NOSOUND

Nosound is a psychedelic/space rock band from Italy. This EP, named "Clouds" is made up of 3 tracks that are meant to bridge the gap between their debut album and their 2nd album which moved them from an ambient sound to a fuller sound. The 3 tracks span a run time of 22 minutes. The songs were originally exclusive to this album, but one of those tracks, "Clouds", later became a bonus track for their 2nd album.

The first track, "Cold Afterall" starts with a field recording surrounded by a strumming acoustic guitar and a synth playing sustained chords. Vocals joins in and the track continues in a smooth and layered style. On the 2nd verse, the drums come in and continue in the moderately slow tempo. The track continues with it's palatial sound with harmonics added to the laid-back vocals later. After a build up in intensity, it mellows out again, and then explodes suddenly with an emotional dual guitar passage.

"Like the Elephant?" is an instrumental that starts immediately quite upbeat with an electronic tone flitting quickly along. Heavy guitars are brought in making this contrast quite a bit from the previous track. After a while, the heaviness falls back and there is a nice synth solo that sounds a bit brassy that gives a gaelic sound. The rhthym becomes more complex after this solo as heavy layered guitars continue to build intensity, and then drops off to a nice guitar solo which becomes even more intense after a while.

"Clouds" is a long and atmospheric track that utilizes sustained notes from synths and guitars to create a more ambient atmosphere more like on the bands first album. The track is quite special with no distinct melody, but with a more drone like quality from the long sustained notes. It is a relaxing track that suggests floating among the clouds. This track is now available as a bonus track on the "Lightdark" album.

These are 3 distinct tracks that almost sound like 3 different bands showing the different styles the band is capable of. The EP is quite short, but fans will be interested in it because of the exclusive tracks and it combines the styles in one short EP, The music is nice, but is only an introduction to the band. 3 stars.

What the entire album is? An epitome of boredom? Music for mentally tired people? Music for those who dislike music? What the tracks are? Sketches? Fragments? Outtakes? A sort of 'private parts and pieces' in the version of Nosound? No melody, no accomplished musical theme, no song, no instrumental piece. Irregularly interpreted minimalism?.. Ego Drip starts very promising, but the idea gets no development and ends up with nothing, like a road on the edge of ravine. Perhaps the only compositions deserving the status of instant album tracks are This Night and Weights, each of them really has its start, development and finish. Though just remember Lightdark... well, what's there to talk about. After I first listened to Allow Yourself, I purposely listened to Sol29 and Lightdark, just to compare and check my impressions. Yes both were as I remembered them, no mistake. Quite simple, 'anti-virtuoso', ethereal, melancholic, dreamy, lazy, flowing, lulling (like Allow Yourself). And full of life (unlike Allow Yourself). Warm, intelligent, emotional, heartfelt, soulful. So, after that, what's to be written about Giancarlo Erra in (for example) 25th century's Wikipedia? Supposedly something like 'Giancarlo Erra was an essential Italian composer from 21st century who wrote Sol29 [hyperlink] and Lightdark [hyperlink]'. Later studio releases are faintly worth to be mentioned after centuries or even decades. I'd say, Erra's way from Sol29 and Lightdark to Allow Yourself was a path from essential to insignificant. That path led through A Sense Of Loss (liquidly diluted Lightdark) and Scintilla (I suspect the band members were yawning constantly themselves while they recorded it...). OK thanks and deep respect to Nosound at least for their first two albums if no more of the same caliber follows. A listener like me would prefer Erra to stop making records just for the record, and re-start writing music which is worth to listen and enjoy, not to snore to it. But surely it's up to Erra what to do and what not to do.

The promotional word is that Giancarlo Erra and company have changed direction with this new collection of songs on the Allow Yourself album. I would concur, as I hear the band moving more into the territory of bands like ANATHEMA, RADIOHEAD, STEVEN WILSON, and even old SIGUR RÓS. However, there remains something bare and spacious--that wonderful vulnerability despite the density of the atmospheric/electronic walls of sound--that they've had since the beginning. The songs are shorter, as they were on Scintilla, and the keyboard dominance is noticeable, but there is something very new and remarkable in the lead vocals which I think will entertain and even amaze listeners.

