Asuitable setting can make a show really special, and when Giancarlo Erra’s Nosound played at the Starmus Astronomy Festival on the island of Tenerife last summer, they surely found it.
Glimpses of the distinctly lunar-looking landscape up in the island’s volcanic hills can be seen on the accompanying DVD to this live album. The band get to express their expansive musical visions in their natural habitat – in the open air, one eye firmly on the stars. The hypnotic, seven-minute opener In My Fears sets the tone, and their natural mood of despondent contemplation only deepens from here. The string section and Gilmour-esque guitar soloing on Cold After All are welcome ear-pricking elements, as is the crescendoing noise enveloping The Anger Song, and the urgent piano motif on Wherever You Are. The set cherry-picks from their four albums to date and closely mirrors their Snapper compilation, Introducing. But such is the quality of the musicianship and production, you may prefer the more organic feel of this live offering. Close your eyes and you might just believe you’re on top of a volcano, gazing out into the Atlantic, humbled by your modest place on the planet.
