonic and classical progressive rock hybrid might not surprise the progressive rock listener, one probably wouldn't expect the strong RIO influence that the fifteen-people ensemble has.

Fifteen people? Yes, fifteen people. And instruments to boot. And I haven't even gone into the different styles that are present in Labirinto D'Acqua yet. Trust me, that is even more mind-boggling. The band goes from the Satie intro of "Sévére Réprimande" to the condensed symphonic rock complexity of "Catacresi" to the playfully atonal and probably serial "Omelette Norvegese" in under ten minutes. Confused? You got another thing coming. There's also the RIO ostinato push of "Brachilogia;" the atonal chamber pieces "La Mosca Stregata" and "Labirinto D'Acqua," which are located right between Schonberg's Das Buch Der Hängenden Garten and Messiaen's Harawi but in instrumental conception; the modern alternapsychedelia backbone of "Quando La Morte Mi Colse Nel Sonno;" the sparse flashes of vibe percussion minimalism in "Incubi Concentrici" and other parts of the album as well; and a lot, and I do mean a lot, of orchestration combinations. All in just a little over forty-five minutes.

Ambitious? You betcha. Francesco Zago certainly pulled no punches while writing the album, and his cohorts play the living hell out of their instruments in a constant display of stunning and precise virtuosity. However, the excitement stops pretty much there. Save for the brilliant darkness of the aforementioned chamber piece "La Mosca Stregata," Labirinto D'Acqua does have a lot to show for in technique, precision, production, and compositional process, but not in excitement or strength of material. The good chunks of music in the lengthier instrumentals, for instance, are flooded by their not-so-interesting counterparts and a nagging necessity to move forward and not develop material enough, of which "Corale Metallurigco" is a prime example. Doing interesting justice to its quote of inspiration (stating that there is no building in which's foundations destruction is not hiding) one minute into the proceedings, the music slows down, quiets down, and starts an odd-time ostinato of pure tension. However, before the tension can build appropriately, a wandering marimba section is placed above it and kind of spoils the mood in a matter of seconds. Spread that across the album and you pretty much get what is amiss with Labirinto D'Acqua.

Which is a shame, really, since Zago has some rather interesting ideas along the way. "Le Rovine Circolari" is not too shabby of an impression of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "Las Ruinas Circulares;" the alternative rock motif constituting the climaxing section of "Quando La Morte Mi Colse Nel Sonno" rears its head again under disguise in a couple of later tracks; and "Danze Corazzante" is an interesting piece based on Erik Satie's "Danse Cuirassée," which appears beforehand in military band reorchestration. Indeed, there are quite a few little tricks and details that can be gathered from Labirinto D'Acqua if one pays close attention. Unfortunately, however, they also meant, at least in this case, that the big picture was kind of lost in the process. And while Yugen is indeed a technically talented ensemble with a good grasp on compositional processes and techniques, it still needs to conquer that big picture before it can exploit its other strengths appropriately.

Similar Artists: Blazing Bronze, Arsnova, 5uu's


Tracklisting:
S?v?re R?primande (0:50) / Catacresi (6:35) / Omelette Norvegese (1:07) / Corale Metallurgico (7:33) / Danse Cuirass?e (P?riode Grecque) (1:03) / Brachilogia (3:11) / La Mosca Stregata (0:56) / Quando La Morte Mi Colse Nel Sonno (9:23) / Skellotron 003 (1:23) / Le Rovine Circolari (6:53) / Anastomosi (1:28) / Danze Corazzate (3:49) / Labirinto D'acqua (1:21) / Incubi Concentrici (4:42)

Musicians:
Paolo Botta - electric piano, mellotron, organ, Moog
Stephan Brunner - bass
Maurizio Fasoli - piano
Dave Kerman - drums
Tommaso Leddi - mandolin, lute
Massimo Mazza - vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel
Elia Mariani - violin
Guiseppe A. Olivini - harpsichord, percussion, shakuhachi, theremin
Peter Schmid - bass clarinet, tubax, saxophone, bass flute, taragot
Mattia Sign? - drums
Marco Sorge - Bb clarinet, bass clarinet
Markus Stauss - saxophones
Francesco Zago - guitars, keyboards
Diego Donadio - drum arrangements
Udi Koomran - extra sounds, processing

Discography:
Labirinto D'Acqua (2006)

Genre: RIO

Origin IT

Added: January 7th 2007
Reviewer: Marcelo Silveyra
Score:
Artist website: www.yugen.it
Hits: 2794
Language: english

  

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