1. "Ego Drip" (2:32) opens like a Sigur Rós song before driving drum and bass tracks are faded in. When Giancarlo comes in with his repetitive single line it begins to sound like a trip hop song combined with something Steven Wilson or ANATHEMA would do. With the weave of several other one-line vocal tracks, it finishes feeling very much like something ANATHEMA has been doing over this last decade. (4.5/5)

2. "Shelter" (3:53) opens with a lone organ with spacious electronic drum track. After half a minute, Giancarlo joins in, singing in his new way, with long-held notes. I'm reminded a little of Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. The tempo and tapestry changes a few times in the background--a few sections sounding almost like 1990s STEREOLAB, THE FLAMING LIPS, or LOBOTOMY BROTHERS. Great song. (9.25/10)

3. "Don't You Dare" (4:00) opens as a vibrant trip hop song--like something Graham Sutton or RADIOHEAD might do--before Giancarlo comes in to sing a more delicate THOM YORKE-like Radiohead vocal. For the first three minutes it reminds me of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggios," then the electronica soloing shifts it into a different RADIOHEAD or COLDPLAY realm. Excellent song! One of my three favorites. (9.5/10)

4. "My Drug" (3:22) shifting electric piano arpeggi over which Giancarlo sings with some lo-o-o-ng held notes. This sounds like an ANATHEMA song or even a little bit of Jónsy singing over the SIGUR RÓS cacophony. Brilliant music! Kudos to Giancarlo for the vocal strength. (9/10)

5. "Miracle" (3:54) over a synth/keyboard sound palette comparable to THE FLAMING LIPS, Giancarlo alternates singing and soloing on his Fripp-like effected electric guitar. Drums join in for the last 45 seconds. The most "old" NoSound sounding song on the album. (8.5/10)

6. "This Night" (4:30) solo electric piano sets up the melody that Giancarlo sings. At 0:45 a vacillating synth joins before the strings for the echo-voiced chorus. In the third minute ANATHEMA-like military drums enter and slowly rise to the fore as piano bounces between two notes with each drum hit and strings perform their neoclassical quartet-like weave above and within the sound. (8.5/10)

7. "At Peace" (3:12) full rock instrumentation here cannot avoid my ANATHEMA comparisons due to Giancarlo's Danny Cavanaugh-like long held vowels with each word sung. Finishes with some gentle electric guitar plucking. (8/10)

8. "Growing In Me" (3:23) warbling horn-like synths woven within piano and other synths backs Giancarlo's delicate singing--until the chorus. With the chorus, Giancarlo trebles his vocal volume while Sigur Rós-like cymbols crash with some Steven Wilson "Perfect LIfe"-like electronic percussives. (8.5/10)

9. "Saviour" (2:45) electronic piano with delicate support from strings makes for a stunningly gorgeous sound over which Giancarlo performs his most subtle and nuanced vocal of the album. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)

10. "Weights" (5:04) delicately played guitars and keys slowly form the base of this pretty song. At 1:00 Giancarlo enters with a very breathy TIM BOWNESS-like voice. It's amazing how far he has come in his pronunciation of English since the days of Nol29 and LightDark. My first perfunctory listen through this album led me to search to find out who he had hired to sing the lead vocals because I was so amazed at both the clarity of the English pronunciation and at the new style of singing with long-held vowels. The sudden Post Rock-like build to crescendo in the final 90 seconds caught me by surprise but it works! Great song! (9/10)

11. "Defy" (2:06) another RADIOHEAD- or STEVEN WILSON-like ditty. A top three for me. (5/5)

4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of my favorite albums of 2018.

Nosound return with their 6th full length album "Allow Yourself. In the build up to the release of this album, the band made it clear they were experimenting with new sounds and really pushing the boundaries of their music. So I was keen to hear what exactly they had in store and exactly how far those boundaries were pushed.

The results are very interesting to say the least. I think they definitley have found a new direction while keeping that Nosound stamp on it. The album starts off with "Ego Drip" and gets you into a kind of hipnotic trance right from the outset through its mesmirsing electronica. But the album has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing which way they are going to turn next. I do think although this is a further progression in sound for Nosound that it does still follow on from their last album "Scintilla" in the fact that the tracks remain shorter. Unlike their earlier albums which saw a lot longer tracks. This album comes in at just 38 minutes. Certainly not a critism but it would be interesting to see them explore this style of music further with longer tracks.

