Andrea Caccese – Icarus Falling / Set the World on Fire EP review

I’ve travelled all around the world. Been to the Americas a couple of times, been to every corner in Europe, and been to Asia as well. Haven’t made it yet to Australia, but hopefully will manage to go down under before I hit the box and go underground. Since most of my trips are business related (unfortunately not related to the blog and music), I travel alone. When I travel alone, I really enjoy it, but sometimes I feel lonely, sometimes happy, sometimes I’m fed fed up and with time I am starting to get fed up of airports. Even though I travel because of business and I am not that well off to afford business class and VIP lounges, so like most of us, I am classified as cattle class. This means I have to wait long hours in airports. Delays are obviously a speciality when travelling during winter.

While walking along the world’s biggest airports, like Heathrow and Frankfurt, I’m always listening to music.  For some stupid reason, the departure gates are always half an hour walk away, so there is time for that. Why on earth departure gates are never 1, 2 or 3? Why they should always be gate 64, 83 or 92?!?!?!? Maybe music lables are sponsoring bigger airports, to get people to walk more, thus buy music to listen to. Well, whatever. When travelling, I am very picky on what music I listen to. I need songs to set the mood, depending if I am departing or arriving. This year, after spending two months travelling though almost every state in the US, heading back home was the best part. I was tired because I’ve just been through 27 flights, but still was on a high even though bad weather was around.  Therefore I needed some music to accompany me in this reflective yet happy mood, while gazing outside the window, watching rain drops resting on the ground and planes after their long journey to mother earth.

And there was nothing better than Andrea Caccese’s debut EP; Icarus Falling / Set the World on Fire. This extended play is Andrea’s travel scrap book, and maybe that is why it fits perfectly to my travelling music thirst. After spending years playing punk rock with a number of bands, Andrea decided to pack up a guitar, laptop, bunch of microphones and travel around. The album is simply amazing, considering the simplistic approach it has.

Just a guitar, accompanied by cellist Nadja Ali, this four track ep is soul touching. Icarus Falling, the EP’s first track starts with “So tell me where do you want to go? Somewhere exotic or a place we only know?” The track is a formed by a simplistic and repetitive guitar riff, creating an echo effect accompanied by a cello. A perfect relaxing album starter. The second track, “Set the World on Fire” starts with a very familiar cello playing, the tune sounds too good, and again accompanied by simple one guitar note keeping the tempo. Andrea’s vocals are perfectly blended with a very low profile female backing vocals, which create a lovely effect, such as that voice you hear at the back of your mind. “Playing with Ghosts” couldn’t fit as a better title for the third track. An instrumental track, with winding music box notes playing, while in the background one can hear from voices, squeks, wind and maybe footsteps? It is so ghostly that even I cannot even conclude what I am listening to exactly, though definitely another good track. The last track, “Stars and Satellites” is a very quiet track, starting with simply the guitar riffs and Andrea singing like from a distance. At around 2:15, feedback like sounds steal the attention, though slowly fade away again to finish the album in a quiet reflective mood.

Despite this album was not recorded in a typical music studio but on the road, the recording quality is perfect and the music is amazingly simple, yet touching deep! I am sure that a complete album from Andrea would be a must buy! Check out the Icarus Falling / Set the World on Fire EP online for free from Andrea Caccese website; http://www.andreacaccese.com