AMS 2016
Ten Years Like In A Magic Dream…
Defining their first decade, Piedmont ensemble look back to find a road forward.
This band’s name may suggest something which, once let out, is impossible to contain, but while there’s no need to close the lid on a musical box, the time has come for the quartet to assess their route to here and now. That’s why – and also in search of international recognition – the group’s report on 10 years of collective experience is divided between fan favorites, cut anew in English instead of Italian, and pieces whose influence the foursome consider important.
The results of such an approach prove the superficiality of lyrics and the supremacy of melodies, as instrumental passages on “Drunken Poet’s Drama” and “Always And Everywhere” are much more impressive than vocal numbers, and the ensemble’s take on “Lucky Man” has an entirely reimagined backing track to give the classic cut a different color. Beppe Colombo’s keyboards leading the way into prog and jazz domains, choral harmonies of “Turin 03.02.1974” provide a folk-inspired respite to the album’s baroque opulence up to a “Supper’s Ready” snippet at this epic’s end, whereas a cover of “Second Home By The Sea” is rendered more theatrical than the original.
Still, the best realization of the band’s character would be a coupling of their recent creation “Lamenti D’Inverno” with BANCO’s “Canto Di Primavera”: that’s where PANDORA’s past informs the present and opens a perspective of the ensemble’s further adventures. It’s the road worth exploring.
***3/4
