AGUA

Italy's Blondie Fox released this sole release, Agua, in 1997. It's hard to say what the influences of this duo really are. Vocalist-percussionist Mirko Galliazzo and multi-instrumentalist Paul Gidoni seem to combine Synthpop, Prog [at times, it's just not Prog], otherwise-Electronic and Metal throughout, for an interesting mix of sonics. The next most peculiar item is that, digitally available, Agua is far shorter than what we have here, brought down to just 10 songs lasting fewer than 30 minutes. For fullest, briefest context, I added Blondie Fox to a section of my List in which I listen to strictly the top 10 tracks (at that time), and... here we are. 10 tracks.

And from the get-go, starting with "Florence Poetry", I had no idea what to truly expect with the first strikes of the guitar. And the direction was quite different still from what that first sound alluded to my ears. The vocals of Galliazzo are absolutely striking, reminiscent, confusingly enough, to classic Metal [and its 'Power' category]; specifically at times Bruce Dickerson (Iron Maiden). Around minute 2, there was a surprisingly super cool shift in rhythm, as the at-times convincing drum machine adds to the complexity, readying us for a guitar solo. Some of the Midi(?) programming feels sloppy. We love the human element, but it's times like these where I'd give suggestion elsewhere: Michael P. Dawson, for instance (though instrumental, if memory serves). [Now that I've finished the album, I honestly hardly know what they were going for half the time...] Anyhow, it is rather interesting, though. There's some good things here. A markedly more successful track is the metallic, instrumental "Waterfalls", prominently here I assume to be the album feature Roberto Brenna on lead guitar.

Moving right along, we get the dark-ethereal "Eterno etereo limbo", the first of a few tracks I would assume to be interludes. "Randagio" is a more upbeat track, still glancing back to a few disparate Pop idioms simultaneously (and I guess the '90s was a time to do just that). The guitar playing, in my opinion, is the strongest item throughout. Compositionally, though, this held the most interest thus far. Next, the titular "Agua" is another interlude with these Midi bells that I honestly really love; reminsicent of Ian Taylor's early '00s OST for RuneScape. Then 'Bruce' returns (haha) on "Nero sottofondo", met with a faux-ensemble chorus. It's a bit cheesy at times, I guess like Kiss...? Once again, the real winner, if any, is the lead guitar.

Our next sub-minute 'lude is "Nuova era", a sparse electric piano... And I mean sparse. This is followed by the plastic 'strings' of "Forse tornerai". And I just... don't know why either of these were included on the album at all haha. "Io" is next, a low and slow track with, I guess, far-off "All My Love" synths... and the most tortured, awful vocals I have heard in a while. Is he going for gothic Robert Plant now?... It's doing whatever the opposite of 'working' is... Grating and awkward. The most progressive of the bunch, and that is not a joke, but likewise as confusingly put together, composed and produced as possible. And that's that. Enjoy?