TAPROBAN - POSIDONIAN FIELDS - 2006

After their wonderful contribution to the CD The Seven Samurai - The Ultimate Epic (also featuring CAP and Tempano), I was very curious to this just released new album. At about 75% contains prog that is drenched into the 'Classic Seventies Symphonic Prog' tradition with obvious hints from ELP along Yes and Genesis and it reminds me also of keyboard driven bands like Le Orme, Quill en Lift: a fluent rhythm with the distinctive Moog sound and impressive Hammond work (including a swirling solo with those exciting 'whisks') in Immersion, a mid-tempo with great interplay between Hammond and subtle choir- Mellotron and a sumptuous final part with church-organ and again choir-Mellotron in Riding In Posidonian Fields, fat Moog flights and powerful bass in Entwinnings and a lush Hammond - and Moog sound in the fluent Octopus!. My highlight is the track Uncontrolled Dreams that starts with fragile piano and melancholic English vocals, then lots of pleasant shifting moods featuring great Hammond, fat Moog, sensitive electric guitar runs, deep Moog Taurus bass pedal sounds and a delicate jazzy inspired part with organ, bass and drums. As I stated before, at about 75% is Seventies inspired symphonic rock but the rest contains mainly mellow, often folky sounding tracks delivering acoustic (rhythm) guitar, Grand piano, often melancolical English vocals (why not Italian?!) and ethnic instruments like the bouzouki and bodhran. It took at least three listening sessions to get into Tapobran their new CD but I am sure that many symphomaniacs will be delighted ablut this album. Unfortunately my problem remains that when I want to be carried away to Progheaven by keyboard driven Seventies inspired symphonic prog, those mellow, folky sounding songs take me back to earth, that's my personal note.
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