LP REVIEW: AARON RIZZO ‘Mirror Talk Blue’
Photo credit: Devin Kasparian
“Deference” introduces the LP with an emotive, stunning naturescape, evoking profound feelings in its beautiful, string-infused sonic texture. Cinematic grand gesture and intricate production in combination with a dream pop, singer-songwriter oriented songwriting invites its listener to an exploration beyond the traditional definition of a rock band.
Mirror Talks Blue goes into a change of narrative in its storytelling. From an introductory soundtrack, Aaron Rizzo dives straight into a captivating, punchy dreamscape. Persistent, minimalistic drumbeat paired with emotive electric texture,“Gone Mad” is anthemic and captivating.
Trimming his Strat, Aaron Rizzo further explores and channels the soul out of electric guitar. “Home Weeps” introduces us to a vast, starry skyscape with clouds floating above. Fuzzy bass drives a subwoofer rhythm deep underneath, shaking the ground while the sonics vibrate through your bones. Pop infused catchiness is reintroduced.
“To Witness Love” and “To Witness A Death” are two sides of one coin. “To Witness Love” narrates around a distinct, lo-fi, blurry sonics, fusing intimate lyricism. The sound of water dripping echoes between the sound walls, diving into an unexpected stage of pop vocabulary. “To Witness A Death” remains the vulnerability, starting with a light staccato of tenderness and ceremonial seriousness evolving into a messy, reverberant background that lives and breathes with the vocal line. There’s a sense of suffocation in its sadness as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
“Someone to Love Me” surprises us with a spanish guitar inspired colorism, spinning into an eerie, immersive floral immersion. “Epiphany” concludes the album with another beautiful, airy expansion of instrumentals, emerging from the string of a voice to flashbacks and surreality.
Written by Katrina Yang
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