The style of music I am talking about here is this electronica/alternative landscape. The genre of electrorinica and alternative is often hard to nail down as its is so vast. But here keyboards are domintant which I think really is the driver for electronica. I think the best moments of this album are the wonderful climaxs for example on "This night" and "Growing in Me". The way everything builds in "This night" up to these moments are fantastic and as a listener it keeps you captivated. But then you have songs like "Shelter" and "At Peace" which give the album this beautiful balance as these represent the softer songs on the album.

Overall Nosound have well and truely come up with the goods here. I am very impressed with this album and appreciate that they have stepped outside their comfort zone a little.

Scintilla is the 6th album by Italian alternative band Nosound. The way I got into Nosound was a bit random. I was in a record shop and came across a Kscope records section. I knew of the likes of Steven Wilson and Blackfield were attached to this label. Then "LightDark" came across my eye which was Nosound's second album. I had never heard of them but it had nice packaging and I figured if it was they were on the same label as Steven Wilson they must be doing something right so I bought it. I instantly liked it and all of a sudden I was buying Nosound's discography including this album "Scintilla".

Nosound is the brain child of front man, Giancarlo Erra. During earlier albums it was just him. But as Nosound grew in popularity and the demand came for live performances, the band formed and would also appear on records to this date as well as in live performances. I think one thing the band would hate is to be pigeon holed into a genre. I've seen various musical outlets do this, coming under prog rock, alternative rock, post rock, electronic, ambient and probably many more. In particular I would struggle to call this prog rock or post rock. Prog rock would put them in a category with the likes of Porcupine Tree and Yes etc. This doesn't really have the same feel to it as to me rock means you are rocking and this is to me is not a rock record. Also the song lengths are shorter with only 3 out of the 10 songs on this album over 6 minutes. I would say for a band to be considered prog 50% of the songs or over need to be over 6 minutes. I realise some folk may argue that prog is not just about length but being progressive in terms of being different to what is out there. But I disagree with that. To me that is experimental rock. And then Post rock to me is purely instrumental music with guitars. This record has got singing on every song so I wouldn't put them in this category either.

The category I would put them in, which I don't think is really even an offical genre is ambient music. Scintilla really is a nice listen. I wouldn't put this on through the headphones as I'm going to work as I need something more hard hitting and catchy. But see when I am just chilling out at home or even working in the house. This record is excellent for it. Erra's vocals are just so soothing and relaxing. For example on Sogno E Incendio, he actually sings in Italian for the only time on the album. I often find with artists that I find it difficult to connect with a song if it's in a different language even if I don't have a connection with the lyrics. But it's the mesmorising vocals that do it for me. Another highlight of this track is the majestic guitar work which is so pure sounding.

I think it's the use of various instruments that really set Nosound apart from other bands and keep them interesting. The violins used on the likes of "Last Lunch", "Little man" and "Emily" especially are superb and its nice to see a band using this instrument so prominantly on these tracks. It gives them an extra dimension to their music and makes the album more deeply layered. As well as violins and the obvious guitars, they also use keyboards. I think the best use of this and my favourite track on the album, is album closer and title track "Scintilla". The keyboards are used throughout and come to life about half way through the 6 minute track and along with what sounds like a trumpet builds upto a climax for an absolutley wonderful finish to an album.

Overall this is a well put together album from start to finish. There is a mixture of short and long tracks which are mixed up to make the album flow well. I have emphasised the different use of instruments on this album which all come to the foreground at different points to really make this album come alive and means at no point are you thinking that track was the same as the last track. Having listened to many of Nosound's albums now, they all seem to be of a very high standard and this one is no exception.

Italian band NOSOUND was officially formed in 2005, albeit with roots going back a few more years, and the originally as the creative vehicle and one man band project of Giancarlo Erra. It didn't take all that long before Nosound became a regular band venture however, and in 2008 they were picked up by UK label Kscope for the release of their second album "Lightdark". A further three studio productions have seen the light since then. "Scintilla" is the most recent of those, and was released in the early fall of 2016.

