Luca
Fucci – Hidden Scars (Quarock Records)
CD
/ DL
Out
now
8.5
/ 10
Italian
electronica artist releases his new album.
Instrumental
albums, particularly electronic ones can be a mixed bag. Frequently they contain filler and a certain
amount of contempt for the listener. Not
so Hidden Scars by Luca Fucci which is a delight to listen to and an album of
quality and class.
Fucci
blends a not unusual mix of piano, percussion and synthesizers through several
styles and tempos as album opener Fading Out shows. The early piano beginnings maybe hint at a
slightly different style but soon the lone instrument is joined by synth burblings
and a light drumbeat. Within moments
this has turned into a throbbing almost militarien cavalcade of noise which is
both enthralling and exciting.
And
so this album continues, Luca is clearly keen on dramatic drum patterns, many
of which are close to distortion and pound away with enormous gusto. Undertow opens with a spurt of fierce
synthesized effects and the sound of drums is there again.
What
Fucci is very accomplished at doing is created different moods. In the same way that fellow instrumentalists Jean-Michael
Jarre and Martin Gore have the ability to create massive soundscapes of beauty
and power, so too it would seem has Luca.
The
premise for the album is that all the elements (drone, drums, piano, etc.) come
together to uncover ‘hidden scars’, and it’s an interesting and intriguing one. There is no let-up in the rollercoaster that
has been created on this album. Track
after track delves into different styles and temperaments, and it is this approach
that keeps the album alive.
It’s
not all loud noises though, Fucci shows a huge amount of restraint on tracks
like Stay Here which act as breathers between the more dramatic pieces and
again show a mature side with understanding.
Someone I Never Knew hints that it may soon explode but the bubbling of
bass merely serves as a teaser for an otherwise gentler track.
Love
Is More About does not hold back and becomes an incredible wall of sound at
many points during its duration, whilst Inside and Still Here restores calm
once more. Possibly think of Hidden
Scars as a journey through its thirteen tracks with many high points along the
way.
Closing
with the cacophonous Post Scriptum, a track which almost says ‘by the way,
here’s some noise!’, Luca Fucci manages to go all experimental and Cabaret
Voltaire on us with sounds of buzzing bees and large slabs of piano
thumping.
It’s
all clever stuff and an album that deserves some wide recognition.
Links
Qua Rock Records
Luca Fucci website
Luca Fucci on Twitter
Luca Fucci on Facebook
Jean-Michael Jarre
Martin Gore
Cabaret Voltaire
Published on Louder Than War 15/-3/16 - here
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