Nosound: Promo CD (Independent, 2005)

by Jason

nosound promoCold winter days. The clouds rolling by. These are the types of days for which ambient/post-rock music was made. I have had the opportunity to review and listen to a wide variety of ambient and post-rock artists as of late and I think that I like the genre more now that I even did a little while ago. Perhaps it is the fact that I set on the cusp of winter with snow in the forecast and brilliantly crisp mornings. Today, I had the opportunity to seriously sit and listen to Nosound’s Promo disc. This is a sampling of a full length that Nosound is planning on putting out in 2005. Nosound is a one man project by Giancarlo Erra, who hails from Rome, Italy. Nosound is a beautiful, ambient, post-rock project with depth and feeling.

Erra opens this disc with “In the White Air.” The track begins with what sound likes a man noodling on a guitar while being recorded for an old phonograph. This cuts out to bass and percussion, with fuzz, blips, and swirling noises in the background. Wistful keys flow over the noises and a jazz style bass-line throbs in-between. Erra sings with a captivating accent over the mixture of layers. As the song progresses, distorted walls of guitar start to mix in with the instrumentation, then, they fade back into the mix and blips, clicks and sparse percussion take over. His lyrics paint a romantic picture of longing for one who has left. This is certainly supported by the music throughout. When Erra mentions that his love has gone and he wants her back, his vocals become loud and distorted. From the very beginning of this disc, Erra shows great talent in conveying emotive ideas to his listener.

“Wear Lies on Your Lips” starts with simple piano and the hum of guitar or keys. This is an ethereal song that is very atmospheric. The track then transitions into a more straightforward rock beat and bass with fantastic, soaring guitars and keys. Erra’s voice really floats upon this track beautifully. “The Child’s Game” is an instrumental that begins with scattered keys and a slight hum that make the track slightly eerie. This is a very short track, but it is the perfect length for its experimental feel on this album. “Idle End” starts out with dancing chimes and swirling sounds. Then, with the noise still moving about, a rock beat kicks in with distorted walls of sound and spacey keys. A Spanish style acoustic guitar eventually comes into the mix and Erra begins his enchanting vocals. I love what Erra’s accent brings to his music. The song fades out with sprinkles of acoustic guitar and soaring keys. Again, the lyrics are romantic and that feel is certainly conveyed through the music. The last track is “Hope for the Future.” Lightly strummed acoustic guitar beckons the listener to enter into Erra’s world on this track. Spacey keys enter to add lightness to the atmosphere as Erra begins to sing. This is a melancholy song about growing old and wanting one’s youth back. Erra adds beautiful slides on his electric guitar to accent the spaces in the song. Frankly, this quiet song is my favorite on the disc by far.

This is a strong and beautiful introduction to Erra’s music. He is able to create a unique sounding post-rock/ambient feel in his work. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.

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