Saga
Sagacity

There are countless bands with a long career behind them that are decidedly little mentioned. Among these, the immense Saga cannot be left unmentioned. A Canadian band active since the late '70s but almost unknown to the world except in a few countries where they have a significant following and have sold a lot, Germany above all, and often underestimated even at a sectorial level by AOR and prog listeners.

Perhaps attracted by the intriguing name and the very eye-catching and epic logo, I decided to delve into their discography around 2010... and it was love at first sight. What struck me the most was their heavily keyboard-driven sound with very cold, nocturnal, and futuristic connotations (evident especially in the productions of the first decade) but also their ability to perfectly balance between the bright and catchy melodies of AOR and the instrumental and melodic solutions of progressive. Not least, I was impressed by the band's evolution over the years: from the acid and vaguely sci-fi synth rock of their early works to the new wave and '80s influences of their '80s works, through the uncertain '90s period (with the disaster of "Steel Umbrellas" and the unsuccessful post-grunge experiment of "Pleasure and The Pain" but also notable works like the hard rock-oriented "The Security of Illusion" and the theatrical true neo-prog concept "Generation 13") until the pure modern hard rock/AOR hybrid of the new millennium. In short, in a short time, this band even became one of my favorites!

It deserves mention the debaserian colleague Pier Paolo Farina, who provided an accurate description of the discography and journey of this extraordinary band.

In 2014, their twenty-first studio album was released, and I have to admit: it surprised me. Yes, because although the band has undergone an interesting evolution over the years, with the turn of the millennium this evolution has somewhat waned: the band has settled into a modern hard rock/AOR with a dash of prog, always presenting excellent records but without changing the coordinates too much. "Sagacity," on the other hand, although not a completely revolutionary record, unquestionably rejuvenates the band's recent production, giving it new energy, picking up the coordinates of previous albums but adding seriously new ideas not seen for more than a decade. Thanks to greater compositional freedom, more instrumental dynamism, and a more marked prog influence, but above all to the brilliant keyboard work of Jim Gilmour (who probably has to bear the burden of such a heavy surname), varied as in the golden years. The words of vocalist and frontman Michael Sadler - on his second album after rejoining the band - had already made me hopeful: he anticipated it as a record that confirms the more recent sounds but picks up some elements of the old Saga and at the same time looks to the future. Indeed, we truly find ourselves at a crossroads between the band's past, present, and future.

The very first track of the album and also the lead single, "Let It Slide," is something incredible: Sharp guitar passages alternating with more refined ones and an unusually extended instrumental part where guitars and keyboards perfectly dialogue as in the old days; note how Gilmour sneaks in some heavy effects that are quite surprising and have an almost industrial flavor. But it's only the beginning. The second track "Vital Signs" continues to amaze once again with distinctive keyboard sounds, very edgy and unusual, alternating once again with hard rock-inspired riffs and irregular rhythms. "It Doesn't Matter (Who You Are)" doesn't particularly stand out, although the guitar solos are noteworthy: Ian Crichton proves to be a rather underrated guitarist (in a YouTube comment there was even a comparison to Van Halen), further demonstrating that the Rolling Stone rankings are as reliable as Paolo Fox's horoscope (they even feature Kurt Cobain, and above several sacred monsters...).

And here comes the most openly prog track on the album, "Go With the Flow," very dynamic for their standard and almost free from song form, varied in rhythms, facilitated by newcomer (at least on record) Mike Thorne and always teetering between big hard rock riffs, solos, and unisons... it also offers long and brilliant acoustic guitar phrases that might even recall Yes! Then comes the delicate and ironic "Press 9" based on a rich keyboard layer over which long acoustic phrases once again play. And then comes another track that surprises upon first listen: it is "Wake Up," built on a repeated electronic riff and a driving rhythm, with heavier-than-ever guitar and synth riffs in the chorus; an unusual foray into techno, almost rave-like electronics, indie, industrial, we are almost halfway between Primal Scream and Nine Inch Nails with sounds reworked ad hoc; personally, due to its obsessive rhythm and distorted riffs, it immediately made me think of "Hyperactive" by Riverside, although the track it most resembles is probably "Nothing at Best" by Pineapple Thief; this is also the typical track that is immediately criticized and labeled as gaudy, but you know very well that for me this type of compositions doesn't have the same effect, in fact I am always the one defending them.

"Don't Forget to Breathe" is less surprising, although the keyboard inserts are on point, and the sound used in unison with the guitar is fitting, while "The Further You Go" is probably in the top 4 of the album; credit again goes to the keyboards: beautiful electronic riffs in the verses, also accompanied by sharp guitar arpeggios, the sharp reverb used right after is thrilling, as well as the "clicking" that follows, roughly similar to those present in the finale of "A Tension of Souls" by Threshold.

"On My Way" is instead the best track not so much from a creative standpoint but from the point of view of melody; decisive in this sense is the guitar work; however, here too there is a brilliant example of how the prog influence is evident; in fact, the track features a nice minute of atmospheric intro, with a rich keyboard layer then followed by beautiful loop sounds preceding the attack, and there is also a moderate instrumental section that brings Saga back to the old days: keyboard solo, guitar solo, and then beautiful duets between the two in an acceleration that might remind of those already heard in classics like "Humble Stance" and "The Pitchman".

"No Two Sides" is quite linear and less ingenious, but the heavy and acid "hits" of the synths in the chorus are worth mentioning. "Luck" alternates heavy synths and effects in the chorus, with evident references to the early Saga albums, to the delicate, almost carousel-like sounds of the verses. The closing "I'll Be" is also surprising: the first minute offers an unusual flamenco-style intro, with frantic acoustic riffs totally new for the band, then the rest of the track proceeds alternating the carousel sounds of the verses to the pompous melodic openings of the chorus.

I believe that with "Sagacity," Saga have made their best album in several years... perhaps even twenty! Surely there are quite a few albums above it, considering the band had their creative peaks roughly in the first 15 years of their career, but it easily surpasses the '90s production (maybe it has some difficulty beating "Generation 13") and I would say without problems also the very valid 2000s production (though not sweeping it away), even the notable "Trust" from 2006. Moreover, Saga is one of the few bands that after over thirty years of career, still shows no signs of fatigue and manages to release albums today that are not just good or excellent but even capable of being compared to the masterpieces of the past. Among the other bands with this advantage are Rush, King Crimson, Camel, Marillion, IQ.

I sincerely hope that this album truly represents the gateway to a new phase for the group. By working better on blending the elements, they can further improve and definitively enter the future, ushering in another new youth. In the meantime, I feel obliged to place "Sagacity" among my personal best releases of 2014, although I leave the top spot to IQ's "The Road of Bones".