Beautiful and bold instrumentation defines the delicate “Precondition” as Vincenzo Virgillito proves skilled at eliciting moods. The songs go from pure, violent distortion feasts to gentle works. Everything here expands outwards into the infinite. He ensures the songs’ evolution allows for a living, breathing aspect to take over. Without needing to say a single word, a whole narrative emerges. Post-rock, jazz, ambient, and noise-rock all come together to add to the heft of the punch.
“Through Windows” has a sly demeanor; he uses space to heighten the tension. The violent “Reset” is a much heavier set and aggressive. The opposite is “Reset II,” which goes for a less sharp, dirtier sound. Near hushed silence reigns supreme as “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” barely needs to raise its voice, keeping things in tow with this gradual, gracious gesture. Going for playfulness is the optimism of “Segment,” where the work flows freely, sometimes reminiscent of Tortoise’s most mellow output. Virtually psychedelic is the chunky vision of “Reset IV Disc-on-nect Space,” where he’s having quite a lot of fun. A sprawling and ambitious set takes shape with “Danny Boy (remembering Bill Evans).” Like a sound melted into the abyss is the strange form of “Reset V Transiens.” Unease brings the album to a close on the mysterious and mystical “..and then stop and go.”
“Precondition” presents Vincenzo Virgillito at his best, with a wide range of approaches that give the album this fully immersive, lovely sensibility featuring melodies that linger with the listener.
#Precondition #Vincenzo Virgillito
