Detailed Reviews [The Lost Generation - 2014 - "The Lost Generation"]

Prolusion. The British project THE LOST GENERATION is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Matteo Bevilacqua, formerly a member of the heavy-metal band Diaries Of A Hero. This self-titled recording is his first solo effort, released by Musea Records’ imprint Musea Parallele in 2014.

Analysis. The marketing of this production describes this album as one that should be considered to be belong in a similar musical context to bands like Porcupine Tree and Anathema. While I can understand that description, personally I find it to be a tad misleading. There are some similarities to such artists indeed, but they aren't really the dominating aspects of this CD at all. What we're presented with here is an album that, first and foremost, touches base with mainstream rock, as I experience it. An elegant and at times sophisticated take on a more mainstream-oriented style true enough, but first and foremost an elegant and relatively straightforward album, flavored with pomp rock elements rather than the other way around. Just about all of the compositions revolve around a steady, ongoing and well made bass and drums foundation, with an ongoing acoustic guitar motif on top. A second guitar layer is usually applied on top, alternating between a second plucked guitar layer or firm, dark-toned, but dampened, riffs, and the solo sections alternate between wandering plucked acoustic guitars and atmospheric, hovering electric guitar solo textures. Occasional and careful use of organ details and hovering synthesizer textures add some depth and a slight art rock tinge to the proceedings, as do the occasional use of electronic effects of various kinds. A few quirkier arrangements do appear here and there, but not to the extent of being a defining trait of this production, but rather as additional flavoring used to enhance the individual tracks and sequences when they occur. One might state that this is a singer/songwriter production at the core, as many of these compositions could be performed on acoustic guitar or piano alone without too much effort, and with the vocals being an integral part of the greater majority of these compositions, and a composer that has a desire to get some messages across, my opinion is that this indicates fairly good the type of music we're presented to here. At times some of the compositions do touch base with the most accessible material from bands such as Porcupine Tree and some of the bands that have oriented themselves after that particular take on progressive rock, but as the similarities are greater in terms of moods, atmospheres and arrangement choices than they are in terms of overall structure, the music as such isn't truly comparable.

Conclusion. "The Lost Generation" comes across as a well made album of mainly mainstream-oriented rock, with a few instances of details of a bit more sophisticated character, adding either an art- or a pomp-rock vibe to some of the proceedings. A fine production of its own kind, with many captivating moments, it, however, has almost nothing to do with progressive rock music (one that this site is dedicated to). Hence the rating…

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: October 3, 2015
The Rating Room