Victor VillarrealInvisible Cinema
Joyful Noise Recordings [2012]
Fire Note Says: Indie innovator Victor Villarreal steps out on his own with the engaging Invisible Cinema.
Album Review:
Victor Villarreal has always been considered a groundbreaking guitarist in the modern indie rock world with his captivating previous work in the bands Cap'n Jazz, Owls, Ghosts & Vodka, and more recently, Joan Of Arc. Invisible Cinema represents his first fully realized solo material and the 30 minute record absolutely does not disappoint.
Right from the album opening intricate guitar strums on "Enters" you know that Victor is going to give a lesson that impresses. The song peacefully moves along until the 2 minute mark when a full band kicks in and Villarreal's vocals join into the musical outpouring. This leads you into the almost six minute "Darts In The Dark" that feels like you are the only one in the audience as the
quiet guitar once again shows the way with a backdrop trumpet while the vocals occupy less than a minute of its running time.What makes Villarreal such a talent is his ability to make so much out of time and space. He fills perfect voids in song structures with spiraling rhythms and by utilizing different percussion instruments such as a clave, a casaba, congos and of course drums. This gives Invisible Cinema a very worldly vibe and almost pushes elements to the experimental side but then enables Victor to bring them back in with his calm vocal delivery.
Invisible Cinema does not present anything that is too far out there which might disappoint some of Villarreal's long time followers but Victor makes up for it with his playing talent. If there was ever an album to introduce a wider audience to Villarreal's skills, Invisible Cinema should be that record as you get a little bit of everything he does great here and it plays nicely upon repeat listens!
Key Tracks: "Enters", "Strings Attached", "Out Of My Hands"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Tortoise
Jim O'Rourke
Smog
Victor Villarreal Website
Victor Villarreal Facebook
Joyful Noise Recordings
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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