Umberto - "Confrontations"

The targeted audience for Umberto's music is a bit hard to imagine. It's too dark and moody to be dance music but it's too structured and hooky to be a soundtrack or mere ambiance. (But, I guess it's simplistic to think of music just in marketing terms (like audience)) Pitchfork compares the music to Italian prog rockers Goblin and other than assorted 80s, horror movie soundtracks (like The Fog), that might be the only easily identifiable influence. As far as contemporaries go, Umberto bears a passing resemblance to Com Truise but other than that, it's hard to compare.

When it hits its sweet spots, "Confrontations" drags the listener into deep, ethereal, gothic soundscapes but at other times, when the synths sound clunkier and the whole product feels a little less organic, it has the feel of a low budget video game soundtrack. "Dead Silent Morning" and "Invasion" come across as amateurish, in comparison to the rest of the album. 

"Night Fantasy" is clearly the album's only real killer track. The song's quiet sine intro is cut to shreds by a bold snare at the one minute mark and from then on, every new beat that appears is compelling, thematic and oh-so catchy. At times, the title track, "Confrontation" returns the listener to the steady driving rush of "Night Fantasy" but at no other time on the record is that original feeling recaptured. The other songs drag too much. There is too much dramatic buildup and not enough release justify that initial buildup. They would make for an ok original soundtrack but as individual specimens, they lack luster. 

"Confrontations" is definitely worth a listen but Umberto needs to try harder to churn out more anthemic material. Tracks "Night Fantasy" and "Confrontations" prove that he is capable.