Italy has a great tradition of Progressive Rock music. Especially during the 70s, some of the bands formed in the boot-shaped country have experienced a significant success even abroad. To mention some of the most famous ones we could talk about the PFM, who managed to impress a titan such as Peter Sinfield (co-founder of King Crimson), who pushed them to go to the UK to re-record some of their albums in English, launching them on the international scene. Or Goblin, who rose to fame with their work on classic horror films such as Deep Red and Suspiria.
This "Lucillo & Giada", despite having been released only in 2019, was composed around the end of the 70s by the Italian artist Baro, who had been playing bass guitar in many bands. It is clear by listening to the album that we are dealing with an incredibly prepared musician and composer: his vast experiences reveals itself through the precision of the instrumental executions, the intricacy of the arrangements, and the imaginative songwriting.
The songs are complex, with many overlapping and entwined lines, tempo changes, odd time signatures, and tortuous harmonies, all elements that any respectable prog artist aims for. Some artists unfortunately fall into the trap of making these elements the main point of their creations, which can become a stale display of technical prowess without any entertaining factor.
Baro definitely does NOT belong to this category. Every wirtuosism and complicated passage is always functional to serve the songs, which are pleasant to listen to, and a great vehicle for the artist's emotions.
The lyrics (which are mostly in Italian but with some sections in English), are semi-authobiographical, narrating the love story between Baro and his now wife, always using a very poetic language, and some fairy-tale-ish imagery, with also some digression on life and human nature.
A final note for the production: crystalline, clear, every instrument and every vocal line (and often there's many of them overlapping) have their space where they can shine without clashing with each other. A very impressive work that again showcases experience and craftmanship.
I totally recommend this album, even if prog rock is not your jam. You might reconsider your stance after this.
