Explore this superb Italian band
Brian G | Willington, CT United States | 10/06/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"From my review first posted on progressiveears. com:
DFA (Duty Free Area) is an extremely talented quartet consisting of keyboards (Hammond B3/mellotron/synths), guitar, bass and drums from Verona, Italy. This double CD set contains the band's first two albums on Mellow Records, Lavori In Corso (1996) and Duty Free Area (1999), remastered and with three bonus tracks. (There is another album from 2001 Works In progress, Volume 1, a live album put out on Moonjune). The remaster does sound brighter and cleaner compared to the originals and sports three bonus tracks, recorded live in Italy in 2003.
DFA gives us mostly melodic, highly complex progressive rock songs which often break down into prog-fusion workouts. Songs are in the 6 to 20 minute range, with only a few extended tracks, and those mostly experiment in phase shifted space rock. The music is very original, based on a distinctive style of establishing and embellishing of musical themes. This style is favored by bands such as Japan's Kenso or Venezuela's Tempano using an overwhelming, modern sound. Compared to similar Italian bands Finisterre or Le Orme, they pump out more intricate melody and are more mindful of their solos than either. Another point of reference might be Echolyn's style of instrumentalists composing apart then coming together for a blended structure.
DFA use their propulsive drumming and bedrock bass on tracks like "Escher" and "Esperanto" to highlight some jazzy interludes with the guest vocalists or move into a bass heavier direction.
It may take a few listens to find the melodies and song structures well hidden in the mix. Songs take on shape using great segues and crafted dynamics. The music reminds me of more recent Deux Ex Machina (in fact, their singer Alberto Piras guests on a few tracks), but without the vocal gymnastics. The singing is in Italian. DFA's vocals are adequate but much better when multitracked with backup vocals. This helps the sometimes-faltering voice of Alberto De Grandis stay on note.
There are a few great and full symphonic epic songs, such as the 16 minute La Via which has instrumental solos nicely interspersed among the melodic sections. The organ solos are especially heavy and blend in other keyboard sounds, most notably the mellotron, when the time is right. DFA avoids the pitfall of filling the epics with long solos that often lose the interest of the listener. The listener is brought along for the ride, easily remaining attentive to the many sections of the song, as well as hanging in there during the transitions. This is a songwriting quality not often mastered by artists more experienced than DFA.
This 2 CD set is a great way to explore this superb Italian band.
"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1