The music of Nosound is, from what I can gather, about atmospheres and moods to a much greater extent than style. The latter is rather hard to pinpoint and define as a matter of fact, while the former is a rather less demanding task. That we're dealing with a variety of progressive rock is rather certain, although one could argue that a description inside an indie rock context might be just as appropriate.

The moods and atmospheres explored revolves around various forms, shades and variations of melancholy, sadness and sorrow. Those who prefer their music to be positive and uplifting can safely move along, as this band, at least on this production, shies well away from anything even remotely jubilant overall. A few details here and there does add a more joyful tinge to the proceedings true enough, but then always inside of a greater context of melancholy or sadness.

The core foundations musically throughout are relatively slow music compositions where gently wandering acoustic guitars, floating keyboard textures, careful piano motifs and the haunting presence of a cello are just about equally important. The bass and drums tend to be on the dampened side of things as well, as are the lead vocals on a general basis. Occasional impact oriented instrument details are used to good effect, as are arrangements ebbing and flowing in intensity. Expanding the canvas ever so slightly is the use of rhythms with something more of a jazz-oriented style from time to time and elegant, gently and slowly soaring guitar solo details of the kind that comes naturally with a crying association. As a one-off, and one that makes a noticeable impact due to that, are higher intensity vocals and firm, hard guitar riffs in the chorus section of The Perfect Wife, one of a few songs on this album where the melancholy and sadness of the atmosphere are also expanded into a more tension-filled albeit dampened feeling of anger and aggression.

Those who have a tendency to find melancholic, atmospheric laden music focusing on emotional impact to be of general interest, and rather prefers music of this kind to be explored within a sophisticated context where the inspiration and to some extent orientation is more or less firmly in the direction of progressive rock, comes across as something of a key audience for this production. I'd imagine that some equally fond of sparse singer/songwriter type of songs and the gentler creations of a band like Pink Floyd might be the kind of person who'll find this album to be fairly perfectly aligned with their taste in music.

I have loved the soundscapes created by Giancarlo Erra since I first heard them with 2008's wonderful LightDark, but, I have to admit that with each successive release (or discovery--as in the back logue of Sol29) the NoSound sound began to feel old, stale, monotonous. Scintilla offers a bit of a change in direction for Giancarlo Erra and company--more emotional range expressed through sometimes more acoustic, more bare, less electronically filled soundscapes. I like this. A lot. In fact, next to LightDark this is now my favorite

1. "Short Story" (2:24) simple and so sparse in its opening 50 seconds, yet simply gorgeous. When drums and other instruments join in it does spoil the established mood--especially the marching band-like Sigur Rós-like drums. (9/10)

2. "Last Lunch" (7:00) great empty atmospherics and awesome final minute with drums, bass, and distant vocal. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)

3. "Little Man" (4:38) opens with promise as a nice glockenspiel-like keyboard tinkles around, but then drums, guitar and voice enter and it becomes a very typical NoSound song. The chorus is nice and the following return to the simple innocence of the opening keyboard sound is reassuring. Really cool guitar/slide guitar solo in the fourth minute followed by a breakdown into wonderfully sparse simplicity to the end. (8/10)

4. "In Celebration Of Life" (5:34) opens very spaciously with slow, deliberate notes and chords from both electric piano and acoustic guitar. Piano, bass and drums add a nice foundation without taking away from the mood. Giancarlo and Vince Cavanaugh sing of the abundance of life before one of Giancarlo's searing guitar solos takes over. Kind of set up as an instrumental, this is the perfect NoSound song. (9/10)

5. "Sogno E Incendio" (4:44) is a wonderfully romantic song sung in Italian (grâce à Andrea Chimenti). To me, this exemplifies all that is unique and wonderful about Italian pop singers. I would like to hear Giancarlo sing in Italian. I like the guitar tone chosen for the solo in the third minute and then the other screaming one for the finale. More! (9/10)

6. "Emily" (3:19) Though I like the drum, cello and trumpet synth work here, the song sounds weird, tired, and redundant. (8/10)

7. "The Perfect Wife" (7:27) opens with electric guitar arpeggi that sound like they're right out of some classic rock ballad. Then the typical slow-paced rhythm section joins in. Giancarlo sings in a quite, almost folk tone, but then the chorus amps things up--including multiple tracks of Giancarlo's vocal. Nice change up but, in the end, the song does nothing extraordinary. Piano and cello part is okay. (8/10)

