Multi-instrumentalist Paolo Pagliari is an Italian musician based in France, who used to be a member of the Old Castle, a little known and still active as of 2022 symphonic prog band and this is his first solo album, helped on drums by Alberto Quacquarini, also ex-The Old Castle. There is also a crew of backing vocalists as well. Very much steeped in the classic symphonic prog tradition, the result is sheer ear candy. The title should inspire a thoughtful and yet uncomplicated audition, devoid of any prejudgement, bad mood ranting or angry mindset, the innocence of youth is all the bliss one may require.
“So Begins” embraces all those young memories of openness, curiosity and excitement , Paolo displaying playful coquetry with both his trusted redolent bass, the acoustic and electric guitars gently smiling, the piano and keyboards there in order to keep the shoulders straight and the fingers nimble, contented children in the playground.
The effortless segue into “Stars in Your Eyes “ is where the soft voice glides into place and the organ signals a more profound tone and atmosphere, a musical world where sublime melody and unfettered passion rule. Silky and dreamy, with just the perfect amount of intensity, as youthful exuberance rarely understands boundaries, Paolo emoting on both his e-guitar excursions, the light voice sincere and then elevating the entire arrangement with a massively successful symphonic upsurge that supplies all the crescendo one could ask for. Extremely impressive.
No time wasted with the longest track here, the nearly 10 minute “Father’s Words” is most deserving of respect, as wisdom also has a large part to play in any child’s life. Lest we forget that many of us have been fortunate enough to have been raised by loving and caring parents, who also have provided guidance in building their offspring’s self-esteem and the need to show humanity to others. The heartfelt piece is honorably respectful, eloquently expressing admiration with a glittering guitar ride that easily rivals the legends of this genre (Hackett, Gilmour and Latimer). The flute and mellotrons add just the right amount of fluency, the rhythmic suspense being decisive, Alberto forcefully propelling the epic along the Yellow Brick Road. The bubbly synth chaperones the finale into the horizon.
Time for a nice trio of pieces, first with an acoustic guitar intermezzo, a barely three-minute diversion into a title that really explains the mood thoroughly “Watching Through the Window on a Melancholic Rainy Day”, crisp finger technique, flute meandering nearby and raindrops falling unobtrusively. A robust bass introduces the Beatles-like “Hold On!”, a song fueled by an opulent organ and flute presentation, yet it’s the bold vocal that really does the trick and raises more than just one eyebrow! The authenticity flowing from this simple tune is breathtakingly fresh and a sheer pleasure, with a lurking Hammond solo that could have /should have lasted another couple of minutes. The brash axe insert is brazen. Completing the experience, the inquisitive “Lune de Mer” ends with a delicate juvenile request, always some question ready to be blurted out in latent curiosity, the hallmark of youth.
The fluttering pace is maintained “In the Shelter of Your Eyes”, sonic suspended animation in the finest Floydian tradition, a pivotal platform for an elongated axe glide that you just know is going to eventually soar, way high up into the sky. Paolo can play, that I can assure you.
With an overt title like “Camel Escape”, you cannot mistake the influence, even if you tried. Moon madness on a dune-laden mirage, naked, breathless, amid the dust and the dreams, a stationary traveler offering a nod and a wink to his idols. It brought me to the harbour of tears without any holding back. My goodness! All the classic dromedary ingredients are all there: the Saharan cobra tongue flicker coiling over the sand , the snow goose fluttering in the blue sky above, the guitar work on par with the numbing organ menace and the rhythmic duo focused on the sun-scorched trail. As great an instrumental homage one should ever expect.
Two circa 5-minute twinned tracks close out this magnificent adventure. “Memory Box” provides a longing return to the past, a natural progression of life experience, as every person getting older year by year, eventually finds the most comfortable memories to reminisce, not only those that brought unfettered joy, but also the ones that surmounted obstacles that were considered unchallengeable. Resilience is the key, if only one could live life backwards. A lovely track. The beauty of this remarkable album is that it does not end in doom (unlike the current media tsunami), “Light in the Night” offers an inherently positive outlook, an indestructible reminder that love conquers all, much better that darkness in the day. The grandiose melody is colossal, insistent, bright and very tight.
Easily one of the biggest surprises thus far in 2026, on a myriad of levels. A comforting album that I intend to cherish for the remainder of my youth.
4.5 fledgling observations