FADED HEART

After two albums and a handful of punctual collaborations with others, Mushy is back with an exquisite collection of sensual droning pieces, shimmering cinematic soundscapes. In Faded Heart, Mushy demonstrates a great ability to renew her style without neglecting her original musical signature. Mushy's disparate interests for dark romance, the subliminal self and narcotic quiteness are geniously expressed in this idiosyncrasic musical dialogue between enchanting voices, minimal pastoralism and surreal astral synth moves. The opening theme directly announces the color and mood with a distinctive, intuitive stylistic register. It delivers a majestic tripped out cosmic dronescape sustained by ritualistic electro patterns and warmly languorous chants.The ensemble is cohesive with pieces which seem to flow in a night-like grace and sweetness. Probably the most emotionally orientated effort to date from the artist, continously intimate, sinuous and delicately psychedelic. Faded Heart is slightly dis-connected to the post-nuclear industrial music charisma of previous efforts in order to let the place to fundamental isolated mindscapes, expressing the vicissitude of shades and enlightenment. To say the least, this one contains more psych-prog elements than the two first (deeply rooted into experimental synthesized industrialism). A convincing musical « transporter », an harmonic call to climb eternity...highly recommended for those who are into the most lyrical vein of the 70s italian electronic avant-gardists and those who dream on the allegorical flicks of Bartas, Parajanov...

MUSHY is an Italian cold-wave solo project from singer Valentina Fanigliulo. The music is strongly rooted in indie, shoegaze and it could easily pass for a 4AD release from 25 years ago. Due to Valentina's soft breathy and high voice there I can't think of a better comparison then THE CRANES, especially their more electronic based work from end 90's and 00's.

Valentina manages to create a stirringly beautiful nightmarish sounds. Her songwriting may be a notch below that of fellow-cave dwellers like CRANES, CURE or COCTEAU TWINS, but her search for spooky tonalities is equally interesting. An interesting facet from her sound is how it relates to the German electronic innovators from the 70s, this is nowhere as open as on "She Was Elsewhere", which is a clear nod to TANGERINE DREAM, but it is also evident from the arrangements of other songs where cosmic and noisy electronic influences pop up from KRAFTWERKK, CLUSTER or HARMONIA. The remixes at the end show this artist has a much closer affinity with the 80s synthwave movement then with anything related to progressive rock.

This album from MUSHY is only marginally related to progressive rock music for me so I would advise not to approach this with the wrong expectations, but fans of the cold claustrophobic sounds of 80s shouldn't miss this. An excellent album for me but a notch below the 4 stars ratings that I attributed to many works in this progressive electronic sub.

Rome based Valentina Fanigliulo aka MUSHY experimental Dub-synth POP like electronics are counterpointed by her aggresively angelical voice in this, 2011, "Faded Heart".

The synth-DARK/COLD wave of the 80's legends are a good referential to set this artist somewhere for the un-knowing. Gary Numan, Ultravox, Cocteau Twins, Lene Lovich or the 90's *Love Spirals Downwards, *Love Is Colder Than Death, *STOA, *Miranda Sex Garden (*among the female vocalists and bands included in the "Heavenly Voices" three CDs collection ) to name some. Music composition wise, well this path has been quiet travelled, even by very good mainstream performers composers, like Florence and the Machine, FKA Twigs etc etc. Therefore I did not find some new proposals that could really breakthrough and become that relevant to outstand among so many options.

Enjoyable, without never losing its obscure direction, but that is it.

***3 PA stars.