Fragile

This is the debut album by gentle Italian progressive-rockers Acqua Fragile, featuring the Genesis-like "Science Fiction Suite." Where most Italian progressive rock favors the overblown symphonic tendencies of the music's Emerson, Lake & Palmer axis, the comparatively unassuming Acqua Fragile is a much more gentle affair. Think Gentle Giant or the more lyrical moments of early Yes or Renaissance. (It will be almost impossible not to think of early Genesis; singer Bernardo Lanzetti sounds frighteningly similar to Peter Gabriel, especially on the opening "Morning Comes," which would not sound out of place on Trespass or Nursery Cryme.)

Fragile was formed in Japan in 1992, featuring Koichi YABORI on guitar, Masatoshi MIZUNO on bass, Kozo SUGANUMA on drums, Hatsuho FURUKAWA on keyboards and Hiroyuki YAGI on sax. The began by playing in venues aroud Tokyo, but by 1993 they were touring as a trio including YABORI, MIZUNO and SUGANAMA. In the years since, Fragile has released at leat 10 albums, all with the same core trio, playing their high intensity brand of fusion.