8. "Love Is Forever" (2:51) piano based with haunting synth working in the background as Giancarlo sings plaintively, maybe bitterly, between and within. Reminds me of Jacques Brel's "Ne me quitte pas." (8/10)

9. "Evil Smile" (4:33) opens with two drum hits before acoustic guitar, bass, drums, voice and piano complete the ensemble. There's something special about this one that I can't put my finger on--something in the chord or key structure. Or perhaps it's just that more acoustic sound. (9/10)

10. "Scintilla" (6:27) opens with acoustic guitar and 'distant' synth and spacey electric guitar notes. Piano joins and the buzz-saw-like synth sound moves forward causing the soundscape to start to thicken. Singing does not commence until the two minute mark. Giancarlo's stark, untreated voice is front and center but kind of buried by the instruments--a very cool effect! Around 3:35 the voice starts to get a bit overpowered by the instruments but then, as if purposefully, the song switches to a foundation of arpeggiated piano chords--and Giancarlo is finished singing. Sadly, some marching band snares and fake sounding trumpets diminish the song's mood and beauty. Could've been great had they left it alone. (8/10)

A very good album offering a new, more stripped down sound for the NoSound fans.

And now NOSOUND from Italy are present with a new album in September 2016. 'The emphasis is placed firmly on feeling rather than technique', announces the label KScope, a subdivision of Burning Shed. Somewhat true, but then again, one thing does not rule out the other, we know. In contrast to the band name as such, you'll be faced with an atmospheric sound here on 'Scintilla'. Vocalist/guitarist Giancarlo Erra is acting as the driving force of a quintet, additionally supported by vocalists Andrea Chimenti and Vincent Cavanagh of Anathema fame as well.

And then not to forget Marianne De Chastelaine on the cello, she basically enhances the melancholic flow with her instrument. There's a real profundity to state concerning the tracks, which expresses a longtime song-writing experience. Interesting approach - the excellent Last Lunch shows a rather dominant drumming. Due to The Perfect Wife they are slightly drifting into a heavier direction yet. Finally, the title track shines with melancholy pure, including a fine soaring guitar and well put piano lines, later turning into something like a marching band.

This is mellow, relaxed overall, composed and implemented akin to Steven Wilson, No-Man, maybe Airbag and Marco Ragni too if you will, even provided with leanings to shoegaze and art pop. Lyrics are predominantly in English, the song Sogni E Incendio albeit differs. 'Scintilla' is a well-made album for sure. While missing something on fire or really innovative on this occasion, for me personally it's a bit too repetitive over the course. Everybody though who's absolutely keen on dreamy psychedelic tinged singer/songwriter stuff, will be convinced, I'm sure.

In this second studio album, NOSOUND still are redfiining, polishing and freeing themselves of the obvious Floyd's inheritance. Something that will happen later, in retrospective (I started my NOSOUND aquaintance with the 3rd. album). A blend between NO-MAN's passionate lyricism and the "new" Floyd's spacy and hurting atmospheres. These guys pull it off, far beyond mere performance, they save the day with good and original song composition. Creative musical ideas, that seem like the slow musical section of any Prog-musician from Heavy to Folk, taken outside their definite context and turned into an atmospheric new-born song. I insist, what makes this 2nd project worth the try, has to do with good song writing. (And a completely unobtrusive vocalist, who withholds his talents in favor of the song , which in my book, adds up points). This band, in this "Lightdark" are still finding out their own language, when they get there, they sound amazingly unique and worth the visit. ***3.5 PA stars.

Without a doubt, a great debut album for a band. Nosound got its inspiration in many bands but the influences I can perceive here are definitely Pink Floyd and of course No Man. This album is particularly excellent because of the musical landscapes created all the way through, paving the way for the style of music which is a typical characteristic of NOSOUND: peacefulness, relaxation, good environment, excellent sequences... The intro of "IN THE WHITE AIR" makes you feel you are about to hear a record full of nostalgia and dreams, and you do indeed listen to an excellent album. An excellent introduction for a band: from Italy, Nosound.