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░ ██ ██ Artist: Franck Carducci ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Torn Apart █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Vocation Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The album ODDITY made by the French musician █
█ Franck Carducci was one of the most surprising █
█ releases of 2011 for me. Since I got this █
█ excellent album in my collection I never left this █
█ talented multi-instrumentalist (vocals, guitars, █
█ bass, sitar, percussion) out of my sight for a █
█ single moment! Seeing him and his excellent band █
█ perform three times in the Netherlands made it █
█ possible for me to hear a sneak preview of the █
█ compositions that are going to be on his follow up █
█ release. A release which I certainly was looking █
█ forward to. He named it Torn Apart and released it █
█ early 2015. █
█ Although the album contains several songs which I █
█ heard during his concerts the album still had some █
█ beautiful surprises in store for me. The album █
█ starts with the title track. Torn Apart was one of █
█ the three new compositions which he already showed █
█ to his audience. It's a great up tempo track on █
█ which both of the excellent guitar players of his █
█ live band get room to rock their instruments. I █
█ can only confirm that Christophe Obadia and █
█ Mathieu Spaeter are a great guitar tandem, not █
█ only on stage but also in the recording studio. █
█ The melodic mellow middle section is beautifully █
█ done and shows that Franck has not only a █
█ rock-'n-roll heart, but a prog heart as well. The █
█ next track again was familiar to me. Closer To █
█ Irreversible turned out to be a real blues song █
█ when it was recorded in the studio, even more as █
█ when played on stage. One of Franck's musical █
█ heroes can be heard on the electric guitar on this █
█ composition. Former Genesis guitarist Steve █
█ Hackett did a great solo that only he can do! Next █
█ is Journey Through The Mind. It starts with a Mark █
█ Kelly (Marillion) kind of intro played on the █
█ synthesizer by Richard Vecchi. Former band member █
█ Roy van Oost plays wonderfully on his flute on █
█ this track. On this true progressive rock tune █
█ with fine Mellotron parts played by Franck █
█ himself, there is a first time contribution on █
█ backing vocals by the excellent female singer Mary █
█ Reynaud from his live band. The tablas (played by █
█ Fred Boisson) and sitar (played by Franck himself) █
█ gives the song a real Beatles kind of sound. █
█ Therefore it wasn't so strange to hear a musical █
█ part at the end that reminded me of the █
█ Lennon-McCartney composition Norwegian Wood. The █
█ next song Artificial Love is a very short track █
█ (two minutes) where the Mellotron and the electric █
█ guitar dominate the song. The first epic piece is █
█ next. A Brief Tale Of Time is divided into four █
█ different parts which includes many moods. █
█ Sometimes mellow, sometimes more up tempo, but all █
█ beautifully done. It includes some fantastic █
█ synthesizer parts done by the already mentioned █
█ Richard Vecchi. Throughout the entire song he can █
█ be heard on the Mellotron, piano and organ as █
█ well. The following Girlfriend For A Day can be █
█ described as kind of a short ballad. Another █
█ rocking song is next. █
█ On Mr. Hyde & Dr. Jekyll contributes former band █
█ member Michael Strobel on the electric guitar. The █
█ second epic can be enjoyed after this track. █
█ Artificial Paradises could already be enjoyed █
█ during Franck's live concerts. He even made this █
█ studio version more beautiful then I could █
█ remember of the live version. Franck played most █
█ of the keyboard parts himself in the studio, but █
█ shared the synthesizer parts with Mr. Vecchi. A █
█ special mention goes to Mr. Spaeter for the █
█ excellent guitar parts. Just like on his debut he █
█ managed to give the song an amazing climax. Just █
█ the way we all love it in the ultimate progressive █
█ rock tune! On his debut I enjoyed the Genesis █
█ cover The Carpet Crawlers as a fantastic bonus █
█ track. This time the encore done during most of █
█ his live shows was added as a bonus track. And █
█ just like on the live version of School the █
█ harmonica has been replaced by a didgeridoo on the █
█ studio version. Hearing Christophe Obadia play on █
