DFA lavori in corso
		Format CD Country Italy Recorded 1996 Issued 1997 Label Scolopendra Cat no. SCL001SIAE Playing time 60:09 Reviewer Sven Eriksen

What do you get when you mix equal parts Gentle Gant, Edhels and The Flower Kings and put everything through an "Italian Prog"-filter? You get DFA.

Quite a few new and exciting Italian prog bands have arrived in the 90s, like Montefeltro (whatever happened to them by the way?), Standarte (if you fancy that kind of music) and Deux Ex Machina. However, in my opinion, DFA plays them all off the stage.

The band is incredibly together, the music is full of "hocketing" (Gentle Giant speciality, when several instruments share a melody line or riff), which seconds later is replaced by delicious solos over floating carpets of keyboards. The resemblance to Edhels is primarily owing to the guitarist Silvia Minella, here are the same inventive solos plus furious rhythm playing. Additionally, I suspect that both he and the bands keyboardist Alberto Bonomi must have listened quite a bit to the interplay between Gary Green and Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant.

The music is energetic and aggressive, inventive and well composed. The record contains several long solo parts both for guitar and keyboards (yes, there are solos for both mellotron flutes and all sorts of synths), but contrary to ninety per cent of of those making this kind of music, DFA avoids being long-winding and dull. They master the art of building tension, and then to let go. Of course, being as proficient musicians as this is a good help, but the cleverness never comes first. So when this hour of music is ended with an exciting instrumental part not a hundred miles from the ending of The Cinema Show, it is tempting to press the "repeat" button on the CD player.

Lavori In Corso is one of the best records I have heard for a long time, and I will not hesitate in giving it my heartfelt recommendations.

© 2001 Tarkus Magazine

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