Art Rock Show – Stranger Skies (Week 21)

Stranger Skies is het vierde plaat van het Ellesmere-project van multi-instrumentalist Roberto Vitelli, muzikaal en visueel sterk verbonden met het vorige Wyrd dat in 2021 uitkwam. Stranger Skies behandelt dus opnieuw het thema van reizen en het ontdekken van nieuwe, onontdekte werelden, de echte trait d’union van alle platen van Ellesmere.

Prog Archives review: “Northwards’ symphonic, medieval intro on heroic fantasy with Clive delivering a bucolic arpeggio; lush trumpets for the hero’s arrival; two minutes of pure joy preceding John’s voice flirting with Collins as if Genesis merged with Rush; majestic, airy prog rock and a very beautiful guitar solo; four supposedly chilling tracks that warm my ears; ‘Tundra’ begins jerkily, the tundra sounds very pleasant with these bucolic synths, one of which is used as a fast rhythmic base; the Genesisian air second version in reminiscence and a Rushian break for a refreshing variation; choruses eyeing Yes from ‘90125’ before Giacomo’s solo assisted by Riccardo. ‘Crystallized’ glacial guitar arpeggio; refined musical interlude supported by a powerful bass and David’s twirling sax for a syrupy melody; final Genesis ‘Dodo’ era. ‘Arctica’ short, intense, the reminiscences don’t fade away, an updated, non-regressive sound; we feel the evolution in this playful symphonic journey with the omnipresent keyboard.

Stranger Skies warm vocals over a religious bell and organ of the same ilk; RPI procession like old times; about a Jethro Tull and a wacky story of more or less terrestrial fish; John on the flute bewitches by putting himself forward; John the other has this similarity to Phil with his vocals lulling us with a majestic, magical, liturgical melody; very well delivered with a repetitive ending which lets in a bucolic flute solo, which finishes off the progueux in need of an epic title. ‘Another World’ wow, it’s serious from the start with this prog metal tune and the easy riff in reminiscence; the nervous sax then melting marshmallow; the rhythm evolves, dense, taking you to a space of time that passes around you; Giacomo launches a heavy solo, David calms things down; the metronomic air with the invasive vocal flirts on Genesis if they had continued, refined; a crimsonian break occurs, vibrant while Mattias hammers his pads methodically and Stefano sends us back into a regressive atmosphere with his Mellotrons; Tomas from the Flower Kings finally comes to bring everyone into tune with a psychedelic arpeggio; schoolyard voice, spatial sounds, the slap with a final disturbing rumble.For those who like the second version of Genesis.”

Naast Ellesmere (Stranger Skies), Moon Letters (Thank You From the Future), Fish on Friday (Black Rain), Evership (Evership II), David Minasian (Random Acts of Beauty) & Discipline (This One’s for England).

• Thursday/Donderdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Friday/Vrijdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Saturday/Zaterdag 12.00 – 24.00