Martinelli, Kevin: Unpronounceable

Kevin Martinelli is an American multi-instrumentalist who has made three studio albums to date, his latest being Unpronounceable released in 2013. His name was unfamiliar to me so I was not quite sure what to expect. Martinelli plays everything himself including sequences, sample manipulation and keyboards. The album is very electronic with synthesized beats and other instruments that are processed including guitar. The songs vary in rhythmic intensity and some have a soundtrack quality, very textural and almost ambient in nature.

Ambient keys, rumbling effects and drum rhythms slowly build in the album's first track "Cautions in Transmission". The flow is gentle and serene with a repeating keyboard melody throughout. Strange effects and ominous electronics mark the beginning of "Heavy Above a Promise", along with offhand computer generated drum rhythms and a keyboard flute sound winding along the surface. There are some interesting ideas here with the effects upping the intensity level. "Salt in the Zeros" is all heavily synthesized percussion that ebbs and flows in rhythmic intensity while "Pacific" is a prettier number with treated guitar arpeggios and an overall mellower sound. There is a nice contrast between light and dark throughout the album. "Airless Choice" has an menacing quality with darkly hued atmospherics competing against a spacious piano melody while "Venture Fish" is a much more uplifting affair with expanding drum patterns and cool sounding keyboards.

Overall, Unpronounceable is a nice electronic/experimental album that should appeal to fans of the genre as well as film music buffs as many of the more atmospheric tracks have a movie score feel. If this review sounds intriguing I suggest you visit the artist's website to learn more.

Track Listing:
1. Cautions in Transmission (4:12)
2. Heavy Above a Promise (4:11)
3. Salt in the Zeros (4:12)
4. Pacific (4:05)
5. Louisiana Hex Parimeter (4:14)
6. Airless Choice (3:50)
7. Twentieth Island (4:40)
8. Below the Grass (3:16)
9. Venture Fish (4:09)
10. Sleeping Stone (4:14)
11. Demonstrated Assembly (3:50)
12. Anti-Theory (4:29)
13. Lotus in a Fool Day (4:13)
14. Side Case Skips (4:12)

Added: March 14th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1787
Language: english

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