"Real
life awaits us"
As
the accent-laden voice fades in on Fabio Zuffanti's new album, "La Quarta
Vittima" (The Fourth Victim), a sense of foreboding and reality are bestowed
upon the listener. This album is somber, and maybe even a little scary on a
mental level. And, see, I get all this even though the album is almost
entirely sung in Italian.
Fabio
Zuffanti is one of my favorite songwriters, and this new album showcases why
that is. This album is delicate, with flutes and RPI keys. It's also
terrifyingly powerful with trombones and excellent drumming. This album is
almost bipolar in a way, and I mean that in the best manner possible. One
moment will be quiet, surreal, and full of vertigo, and then the next moment
will be soulful or possibly powerful and bombastic. All the while, Fabio's
quiet, reserved vocal style marches on and on. It's a dark, jazzy sound, for
sure. Lots of RPI influence, obviously, but also many pure jazz elements are
present, too.
This
album is dark for a good reason. It is based on the book "The Mirror in the
Mirror" by Michael Ende. I've never read this book, but now I think I might
need to do so. This story is bewildering, confusing, and full of loneliness
and cycles of time and space. Most appropriately, then, Fabio has
constructed a blackened, sorrowful album full of tarnished beauty, longing,
and loss. It is incredible in the quiet, contemplative moments, and
mesmerizing in the louder, excited passages.
I
think my favorite track is certainly the opener, "Non Posso Parlare Pił
Forte" (I Cannot Speak More Strongly). Its vast array of flute passages and
writhing keyboard torrents is just unmatched the rest of the album, but this
album is certainly not weak at any point. From the dark saxophone lines to
the surreal keys to the meaningful horns, this album is very diverse and
arranged masterfully. In fact, I don't think I've heard such interesting
song structures in a while.
"La
Quarta Vittima" shows Fabio Zuffanti doing what he does best: crafting
incredibly unique songs with a vast array of instruments and guests. His
dark emphasis this time is a new thing for him, but it doesn't harm his
grasp on beauty and melody even a little bit. While this isn't the best
album Fabio has ever written, it certainly is up there with his best. 2014
is off to a strong start.
