Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
Nick Marks’s new instrumental four-track EP Cinematic Chromatics Vol. I sparks joy, as they say.
Heavily inspired by jazz, it would be the perfect soundtrack for Damien Chazelle’s movies Whiplash and La La Land. The entire album feels like we’re walking through a Hollywood production thanks to the wealth of instruments, the joyfulness of the scales and the dynamism of each note.
The album starts grandiosely with “Prelude/Arc of Light,” which features a main melodic line played with arcs and a piano interlude, offering a pause among the many dynamic sounds we hear throughout. The ending of the track leaves us suspended until the next one starts.
“Dorongo” features a very evident bass line and shiny little sounds that taste like Christmas. Percussions chime in as we hear organ chords with it and the trumpets continue doing their thing in the background. The organ at times sounds like it was written to be played in a videogame. I think I also hear some flute sounds which sometimes play and sometimes challenge the trumpets in a musical competition.
“Paradiso” is a nice slower track compared to the rest of the EP, but not much slower: it features a cabaret piano line and trumpets that will take you back to the 1920s. The vibe is very similar to the trajectory that the music by Arctic Monkeys has taken these past few years with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino and, more recently, The Car: a crooner-type of sound. Towards the end of the track, we hear a nice trumpet solo before the ensemble chimes in again in all its grandeur.
Lastly, “Ride The Dragon” closes the album with the same energetic symphonies we’ve heard all along: a trumpet screams and it goes from higher- to lower-pitched notes until it passes the ball to the next wind instrument. The percussions keep doing their thing in the background. The result is super dynamic and fun to listen to.
I would definitely recommend Nick Marks’s Cinematic Chromatics Vol. I to those who love cinema, soundtracks and jazz. This EP will take you back to the good ol’ times!
Discovered via https://app.musosoup.com #sustainablecurator