M Mucci - Time Lost

Terrascope - August 2010
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August_2010.htm

US guitarist M. Mucci plays acoustic guitar, and a few other bits and pieces, on his latest foray "Time Lost." Opening with the solo acoustic piece 'Small Triumphs,' which reminded me just a tiny bit of Steve Hackett's 'Horizon,' further fingerpicked wizardry ensues on 'The View From Here' - superbly played, with a marvellous "travelling" quality. 'The Culprits' is more impressionistic, adding slide before returning to the clawhammer style, while 'April L'Occhi Part 1' is almost ambient, with its slow, isolated notes. 'Chase Down Alice St.' adds percussion for extra drama - it works well - then goes almost into a full band sound. 'Moments Between' is contemplative, before the seven minute extended ramble of 'A Day Like Any Other,' which is not in clawhammer style, features a harmonium, and contrasts well with the rest of the album. Closing cut 'April L'Occhi Part 2' drifts off as did part one. Refreshing, beautifully played, and most enjoyable.

FOXY DIGITALIS

Finding yet more wily, ghostly echoes of Old Weird America in the veins of acoustic guitar strings, M. Mucci mines familiar territory, yet the soulful songs and mindful picking on “Time Lost” do not sound derivative. Country Blues and folk tunes played with drone tuning are endless sources. Mucci has been exploring those sources, along with the sense of immense space that comes from living in Ontario, in the largest country in the world. He leaves a lot of room in his music, both for silence and for improvisation.

The opener, “Small Triumphs,” is meditative, almost bucolic, with a gradually building majesty. A couple of haunted, slightly askew steel string workouts follow, with “The Culprits” particularly notable for its eerie slide work at the end. Likewise, both “Moments Between” and “A Day Like Any Other” are almost twins, haunting spare meditations.

Overtly joined are the two parts of “April L’occhi.” The first part, short at under two minutes, offer minimal, short, electric guitar ambient tones, whereas “Pt.2” is a more spectral atmospheric development of the originally stated melody. Mucci works solo throughout, the only exception being on the country-noir of “Chase Down Alice,” which features a very restrained full band.

“Time Lost” is, while not as disorienting as the title might suggest, is a solid meditation on the ecstatic and hermetic potential of the guitar. This is ground covered by everyone from Fahey to Blackshaw to, more recently, Bill Orcutt. But Michael Mucci has been sitting with his Shadow and facing it as honestly and openly as any of those artists. Through two full-lengths and a few EPs, Mucci has shown grit, daring, and respect enough for his instrument to let it speak for itself, as well as to let it pause, and echo. 7/10 -- Mike Wood (28 July, 2010)

Terrascope - August 2010
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_August_2010.htm

US guitarist M. Mucci plays acoustic guitar, and a few other bits and pieces, on his latest foray "Time Lost." Opening with the solo acoustic piece 'Small Triumphs,' which reminded me just a tiny bit of Steve Hackett's 'Horizon,' further fingerpicked wizardry ensues on 'The View From Here' - superbly played, with a marvellous "travelling" quality. 'The Culprits' is more impressionistic, adding slide before returning to the clawhammer style, while 'April L'Occhi Part 1' is almost ambient, with its slow, isolated notes. 'Chase Down Alice St.' adds percussion for extra drama - it works well - then goes almost into a full band sound. 'Moments Between' is contemplative, before the seven minute extended ramble of 'A Day Like Any Other,' which is not in clawhammer style, features a harmonium, and contrasts well with the rest of the album. Closing cut 'April L'Occhi Part 2' drifts off as did part one. Refreshing, beautifully played, and most enjoyable.

FOXY DIGITALIS

Finding yet more wily, ghostly echoes of Old Weird America in the veins of acoustic guitar strings, M. Mucci mines familiar territory, yet the soulful songs and mindful picking on “Time Lost” do not sound derivative. Country Blues and folk tunes played with drone tuning are endless sources. Mucci has been exploring those sources, along with the sense of immense space that comes from living in Ontario, in the largest country in the world. He leaves a lot of room in his music, both for silence and for improvisation.

The opener, “Small Triumphs,” is meditative, almost bucolic, with a gradually building majesty. A couple of haunted, slightly askew steel string workouts follow, with “The Culprits” particularly notable for its eerie slide work at the end. Likewise, both “Moments Between” and “A Day Like Any Other” are almost twins, haunting spare meditations.

Overtly joined are the two parts of “April L’occhi.” The first part, short at under two minutes, offer minimal, short, electric guitar ambient tones, whereas “Pt.2” is a more spectral atmospheric development of the originally stated melody. Mucci works solo throughout, the only exception being on the country-noir of “Chase Down Alice,” which features a very restrained full band.

“Time Lost” is, while not as disorienting as the title might suggest, is a solid meditation on the ecstatic and hermetic potential of the guitar. This is ground covered by everyone from Fahey to Blackshaw to, more recently, Bill Orcutt. But Michael Mucci has been sitting with his Shadow and facing it as honestly and openly as any of those artists. Through two full-lengths and a few EPs, Mucci has shown grit, daring, and respect enough for his instrument to let it speak for itself, as well as to let it pause, and echo. 7/10 -- Mike Wood (28 July, 2010)

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