Over the years, Giancarlo Erra has – rather like Steven Wilson – been something of a prog maverick. And “To The Core”, the latest release from his project Nosound, sticks to his more streamlined mantra: “I always prefer to play a song again because it was beautiful but too short, rather than wonder why it goes on for so long without saying anything new.”
One thing Erra always manages to do is find something new.
Whether it’s “The Nothing We Gave” – haunting, eerie, with hints of modern-day Marillion perhaps, building to its crescendo – or the oddly discordant acoustics of the title track, where he opines: “I love you so much I just never found the right way,” these songs are always compelling.
Erra himself picks out “Worn Out Parts” as a favourite, and the harmonies of Louise Piggott, alongside his distinctive guitar style, rather explain why.
The return to more organic instrumentation benefits the EP, informing all the tracks – not least the luxurious yet lugubrious “Interrupt”, which enters a dreamlike state.
The fact that these pieces of music – which seems more apt than calling them “songs” – don’t follow any normal structure shines through right to the end, with the 180 seconds that is “Closure”. But rather than offering that, it asks more questions than it answers.
That’s always been the way with Nosound, and it will continue to be. Erra gives himself fully to the craft, and listeners are free to interpret it however they wish.
Rating: 8/10
