Ithaca
A Game For All Who Know

Fate must have held a profound and unjustified hatred towards the Ithaca, a band we know very little about, which left us with a single album, practically a demo, recorded in the worst possible way. Fortunately, this poor production does not reflect the quality of their music, sweet and ethereal, gentle and melancholic, truly of great caliber.

"A Game for All Who Know" is undoubtedly a work that fits within the Progressive genre, yet it is infused with folk influences with typical late 60s English pop resonances, with extensive use of acoustic guitars, subtle keyboards, and light winds (flute) that occasionally intervene, giving it a dreamlike aura paradoxically accentuated by the rough recording. The alternation of male and female voices and the presence of choruses and counterpoints endows the album with a rarefied and suspended atmosphere, evoking solitary and placid scenarios.

The only flaw one might notice (apart from the production, as mentioned) is perhaps the excessive uniformity of the album, which lacks true sparks capable of awakening the "lethargy" it induces. However, if we consider this a deliberate stylistic choice and take into account that "A Game for" lasts just over half an hour, I would say the goal is fully achieved, allowing the listener to dream undisturbed throughout the course of the work.

Highly recommended (for those who manage to find it!).