Gotic
Escenes

The Catalan band Gotic, authors in 1977 of this gem of the European progressive scene, would certainly fight for the top in a hypothetical competition for the least fitting band names in history.

If indeed this group's name evokes shadowy and dark paths, musical and otherwise, in Barcelona's old quarter, once you insert the disc in the player, the atmosphere leaves you decidedly surprised. So let's make it clear to the listener: there is absolutely nothing "gothic" here.

We are faced with a 37-minute fresco painted with the airy and joyful colors of the Costa Brava, instrumental prog inspired by Camel's "The Snow Goose," but also reminiscent of the brilliant Harmonium from Quebec, authors of the great album "S'Avait Beson De Une Cinqueme Saison." All this is mixed with a Mediterranean sense of melody, avoiding postcard attitudes but intelligently filtering the origins through the more complex compositions of Prog (even though the last track is the only suite).

It opens with "Escenes De La Tierra En Festa I De La Mar En Calma," a delicious weave of electric piano played by Jordi Vilaprinyò, evocative and not at all pretentious.  

After this pleasant introduction, several tracks highlight the strengths of the Gotic sound: in addition to the omnipresent keyboards (especially electric piano), the flute plays a remarkable role in creating pleasant tunes sometimes derived from Catalan folk tradition: the flutist, Jep Nuix, skillfully avoids perpetuating the worn-out seventies stereotype of the "Ian Anderson-style flute" but uses the instrument with great taste and personal flair. This is one of the greatest "flute albums" in all of Prog.

The guitars of Cudina and Cubero are mostly acoustic, but when they use the electric, the moments are truly memorable.

The entire album is instrumental and all the track titles are in Catalan: two years after the fall of Franco's dictatorship, musicians can finally express themselves in the language most natural to them. (we also remember the remarkable Spanish Prog albums sung in Basque by Itoiz and Lisker)

Sometimes in pieces like "Imprompt" or "Le Revolució," our artists enjoy venturing into territories close to fusion. "Jocs D'Ocells" and "Danca D'Estiu" are airy little scenes for keyboard and flute: if Andrew Latimer had been born in Cadaqués or Provence, perhaps the Camel would have sounded like this.

The best tracks of the album are the two that conclude the work. "I Tu Que Ho Veies Tot Tan Facil" opens with a radiant beam of mellotron on which are layered acoustic arpeggios and an irresistible tune by Nuix's flute, which concludes after a convoluted ride in an explosion of electric guitar...

The final ten-minute suite, "Historia D'Una Gota D'Aigua" starts with a melancholic and introspective theme from the Steve Howe-style guitar, followed by memorable developments for flute and guitar: we are taken by the arm by this track, led by the hand towards a place by the sea whose view consoles and moves. Musically, I won't reveal more about this track because it is truly a jewel and I don't want to spoil it for you. The "journey of the water drop" (this is the translation of the title) will surprise you as well.

An album to listen to on a summer afternoon, in a pine forest by the sea, made for those who believe that prog is not just a hyper-complicated weave of twenty-one different instruments, but also a genre that can filter through electric and acoustic instruments serene and Mediterranean melodies.

PS. There is also a second album by Gotic... available in a somewhat... aumm aumm way.