Nightingale

Artist's Website
Contact Artist
Italy

Warranties and Disclaimers

"Italian prog band, Nightingale, was founded at the end of 2000 by Piero Delucia (guitar, vocals).  Joined by two friends, Paolo Ruggieri (drums) and Francesco D’Ercole (keyboards), gigs soon followed where the trio (with Alessandro Ruggieri on bass) performed music by PFM, Rush, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater etc.  A couple of months later, Piero started to write new pieces culminating with lengthy recording periods in the studio, where Piero also played bass.  After these initial recording sessions had finished in 2002, Nicola Ruggieri joined the band as full time bass player.  Finally, debut album, Daylight Saving Time, was released at the end of 2003.

The nine-track album opens with a short classical guitar intro track, which, in my mind, is typically Italian in style.  The music then opens up in prog-metal symphonic mode, and by that I mean the two prog styles are there independently almost.  A strong Led Zep ‘folk’ influence (i.e. Led Zep IV) is also present especially with regard to vocal arrangement and sound.

Preferring to let the music roll on, I didn’t pay too much attention to where the tracks began and ended, so was a little surprised after 15 or so minutes to find I had reached track 4 (Ora Legale).  The music sits so well, it could have been just one long track with many changes and styles.

Nobody Cares Of Dusty Mellow has a atmospheric, Genesis, build up peppered with Dream Theater heaviness prior to the latter taking eminence for a short period.  At around 11 minutes, this is the longest track on the album and has everything from delicate acoustic folk to manic heavy guitar and Mellotron (sample, I assume, but good enough to be the ‘real thing’).  Complex and emotional.

It is this mix of the delicate with the heavy, like a lot of the Fish era Marillion works, that immediately appeals and whilst it may take some time before individual melodies, due to their complexity, become wholly familiar, it is an album that begs to be played over and over again.

The final track, appropriately titled Exit?, seemingly ends after about 90 seconds (as it should, according to the booklet) but let it run and six minutes later the music starts again.  I have no idea why there is six minutes of recorded silence, but it does offer enough time to make a hot drink before a repeat play!  I wonder of they perform ‘the silence’ at gigs?  Perhaps it is just on my copy of the CD.

Daylight Saving Time is a strong debut release with a nice proportion of vocals (25%) to instrumentals (75%).  Check out Nightingale’s web site for sound samples and further information." - Jem Jedrzejewski, H-H Herald

"If you did a search for bands with the name Nightingale, you would wind up with more than a single hit. In the world of progressive music, the one fronted by the Swedish singer and guitarist Dan Swanö would typically be the first that comes to mind. There is another band by the name Nightingale that qualifies itself for the genre. While Dan Swano’s Nightingale is more along the lines of Progressive Metal, this one is based around an Italian quartet that is a cross between California Guitar Trio, Mastermind, and Sonus Umbra.

Piero Delucia does double- duty as the vocalist and guitarist. Francesco d’Ercole provides the keyboards. The brothers Paola and Nicola Ruggieri play the drums and bass respectively.  The lyrics read more like poetry than music. Piero does a fabulous job singing. His accent is lost in the music, but he still manages to supply a slice of Italy. There is something warm and amorous in his technique.  This is the menu for what’s served during the session:

"Elsehow" - This is a short intro that is similar to California Guitar Trio, but comes in a lunch-sized portion. Your hosts plan to leave your appetite fully intact for the evening supper.

"Permanent Daylight" - The instrumentals in this song are like Mastermind while the vocals are folksier in nature. The strength of the song is the fact it takes several directions in a short period of time. The music takes a couple of abrupt tangents. Themes are cleverly reprised without getting overly repetitive or stagnant. This is a hearty salad with leafy greens and bits of bacon covered in a creamy dressing. It will fill you up early in the meal, so be sure to leave room for the remaining courses.

