Album Review: Nico Guzzi – Instrumental love Pt. 2
Nico Guzzi is a multi-talented Italian musician who has found success in genres such as rock and electronica. Other areas of Nico's interest are ambient and instrumental music. He explores these styles on the self-explanatorily-titled album "Instrumental love Pt. 2".
The record starts with the piece called "The Fly, the Cricket and the Butterfly". Nico imagines "the listener can hear these little creatures as they flutter and talk, as if they were characters in a fairy tale". The insects are apparently associated with different sounds used in the song. The most evident parallel is between the fly and the buzzing synthesizer tone. The cricket is probably portrayed by the dreamy lead. And the butterfly tapping its wings can be heard in the track's percussive clapping tones. However, these are just starting points for your imagination to run (or rather fly) wild. The composition is rich and multilayered, and many of the melodies and timbres used here can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.
On the second track we are leaving the world of insects to tune into the "Voices of universe". The composition starts with a tranquil piano melody that feels soft and intimate. The sonic picture then expands with the help of lush dramatic strings. Soon the mood of the track completely changes – from calm to dark and stormy. The storm grows, reaching its climax at the end of the track.
"Midnight walker" is rich and cinematic. Its thrilling textures are created by the use of string and choir samples. The textures create a feeling of a constantly changing surface. Then we hear a fast piano arpeggio, creating an impression of somebody moving over the face of this surface – probably a divine entity. Then the song gets supercharged by a driving groove – a musical influence apparently rooted in Nico's rock background.
"After the rain, waiting for the rainbow" gives the listeners a moment of serenity after the two previous tracks' energy. The song is woven from an intricate rhythm, relaxing pluck sounds and calm, ethereal textures.
"Wind and solar radiation Radio" is short and mysterious. The strings are heavy, dark and enigmatic. The composition brings to mind the famous poem by Fyodor Tyutchev.
The record starts with the piece called "The Fly, the Cricket and the Butterfly". Nico imagines "the listener can hear these little creatures as they flutter and talk, as if they were characters in a fairy tale". The insects are apparently associated with different sounds used in the song. The most evident parallel is between the fly and the buzzing synthesizer tone. The cricket is probably portrayed by the dreamy lead. And the butterfly tapping its wings can be heard in the track's percussive clapping tones. However, these are just starting points for your imagination to run (or rather fly) wild. The composition is rich and multilayered, and many of the melodies and timbres used here can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.
On the second track we are leaving the world of insects to tune into the "Voices of universe". The composition starts with a tranquil piano melody that feels soft and intimate. The sonic picture then expands with the help of lush dramatic strings. Soon the mood of the track completely changes – from calm to dark and stormy. The storm grows, reaching its climax at the end of the track.
"Midnight walker" is rich and cinematic. Its thrilling textures are created by the use of string and choir samples. The textures create a feeling of a constantly changing surface. Then we hear a fast piano arpeggio, creating an impression of somebody moving over the face of this surface – probably a divine entity. Then the song gets supercharged by a driving groove – a musical influence apparently rooted in Nico's rock background.
"After the rain, waiting for the rainbow" gives the listeners a moment of serenity after the two previous tracks' energy. The song is woven from an intricate rhythm, relaxing pluck sounds and calm, ethereal textures.
"Wind and solar radiation Radio" is short and mysterious. The strings are heavy, dark and enigmatic. The composition brings to mind the famous poem by Fyodor Tyutchev.
“
Why moan, why wail you, wind of night,
With such despair, such frenzied madness?
Why is your voice now full of might,
Now piteous and tinged with sadness?
In tongue known to the heart, of pain
Unknown to it for ever chanting,
At times within it well-nigh frantic
Sounds you awaken and insane.
Sing not, O wind, your fearful song
Of chaos, for the hungry spirit,
Into night's world of shadows flung,
Exults in it and strains to hear it.
The bounds of mortal flesh 'twould fly
And merge with boundless ocean sweeping.
Take heed! Let slumbering tempests lie:
Beneath them chaos stirs unsleeping.
With such despair, such frenzied madness?
Why is your voice now full of might,
Now piteous and tinged with sadness?
In tongue known to the heart, of pain
Unknown to it for ever chanting,
At times within it well-nigh frantic
Sounds you awaken and insane.
Sing not, O wind, your fearful song
Of chaos, for the hungry spirit,
Into night's world of shadows flung,
Exults in it and strains to hear it.
The bounds of mortal flesh 'twould fly
And merge with boundless ocean sweeping.
Take heed! Let slumbering tempests lie:
Beneath them chaos stirs unsleeping.
The voices of chaos are eerily evident in the track's carefully constructed string parts. The composition is the shortest one on the album, however it's emotionally rich and dense.
The record closes with "Chaotic soliloquy & the dark matter (Malus Track)". This wildly experimental piece is probably the most interesting and surprising one on the album. It uses a single but extremely versatile instrument to create a whole spectre of emotions – from spookiness to tranquility and from funky goofiness to the inexplicable depths of primal scream. That instrument is Nico's own voice. This festival of improvisation goes on for almost 13 minutes, but it never gets tiring.
Overall, "Instrumental love Pt. 2" is an extremely versatile album. If we were to compare it with a picture gallery, we would say that it hosts a multitude of genres – from landscape painting of the old days to puzzling modern abstract art. Nico Guzzi showcases his profound understanding of different musical styles and the ability to bring them all together to create a unique work of art.
The record closes with "Chaotic soliloquy & the dark matter (Malus Track)". This wildly experimental piece is probably the most interesting and surprising one on the album. It uses a single but extremely versatile instrument to create a whole spectre of emotions – from spookiness to tranquility and from funky goofiness to the inexplicable depths of primal scream. That instrument is Nico's own voice. This festival of improvisation goes on for almost 13 minutes, but it never gets tiring.
Overall, "Instrumental love Pt. 2" is an extremely versatile album. If we were to compare it with a picture gallery, we would say that it hosts a multitude of genres – from landscape painting of the old days to puzzling modern abstract art. Nico Guzzi showcases his profound understanding of different musical styles and the ability to bring them all together to create a unique work of art.