"Pretty Prizes" is the second album from Italo-American band the Psychopathic Romantics and it presents us with a mature and intelligent collection of songs. In many ways, this album could be classified as prog-rock flavoured with a touch of psychedelia but that is perhaps too easy a conclusion to reach for there is much more here than that. For a start, there is a fine sense of the theatrical on show and the occasional touch of madness (try "Free Barabbas" if you don't believe me).
All sorts of other musical influences are on show too. Heavy rock riffs find themselves sharing a song with Syd Barrett like pop sensibilities and near classical structures. One thing is for sure - the Psychopathic Romantics have no fear of sudden tempo changes and they make that work to their advantage. None of the songs here turns out to be straightforward and of special note is the way vocalist Mario La Porta throws himself into each and every song with all the drama of a method actor consequently giving every word a gravitas that commands your attention. You can almost feel the the mental torment that he portrays.
"Silent Venom" is the standout track for me as it twists and turns like a dirt road in the country but "I Came Here" - which actually sounds more like a Tom Waits song - is a close second. To tell the truth though, no song disappoints and it is also worth mentioning that this album works best when it is listened to in its entirety. Then all those dramatic moments start to make sense. There's even a cheeky "…so long" to bring the album to a close.
This is a really rather fine album with a commendable sense of scale and style. Quite clearly not the kind of band that just turns it all up to 11 and lets rip, the Psychopathic Romantics show immaculate pacing and no small amount of imagination in their arrangements making this an album that you can return to time and time again. In fact, give it a couple of decades and I'm sure "Pretty Prizes" will be hailed as a lost classic.
Finally - and unusually for music in this genre - this album actually sounds good.