Tempio Delle Clessidre - Il Ludere
SKU
33-BWR CD 201-2
This is the third studio release from one of the best Rock Progressivo Italiano bands currently out there at this time and the band is made even better by having on board ace-drummer Mattias Olsson behind the kit!
"As the preceding album, also in this case the title is a word game. The union of latin verb "ludere", that means 'the act of playing', with the italian article "il" generates a dualism between "il giocare" (the act of playing) and the verb "illudere", that means 'to deceive' or 'to generate expectations that will never be satisfied'
Actually, along the lyrics find place the sweet illusion to have the world at your feet when you're very young, the sad reality to face when you're adult, the tricks, the games, the consequences of love and the need to come back to act and think as a child, to go beyond obstacles otherwise insurmountable, if faced with an adult mind.
All is supported by ITDC's Music, every time rich and refined in arrangements, but here a bit different with the respect of past albums: now all the musicians are involved in composition, not only Fabio Gremo and Elisa Montaldo. This leads to more heterogeneus sounds, more rock oriented, though the lovely presence of Gremo's classic guitar works moderates the effect. There is more electric guitar, but Giulio Canepa takes away the usual RPI jazzy polite register, substituting it with more opened and distorted effects, very near to heavy rock. In the meantime Elisa Montaldo's great work of searching new fascinating sounds, unusual harmonizations and atmospheres sometimes ethereal, sometimes sumptuos and anxious takes place. The searching of new effects is extended also to vocals: always worm and emphatic the one from Francesco Ciapica, always sweet and touching the other from Elisa Montaldo, helped in the chorus line from Canepa and Gremo. Also Mattias Olsson, with his huge amount of percussion and samplers has given his contribution to the new aspects of ITDC sound.
In my opinion the best moments are "La Parola Magica", "Prospettive", "Nuova Alchimia" and "La Spirale del Vento", while "Manitou", with its evoking melodic line and the wise Olson's drumming, gives me a pleasant sensation of ethereal melancholy. I've heard both versions of this song: one sung in Italian by Ciapica (on CD) and the other sung in Japanese by Elisa (Live) and I prefer the second one because feminine voice and Japanese language render it more evoking and ethereal. You may find the Japanese version of this song only on CD Japanese edition. "Spettro del Palco" is the single come out to anticipate the album. The lyrics, the music and the video pay their tribute to Tim Burton and Danny Elfman and has the virtue to be quite catchy, but not too easy. "Gnaffe' " is the bonus track: it's inspired by Boccaccio's Decameron novels. It's a music trick, as to refer to album title."