Luca Forcucci — Fog Horns
The 3 tracks presented on Fog Horns range from 11 to 15 minutes and are an eclectic blend of experimental electronics, ambient noise and field recordings. The opening track “Fog Horns,” strangely has a lack of fog horns on it, but as Mr. Forcucci stats on the back cover, this was the result of a 12 hour flight and sleep deprivation. So the track is more an approximation of the sounds he heard in his head, through either an unconscious or conscious state. The track starts out with what sounds like liquid moved around the rim of a glass. The source of this sound is a mystery to me, but remains with us through a large portion of the track. There’s also equal parts: record scratching, recordings of birds and human voices, minimal synth sounds, and what sounds like the occasional clink of a xylophone. It all comes together very nicely and oddly sounds jovial and uplifting.
The second track’s (“L'Ecume des Jours”) primary components are: Field recordings of waves crashing into the shore, granular static, and what sounds like a metal pipe being dragged along the ground. The track begins with the repetitive sounds of waves crashing. Static is worked into the track and interplays with the waves. Deeper into the track echoes travel through the corridor of a hollow pipe...or so it sounds. Towards the end of the track, the sounds recede to being just barely audible while a thick atmospheric hiss asserts its presence. All in all an enjoyably meditative track.
The final track “Winds” is the most subtle on the disc. The track seems to be all about atmosphere. And the track’s title is a fitting one. A cello is used on this track, but in a very delicate way. There’s really no discernable string sounds, just really subtle playing that truly does approximate the sound of wind. At times it’s sounds like wind chimes are rustling in the distance, though very quietly, while other perceptible rustling moves in and out of our headspace. At one point the the sounds on this track almost mimic the sounds of the creaking hull of a ship at sea.
Fog Horns is a compelling journey through mood and atmosphere. He manages to synthesize various sounds in a way the says as much in it’s subtly as it does in it’s more overt passages. Fog Horns is A truly pleasant surprise.