Filipe Felizardo: Guitar Soli For The Moa And The Frog

Filipe Felizardo (guitar, effects)
Guitar Soli For Moa And The Frog (ShhPuma/Clean Feed; 2012)

You know every guitar player doesn't have to sound like Ry Cooder, Bill Frisell, Robert Fripp or Michael Brook, to name a few of the famous modern ones (yes I'm leaving about 20 out but there's only some many lines I can write). It's when the guitarist takes the time to create and expand on their influences that really catches my eye.

That's what I found while exploring the textural soundscapes created by Filipe Felizardo on his debut, Guitar Soli For Moa And The Frog.

Notes and tones phase in like recurring dreams on the opener "Against The Day." Soft and deeply emotional, Felizardo's notes have a rustic quality. And that makes "Against The Day" echo long after its final movements have completed.

The extended suite "A Conference Of Stones And Things Previous" holds a similar inquisitive nature, with chords slowly crafting a journey that is raw and sweet. On the third movement "Obsidian", we do get a sense of a rough edge to Felizardo's playing. This is a dark poetic movement that hangs and doesn't tend to let you go.

"Of The Excrement and the Frog" posses an eastern aesthetic with a haunting blues undertone. The textures that Felizardo works through reminded me of work by the Italian duo, Zero Centigrade. Beautiful and melodic, but demands patience.

Guitar Soli For The Moa And The Frog is an impressive debut with quiet, ethereal ideas and patterns which may actually be best absorbed through headphones. Filipe Felizardo has delivered a wonderful compelling and challenging record. And shows that foundations of experimental guitars and exploratory folk can transcend both sides of the Atlantic. Highly Recommended.

Zero Centigrade: Selce

Zero Centigrade (duo)
Selce (Nothing Out There Music; 2012)
Tonino Taiuti (guitars)
Vincenzo de Luce (trumpet; electronics)

Zero Centigrade has always been a duo pushing boundaries and corrupting perception. Selce, finds the duo with another unique task--pulling their minimalistic approach even further backwards. And in essence, exploding the theory of what "genre" should be.

"Blue Dress" mixes a two note chord with sound collages and electronics that at first sound like tuning to find the journey. But as the piece moves forward you realize this tuning is the journey. It's a path to find what can come next in this improvisational structure. It's gentle and well crafted with new sound emerging every few minutes.

"Dougmouth" and "Selce" both ride a folkish, country theme hidden behind dense echo chambers of sound that reverberate from Taiuti's guitar. DeLuce's electronics and distant trumpet line the atmospherics in both pieces giving them an other-worldly tone and keeping the listeners interest peaked. With "The Far Road" Taiuti and DeLuce stretch the notes as far as the can go, utilizing as much space as possible. Found effects come into the forefront later in the piece only to accentuate the notes.

Zero Centigrade is all about exploring new territory. Sitting back and experiencing each movement for how it can transform is the best way to evaluate Selce. It is an album that has surprises with every listen. And once again Zero Centigrade pull off another fabulous experiment in sound.

Zero Centigrade: Umber

Zero Centigrade (duo)

Umber (Obs Music; 2012)

Tonino Taiuti (guitars)

Vincenzo de Luce (trumpet; electronics)

Crafting harmonies from nowhere is what improvisation is all about. But the duo Zero Centigrade seems to make it an easy habit. With Umber, their third release, they yet again conjured up sounds and moods that are haunting, inviting and beautiful.

Silence and the search of sound tend to make up the structure of each Zero Centigrade project. And this manifests itself early on "Tumble Down," where sudden bursts of acoustic one notes alongside stretches, creaks and found noise slowly break into your psyche like a bad nightmare.

"A Strange Season I" showers with the continued influence the blues has had on the duo. Slow patterns emerge but always evolving around Taiuti's heart tugging yet distant melody. Raw, emotional and still forward thinking. Imagine if American alt-blues guitarist Chris Whitley played with Throbbing Gristle (I sure hope some of you get that). 

The inward nature of "Stalk" and "Reflections" makes for a compelling listen. You will hear the strains of forgotten notes passing between each musician. "Far Horizon" feels distant and aching. Propelled by de Luce's superb use of electronics and Taiuti almost folkish improvisation this piece travels a long way very quickly before fading. 

Another stellar almost "third-stream" outing for Zero Centigrade that shows a continued growth and desire to see what soundscapes they can capture in a short period of time. Umber is an album that won't treat you nicely unless you let it. The beauty lies in the details. Not designed for everyone but you will find elements that will affect you in different ways. Worth seeking out.