"Illusions In The Magazine" - The song opens with a passage that sounds like Sirius from the Alan Parsons Project. Imagine the player’s introduction to the Chicago Bulls basketball team. It is another tasty tune. Think of it as a thick rich bowl of soup. This one has a salty broth, caramelized onions, and fat croutons all layered in chewy cheese. It’s the most poetic of all the songs and it is simply delicious. Piero’s guitar is vibrant at the end. The slurping of the remnants at the bottom of the bowl is the best part.

"Ora Legale" - This item is all for show as it arrives sizzling on a platter. It is a small hors d’oeuvre, but it lingers on the taste buds. It is mostly acoustic in nature. Giovanni Azzone provides guest percussions while Piero plays a sweet sounding guitar.

"Nobody Care Of Dusty Mellow" - This is the longest piece on the album at eleven minutes and ten seconds, which makes it the main entrée. The song is a succulent slice of prime rib served with russet potatoes and scallions. If the earlier pieces didn’t spoil your appetite, this one surely will. It should be no trouble cleaning your plate. The recipe used is again comparable to what is made in Mastermind’s kitchen. Giovanni gives us more of his percussions after encouragement from some of the visiting patrons.

"Nightingale" - You’re left bursting at the seams and need this time to digest. You’re hunger has been thoroughly satisfied. The title track ruminates in your tummy. Annarita Amato plays a flavorsome flute. The end of this piece is the most jovial of all the pieces.

"Oozing Twilight" - Dessert is finally served. The crust is light and flakey. The frosting is sweet and succulent. This instrumental uses a dietary substitute for Mastermind that is equally tart and tangy.

"Curved Air" - There is a natural transition into this piece as the partygoers move into the living room. Cups of fresh roasted coffee are sipped during some informal chit- chat. The evening grows darker as the festivities wind down. A musician by the name of Dominica Ragone volunteers to play some bass for the guests. While this ballad is less adventurous than the other pieces, the melody is very good. It is a tightly wound tune and it is probably the best song on the album.

"Exit?" - Before leaving the dinner party, you are tempted with some fine chocolate mints. A few small bites are all that’s needed. With very little filler, this song is rich and makes your mouth water. This is the proper end to the album as it leaves your palette coated in delectable cocoa. Your belly is satisfied on the long ride home. Hidden at the end of the track is a reminder of the luscious meal." - Joshua Turner, Progressive World

"You just gotta love those Italians as once again they have provided the progressive rock listeners of this planet with some nice progressive rock music that blends elements of neo-prog, prog metal, and pop into an interesting musical brew.

There are times when this is CD has a familiar and almost ‘local’ feel but then it does morph into something just a tad different. Oh nothing like a Magma or even King Crimson but just different enough to peak your interest.

Singing in English they make a good attempt at bonding the lyrics to the music and to my ears they succeeded perfectly. I keep coming back to the quality of the musicians all across this CD. Even though I have “labeled” this band truly listening to all the tracks they seem to have hit on a formula that just does not fit with metal, neo, or even classical prog.

I suppose this is “pop prog” ala Kevin Gilbert all the while reminding the listener that this is still progressive music at many levels.

It was not until track 5 that I really felt attached to this entire CD. “Nobody Cares of Dusty Mellow” (you go figure out what that means!) starts with a mixture of crunchy guitars intermixed with a Rothery style plinka, plinka guitar. Surrounding all the guitars is a lofty keyboard wrapping the entire song in a blanket of mystery and power. At over 11 minutes, there are some lyrics but this song is mostly pretty powerful music. When the singing comes in the voice of Piero Delucia is angelic as he discusses the ways we become insane. Then out of nowhere you end up with an early Rush feel (2112) with haunting keyboards, crunchy guitars and that falsetto voice. Yummy!

While NOT a guitar CD, it is in fact a guitar driven CD. Acoustic, electric, back to acoustic where the songs attempt to set a stage on which the listener can relax and enjoy. I really like the overall feel of the CD even if in parts the production quality is just a tad off.

And I mean that in the nicest way. Overall the production is not bad just in some small parts it sounds like the crunchy guitars were recorded in a porta john.

For lovers of all things Italian and progressive, this is a must have." - Stephen Ellis, Prog4You.com