Finisterre
La meccanica naturale

If with "In ogni luogo"" the Finisterre had approached a very personal and sophisticated sound, among progressive atmospheres intertwined with instrumental parts typical of a certain post-rock and immersed in jazz nuances, it is with this latest release that the group definitively achieves the fusion between classic progressive and modern rock already initiated in the previous work and which here finds its definitive formulation. "La meccanica naturale" was released in 2004 by the Immaginifica label, curated and produced by the excellent Franz Di Cioccio, and presents Finisterre in great shape in a surely new guise, with Stefano Marelli on vocals assisted by the excellent drummer Michele Cavani.

That of Zuffanti and company is a music that represents the perfect meeting point between the technicalities and complexity of their early work and the accessibility of a certain type of modern rock, although there are plenty of instrumental parts where the progressive soul of these Genoese musicians is clearly evident yet without taking over. The song format is therefore more present and tends to replace what in "In ogni Luogo" were completely instrumental tracks, the only flaw being Marelli's voice, which is not always up to par—or at least so it seems in some unremarkable passages—but everything is balanced by the particular atmospheres created by the group which compensate for this shortcoming.

The piano loop introducing "La Perfezione" of clear Genesis influence begins a journey through Finisterre's notes, a journey beyond the boundaries of progressive beyond any scheme, it is a journey into Zuffanti's astonishing skill once again capable of composing music of astonishing elegance while playing modern without mincing words and "La perfezione" shows us the notes of the piano in a continuous and sinuous interplay with Marelli's guitar that precisely underlines the atmospheres that gradually create themselves.

"Aspirando, respirando sto spezzando ogni dettaglio per capire come un bambino se all'interno c'è un'anima. Non seguirmi, non imitarmi difendo il mio diritto di sbagliare e tutto quanto sto spezzando respirando fino in fondo quasi soffocando ma sento sto cambiando la mia identità così lucente e necessaria, come cenere" - "La mia identità", among dry electronic inserts and fast melodic riffs, is a song that has little to do with progressive yet it is progressive in spirit, as is "Il volo" that introduces a pressing rhythm amidst delicate acoustic arpeggios emphasized by Marelli's distorted guitar, only disturbed by the nervous piano notes that insert over Marelli's same voice, a voice filled with suffering and emotion: "scendo le scale sento il tuo profumo e sembra di svanire e sembra non sia stato mai. Un attimo di tempo è già sparito dimentico il passato e corro via, una ferita piena di pazzia se getto la mia faccia e volo via...".

 In "Ode al mare" the atmospheres become even more delicate, lightweight like the sensations they evoke in the listener who finds themselves cradled as if by the waves of the sea in Floydian echoes and rarefied and expanded reverberations that amplify even further in the ensuing "Rifrazioni" ambient piece with strong jazz hues with the delicate and hypnotic piano notes of Boris Valle and the soft, cushiony flugelhorn of Luca Guercio in the background.

"L'inferno di ogni giorno fa paura...", a peremptory and firm phrase opens "Lo Specchio" in a soft acoustic guitar loop over an electronic carpet that slowly evolves into a piano opening that accompanies Marelli's voice even in the next "La ricostruzione del futuro" with a vocal that obsessively repeats the same phrase amidst crazy synthesizers that draw a distorted and alienating plot before leaving us to the distant, almost metallic filtered voices of "La fine" that get lost in the closing track "Incipit", an instrumental piece that embraces psychedelic atmospheres on the melancholic piano notes always present in the background providing color.

A mature and enjoyable work to listen to that presents a group that has made since its origins the ability to mix genres and the desire to innovate but above all to innovate themselves the fundamental components, unfortunately Finisterre will disband after this work with the departure of Stefano Marelli while Boris Valle, Fabio Zuffanti, Agostino Macor and Maurizio Di Tollo will form the group Rohmer, who in 2008 released the self-titled album. 

"C'è un vento gelido e il mare lo sentiamo dentro, nelle nostre ossa. È uno stato d'animo che ci chiude come in quelle vie così strette guardiamo gli altri ma non riconosciamo mai noi stessi. Il mare è lo specchio la terra è la carne dall'attrito le nostre esistenze ci avviciniamo a luoghi inaccessibili e d'improvviso ecco apparire zone sconosciute, piccoli angoli oscuri, codici da decifrare..." da "Rifrazioni" di Fabio Zuffanti