Andrea Massaria: New Needs Need New Techniques

With his debut solo recording, abstract guitarist Andrea Massaria indulges in sleight of hand framed techniques, while executing free form tonal vignettes that bridge painting with music via nine pieces that are dedicated to, and motivated by three impressionists: Rothko, Rauschenberg, and Pollock. Here, the artist's expressive nature spawns plucking and streaming layers of controlled analog noise and asymmetrical passageways featuring Francesco Forges' multitracked voice on "RA 3." In addition, Massaria's squealing, high-pitched voicings and buzzing lower-register notes form a sprightly conversation with Forges' partly illegible iterations.

At various times, the guitarist's avant-garde dialogues conjure imagery of navigations through subterranean vaults, countered by spooky riffs and bizarre, liquifying EFX, accentuated by his maze-like manipulations. However, "RO 3" is devised with swirling loop-like reverberations and crackling phrases that embody something akin to a mechanized malfunction. And his free jazz guitar licks on "PO 3" are augmented by fleet-fingered runs and three-dimensional sound-shaping mechanisms, covering low to high registers.

The final track "RO 1" is where Massaria flatlines his ax with extended notes that ride above a horizontal plane with faint use of EFX and ethereal choruses, somewhat reminiscent of Brian Eno's early ambient experimentations in electronica, regulated with subtle movements and micro-themes. Indeed, Massaria veers off the beaten path during this convincing set that offers a broad canvas of polytonal hues and fragmented storylines that steer the imagination into a hypothesized semblance of impressionistic art.