█ this instrument you get the impression of an █
█ elephant using his trunk to make the sound of a █
█ trumpet. The rest of the song stays rather close █
█ to the original Supertramp composition. The track █
█ also features keyboard player Oliver Castan and █
█ drummer Laurent Falso of Franck's live band. They █
█ can be heard on several other tracks on the album █
█ as well. █
█ The over all feeling after listening to Torn Apart █
█ several times is that Carducci and his many guests █
█ managed to come up with a very strong second █
█ album. An album Franck can be very proud of. Most █
█ of all if you realise that he is an independent █
█ artist who has to do everything on his own without █
█ a record label behind him. So both thumbs up for █
█ this wonderful musician, composer and human being, █
█ who made the first musical highlight of 2015! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ A recipe for commercial disaster: take a French █
█ multi-instrumentalist. Move him, with all his █
█ instruments, to Amsterdam, let him play with Steve █
█ Hackett (who encourages him to release an album), █
█ then send him back to France temporarily to record █
█ a second album. None of the material on that album █
█ will ever reach the radio charts, and that's an █
█ indication that it will be played and remembered █
█ longer than most tracks that do. █
█ This multi-instrumentalist is Franck Carducci, who █
█ sings, plays bass, organ, keyboard, mellotron and █
█ guitar - and composes his own music. The album is █
█ Torn Apart, a 65 minute journey through the world █
█ inside Carducci's head - and as on most journey █
█ through unknown territory, there is room for joy, █
█ surprise and in some places also disappointment - █
█ but in the end the feeling of having arrived. █
█ The journey starts at full energy with a keyboard █
█ and guitar driven opening for the title track Torn █
█ Apart. After the drums and the organ comes in, the █
█ 70s, slightly high pitched rock voice of Carducci █
█ starts telling us about a character getting stuck █
█ in life, and apparently losing his or her lover at █
█ some point. The song is short, lyrics wise, but █
█ since this opener is 10 minutes long, there's █
█ enough room for an instrumental part that first █
█ covers every instrument and chord that Uriah Heep █
█ and Deep Purple have ever used, until everything █
█ quiets down and a whistle like sound (is this your █
█ mellotron, Franck?) sets in a tune that resembles █
█ You Can't Always Get What You Want. This lasts for █
█ a bit (a bit too long for me actually), before █
█ leading back to an almost Rush-like instrumental █
█ part until the vocals come back in to continue the █
█ story, in a more dramatic tone this time. After █
█ the final verse, guitar and organ take turns █
█ playing good old classic rock solos to build a █
█ nice climax to the track. █
█ The follow up track Closer to Irreversible starts █
█ a lot quieter, as a rock ballad, but soon the █
█ bass, organ and mellotron make it into something █
█ far from standard. After the first vocal part, █
█ Steve Hackett gets to show what he does with a █
█ guitar nowadays. The result is a solo that starts █
█ relatively melodic, but builds up into something █
█ fuller and faster, with additional effects near █
█ the end. After that, the track goes back to the █
█ ballad mood from te beginning, but with more room █
█ for guitar and organ. A track that has bits of 70s █
█ rock in it, but also modern guitar work and some █
█ Pendragon and IQ resemblances. █
█ Journey Through the Mind then starts with a rocky, █
█ keyboard heavy intro, that immediately brings to █
█ mind a Styx song - and I'll leave it up to the █
█ listener to find out which one (I know, but I like █
█ to give you all a bit of brain exercise as well). █
█ After the intro, a flute takes over, and then █
█ acoustic guitar and flute accompany the first █
█ verses. Vocals here are slightly less raw than on █
█ Torn Apart. Later on the organ wailing under the █
█ vocals reminds me of Bootcut, a side project of █
█ Beardfish keyboard player Rikard Sjoblom. Near the █
█ end we hear the Styx riff from the intro again, █
█ but the surprise of this track is the real ending █
█ - a full minute piece of tabla (a hindu drum) and █
█ sitar, which somehow fits but has nothing to do █
█ with the rest of the song. █
