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Delrei — Desolation and Radiation
(Projekt no#, 2023, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2023-08-19

Desolation and Radiation Cover art

The Wild West, clouds of dust kicked up by galloping horses, cowboys, smoke-filled saloons, harmonicas, banjos, and twangy guitars; these are all elements that come to mind with the spaghetti western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone and others, all of which come to mind with Delrei, a.k.a. Italy's Alessandro Mercanzin, an imaginative composer who stands alone on a dusty prairie with a six-gun in hand and a ring of sweat around the rim of his cowboy hat, obviously influenced by the many western movies of yesteryear and with a willingness to give that concept another go. The eleven tracks of Desolation and Radiation offer a convincing instrumental rendition of Mercanzin’s vision, each of the pieces a standalone vignette of a larger overall concept that illustrates a Wild West fantasy, with no particular restrictions on how it’s to be interpreted, the intrepid listener can just allow their imagination to go wherever it may. Mercanzin is the quintessential multi-instrumentalist, handling guitars, bass, harmonica, synthesizers, and even drums; even at that, some guests have been brought in to help out on this track or that, offering trumpet and pedal steel. The music is a mix of bluesy rock, Americana, Western themes, and heavily effected solos that all point back to things a listener may have heard in soundtracks, but the work is nonetheless original and powerful, certainly capable of creating a moving image in the listener’s imagination. Every single cut speaks for itself, painting its own picture without any apologies, each an amazing collection of atmospheres and melodies that builds on all the others, taken as a whole Desolation and Radiation is a truly unique listening experience.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Delrei (Alessandro Mercanzin)

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/desolation-and-radiation

 

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