Volume Massimo
Mute, 2019
9/10
A solo artist who is also a member of Nine Inch Nails, on Alessandro Cortini’s first album with guitar, Volume Massimo, the Italian delivers a maximalist approach to his extremely fluid and progressive electronic work.
“Amore Amaro” starts the listen with soothing synth on the ambient and exploratory opener, and “Let Go” follows with cautious and carefully manipulated electronica that touches on psyche influences.
Though there’s just 8 songs present, Cortini makes the most of each track, including the shimmering and upbeat, club friendly “Batticuore”, which is full of beats and dynamic percussion, as well as the propulsive “Momenti”, where strategic dissonance adds much to the formula.
Near the end, “Sabbia” reels in a darker spirit with a chilling cinematic quality, and “Dormi” ends the listen with a buzzing display of multifaceted talent that challenges the listener sonically.
Cortini turns layering and texturing into a highly refined art form here, on an instrumental record that’s highly complicated that soars high with traces of pop amid the fuzzy, haunting and unpredictable ingenuity.
Travels well with: Eluvium- False Readings; SONOIO- Fine