█ The short piece (2 minutes) Articial Love, is full █
█ of Yes and Genesis influences, but with a modern █
█ touch. Funny bit is the guitar that at a certain █
█ point seems to sound like a violin, if ever so █
█ briefly. █
█ After this, a longer part of the journey takes us █
█ through the 12 minute epic A Brief Tale of Time. █
█ The four pieces that form this composition are █
█ easily distinguishable. The first one, The Quest, █
█ is a dramatic piece, with high pitched vocals █
█ singing about a character on a journey toward its █
█ impossible, secrete love. The organ makes it grow █
█ fuller near the end, to introduce the second part █
█ Higher and Higher. Here, the organ disappears in █
█ favour of bass and acoustic guitar, while Yes like █
█ goals sing about the same character getting energy █
█ from its (answered?) love. However, suddenly the █
█ mood becomes darker and keyboards come in - giving █
█ a gloomy feeling, which is confirmed by the █
█ closing verse, which explains that the flight of █
█ love has taken a dangerous turn, tearing the █
█ lovers apart. This accompanied by a 'square' hard █
█ rock keyboard and guitar piece. A Genesis like █
█ guitar fades slowing into part three, 2078: Mobius █
█ Trip, which seems to be a time loop. This part █
█ consists mainly of electronic sounds and noises, █
█ possibly mimicking a time machine. A computer █
█ voice tells the character to go away and meet its █
█ destiny. When the noises stop, we are in part 4, █
█ Back to Reality, in which the character █
█ accompanied by the piano and Hacket like guitar █
█ tells us that 'nothing lasts forever but █
█ impossible love'. █
█ If that is so, a Girlfriend for a Day may be a █
█ better idea. A rock ballad with piano and moog █
█ explains that. However, it's a short one, and when █
█ you feel the drums are taking you into the song - █
█ that is actually the end of it. Surprise! █
█ Instead, Mr. Hyde & Dr. Jekyll take us into a real █
█ classic rock piece, with lovely guitar and bass █
█ work. The Jekyll-Hyde theme is reflected in the █
█ song, which consists of two rocking parts █
█ interleaved by two more laid back parts before the █
█ full blown hard rocking outro (note the organ and █
█ the bass doing their job more than brilliantly!!) █
█ After that, the actual (but not real) closing █
█ track Artifical Paradise keeps us busy for another █
█ 14 minutes. Lyrics wise, it could have fit 3-4 █
█ minutes or less, so we're actually treated to a █
█ lot of instrumental work. There is a Genesis like █
█ piece with a melodic guitar (which for a second I █
█ though played the Phantom of the Opera tune) after █
█ the first verses, which then grows into a more █
█ full blown symphonic part. Then a short break with █
█ children's voices takes us to a Spirit of Radio █
█ like part, which then drops into a part where the █
█ guitar thinks about 'going Firth of Fifth'. The █
█ organ pushes it away however to make room for a █
█ ballad like part with piano and acoustic guitar █
█ that develops into the final verse. A 2 minute █
█ single note on the mellotron ends the track... █
█ The only real disappointment on the album is the █
█ bonus track School, which is a lot like the █
█ original, but lacks it's power and energy. The █
█ reason is probably the fact that it's a bit slower █
█ than the original, and the vocals are a bit lower █
█ (and less piercing) than on the original █
█ Supertramp track. Maybe I like the original too █
█ much, but I wouldn't have regretted it if this █
█ track was not on the album. █
█ Overall, also after listening to his debut Oddity, █
█ Franck Carducci has delivered a fine album. I hear █
█ a lot of influences from the past that may make it █
█ a bit old fashioned for some, but the great █
█ musical skills of Carducci and his many guest █
█ musicians make up for that and sound and █
█ production wise it is a fine, modern album. Give █
█ it a try, and if you like, tell others to do the █
█ same! █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Torn Apart 10:17 ░
░ 2. Closer to Irreversible 4:51 ░
░ 3. Journey Through the Mind 8:02 ░
░ 4. Artificial Love 2:11 ░
░ 5. A Brief Tale of Time 12:38 ░
░ 6. Girlfriend for a Day 1:53 ░
░ 7. Mr.Hyde and Dr.Jekyll 6:16 ░
░ 8. Artificial Paradises 14:08 ░
░ 9. School 5:40 ░
░ 65:56 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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