Narcisi, Ian: Phone Call To Infinity (EP)

Ian Narcisi is an American musician who began taking drum lessons in the early eighties and went on to attend the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. In 1998 he honed his vocal talents under the tutelage of opera singer Janice Pantazelos giving several accapella performances in the Chicago area. He eventually discovered a passion for rock music and released his debut EP Off Purpose in 2005. His full length debut Weight of the Words was released in 2008 and in 2010 his latest offering Phone Call To Infinity has seen the light of day and is the subject of this review.

Phone Call To Infinity is a three song EP and is one I very much enjoyed. Narcisi is a fine musician with a knack for writing catchy melodies and artful compositions. Joining Narcisi (vocals, drums, keyboards) are Dave Bowers (guitar) and Erik Swanson (bass).

The album begins with the progressive/pop sounding "Absent Today", a very melodic tune with a relaxing groove, excellent guitar and keys that flesh out the sound nicely. In "Five Below Nothing" the beginning piano intro reminded me of Roger Hodgson's Eye of the Storm. Later on the razor- sharp guitar leads and excellent background harmonies give this one a progressive feel with shades of Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. "Behind the Dawn" starts off with pretty guitar and keys before a backdrop of lush sounding synths leads to exotic Eastern guitar stylings and more expansive synths.

Narcisi's ability to combine pop and art rock is a real winner and should appeal to listeners from both realms. My only complaint is this three song EP ended too soon. Really looking forward to his next full length release.

Track Listing:
1. Absent Today
2. Five Below Nothing
3. Behind the Dawn

Added: November 5th 2011
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2868
Language: english

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