Alcantara "Solitaire"

 Hello again fellow progheads and welcome back to The Closet Concert Arena.  Summer 2020 is beginning her swan song as Autumn starts to appear on the horizon; the nights are longer and cooler, the  humidity has retreated behind cool summer breezes, and the sun is no longer a blazing beacon burning a hole through your entire body.

This change of mood led me to some introspection which in turn led me to the Progressive Gears Records stable of artists.  Consequently, the Concert Closet traveled to Sicily to host Alcantara, who recently released their debut album "Solitaire."  Haven't been to Italy in way too long so I am excited to get started...

The album opens with "After the Flood" and immediately the headphones are filled with a gentle and soothing balm, perfect for the mind.  Soft guitar is entwined with delicate vocals drawing you inward toward a dim light illuminating the darkness where memories reside.  Good?  Bad?  That depends on the perspective of the listener, no?                              

Next up is "Bad Bones," another dark song dancing enticingly on the edge of macabre.  The sultry guitar gives way to solid percussion as vocals permeate the headphones with a gentle tone...and every now and then they pierce with the unobtrusive force of a scalpel.  The top notes vary in intensity throughout this song; ranging from Big Big Train to Seconds Before Landing to Pink Floyd.  

Liner Notes...As I mentioned previously, Alcantara hails from Sicily and is comprised of Francesco Venti on lead guitar and keyboards, Salvo DiMauro on guitar, Sebastiano Pisasale on bass, Sergio Manfredi on vocals and lyrics, and Alessio Basile on drums.  Other musicians participated in the recording of this album; Gionata Colaprisca, Andrea Quarolli, Saro Figurra, and Alessio Bano each contributed to different tracks.

A debut concept album, while almost the norm in the prog garden today, rarely hits a nerve so succinctly as "Solitaire" does.  Alcantara peeled the band-aid off a wound that has  everyone talking and many taking action; the decline of societal and political classes.  People are tired of being left out of the conversation while at the same time being used for the political and financial gain of others.  Alcantara gives voice to that argument, urging the masses to resist and make change.

Moving down the playlist, the third song here is aptly titled "The Resistance."  The song opens with the Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem "Pity the Nation" spoken over a steady bass line and the dark, quiet hum of the keyboard...Sergio then pierces the veil with softly sung lyrics that penetrate the soul.  Alcantara    uses prose written decades ago beautifully to speak to society's ills today; lessons yet unlearned...

Learn more about the band at Progressivegears and purchase the album at bandcamp. You can follow Alcantara on Facebook, instagram, and Twitter @bandalcantara. 

For a few reasons I believe the clip below is very apropos for your listening pleasure this week.  First off, it is in line withe the mission Alcantara is on.  The "I Can't Breathe" sessions include three live versions of songs from the "Solitaire" album; "Logan," "Bad Bones," and "After the Flood."  The band also participated in the Wellbeing Festival on Great Music Stories.  

While the Concert Closet is a gateway to the prog garden and the prog garden is a peaceful place where one can simply enjoy great prog, the theme of the "Solitaire" album and the events related to the recording of the "I Can't Breathe" EP deserve mention.  Music has always been a vital part of societal change and the prog garden is fertile ground for a positive revolution.  That the music is pretty darn good only helps the cause...

So fellow progheads, we come to the end of another music filled week.  The prog rock genre is filled with many bands and artists that view the world through a different lens and use that vantage point to tell their story.  That is something I believe we can all appreciate today.

Alcantara come straight at you with a definite purpose, yet they do so without making you feel like you need to defend yourself.  Their music is hard-hitting without being obtrusive noise; they demand your attention and make their point without sidetracking the issue.  Yes they call for resistance and denounce the polarized state of the world, even calling for people not to follow like sheep--but they do it without using violence as the go-to option. 

 So the search for all things prog continues.  The journey thus far has criss-crossed the planet with no end in sight...and that is fine with me.  Until next time...

Lonely Robot "Feelings Are Good"

Socially distanced greetings fellow progheads!  Continuing the search for all things prog despite a global pandemic has proven to be entertaining, educational, fun, and exciting.  I can accept being forced to stay home as long as I don't have to "stay home," and traveling the prog garden allows me to do just that.

This week we check in on the latest from Lonely Robot; "Feeling Are Good."  The album was released in July, the fourth in the Lonely Robot catalog.  After completing the "Astronaut Trilogy," John took a different trajectory with his latest work. So let's travel the tangent road and listen to what awaits the eager ears...

The title cut opens the album much like a futuristic appeal to the senses, a la The Alan Parsons Project from the "I Robot" days.  Switch gears as we flow seamlessly to "Into the Lo-Fi" and the tempo picks up immediately.  This is a high energy band much like Mile Marker Zero  and  The Tangent.  John Mitchell  continues to pump energy through the headphones and send it pulsing through your veins.  

Next up is "Army of One."  Off on a different tack, this song starts with a quick shot of adrenaline that tamps itself down...only to thrust itself right back at you.   Lonely Robot pelts you with feelings from every direction here; a man going to war with himself.  Fighting an inner battle so many are familiar with yet a subject so often ignored or misunderstood...but feelings are good--right?

This song marches into "Grief is the Price of Love" so smoothly you almost fall into an abyss you never realized was there.  The gentle vocals pull the heart strings with an acoustic guitar accompaniment that is as elegant as it is somber.  So many emotions....

Liner Notes...Lonely Robot is the solo outlet for John Mitchell.  As a member of Kino, Frost*, It Bites, and Arena, John has managed to keep himself occupied.  Lonely Robot is the outlet John uses to release his inner spirit.  The music is ornate, delicate, bold, introspective, and at times in-your-face.  Yes, feelings are good...

Along with writing, recording producing, and mixing the album, John plays guitar, bass, and keyboards as well as laying down the vocal tracks.  He did, however, have Craig Blundell behind the drum kit.  

Learn more about John Mitchell and Lonely Robot and purchase the music at johnmitchell and 

insideoutmusic.  You will also find them on facebook and Twitter @LordConnaught.

Another song from the playlist this week, "Keeping People as Pets" continues the trajectory into the emotional stratosphere this album has taken.  The tempo runs high as John hits you with lyrics that crawl inside your head and sprawl out, making you ponder reality.  One of the many things I like about Lonely Robot is every album is a concept unto itself and every song within that concept pulls on a thread and doesn't stop until it unravels the world you (previously) found comfort in.  

There are times Lonely Robot comes off as loud and full throttle as Liquid Tension Experiment, and other times when the music is gentle and introspective as Tears For Fears.  John delves into a lot on this album...his songs peeling back the layers as you take a journey through the mind.  His lyrics have always been a strong suit; John paints a vivid picture with his words.

The ear candy to hook you this week is called "Spiders."  The deliberate, slow, steady piano that opens the song accompanies lyrics that are themselves slow, dark, and calculated.  Is that fear you sense or simply trepidation about what is behind the curtain separating you from the unknown?  Feelings are good, yes--but they have a way of clouding the senses, don't they?  The top  notes of Frost* aren't coincidental; the influence crashes through here...

  

Place the headphones on...relax, reflect, repeat...

I hope this one struck a chord with you fellow progheads; Lonely Robot has shown indeed that "Feelings Are Good."  John is able to do with lyrics what Robert Fripp is able to do with his guitar...perhaps they should join forces on an album in the future?   For now I'm content with Lonely Robot finding new axes to grind and different lenses through which to view the landscape.

Let the search for all things prog carry on; until next time...