I like it when something different comes along and this is certainly something different what the Italian outfit Accordo Dei Contrari comes up with . Violato Intatto is an instrumental album with the exception of one track. We will come to that later. It is certainly prog but it is also jazz rock. The best way to describe it is to imagine members of King Crimson, Gong and Frank Zappa got together in one room and had a blast. The Gong elements come from the great sax playing of Stefano Radaelli, the syncopation from King Crimson and the groove from Frank at his jazz finest. The drums from Cristian Franchi are crisp and tight and Marco Marzo Maracas produces some superb guitar runs that wouldn't be out of place on Radio Gnome. The album was recorded live in the studio with just a few overdubs and it shows. You can feel the band playing off each other. Giovanni Parmeggiani is the keyboard player and main writer, playing everything from Mellotron to Fender Rhodes. Each song has its own feel to it which keeps the listener interested. A hard thing to do sometimes on an instrumental album. The clever bit is that they throw in a vocal piece halfway through the album that catches you totally unawares. Patrizia Urbani provides the vocals sung in English and it's a haunting minimalist song compared to the rest of the album. This is well worth checking out if you like instrumental music. It grows on each subsequent listen. **** Dave Smith Where to buy? |
