Molinaro, Joey

The Inalienable Dreamless / We

Label: Inverted Music Company Country: USA

"Music teacher, student, and violinist Joey Molinaro offers two progressive recordings on one piece of wax that summarize his comprehensive approach to acoustic folk music, classical execution, and hardcore punk aesthetics. Previously a member of Indiana-based experimental/orchestral punk ensemble BASILICA, Molinaro offers two extensive pieces on The Inalienable Dreamless and We LP, released by his own Inverted Music Company (featuring, if you choose, optional download, CD-R, and published scores along with your vinyl!).

Both sides are marked by a furious approach to the violin that is dissonant, crowded, dynamic, soaring, and virtuosic, although the release as a whole is colored by the different environmental surroundings and accompaniment on each piece. The first, "The Inalienable Dreamless," is an acoustic violin and "foot percussion" recording, paced only by Molinaro's playing and the air of the room and his own breathing, stomping, etc. The second, "We," is a collaboration with guitarist Derek Johnson, featuring accompaniment along the lines of a hardcore/progressive metal group.

"The Inalienable Dreamless" is marked by 17 brief, individual movements, often separated by little more than a pause and a breath of air from Molinaro. The immediacy of the stomping and ferocious playing is inescapable, and the listener is effectively trapped by the unexpected turns and dynamic twists of this side. Stopping and starting, shifting rhythms constantly, alternating between completely competent runs and shrieking dissonance, with playing that suggests one or one hundred violins at various moments, Molinaro executes the spirit and function of hardcore punk and Appalachian folk throughout. Unpredictable stomping and eclectic percussion sometimes drown out the strings or provide complete rhythmic counterbalance to the lead lines, and the changes in pace of the percussion compliments the manic changes of the violin. Terrorizing, mesmerizing, claustrophobic, I felt like a hostage.

Electric instrumentation and an entirely different percussion aesthetic follow Molinaro's playing on the second side, with mostly crunchy, dynamic distorted guitar of Derek Johnson providing the main accompaniment. The shifts in rhythm are still there, only now they have a full accompaniment to develop the twists and turns, which is a little easier on the listener's imagination (but also less captivating). Still, Molinaro's playing is ever-dynamic, and the instrumentation completely drops out at points, playing off of an exaggerated loud/soft start/stop arrangement. An effective piece of progressive hardcore, Molinaro's greatest victory is exploiting the attitude of hardcore and exploding its pretenses and prejudices to classical proficiency.

I've said it for other releases this year, and I'm sure I'll say it again, you flat-out have to hear this one to believe it. As much as I tried to capture it in writing, the sheer joy and terror and captivity and claustrophobia of "The Indealienable Dreamless" completely transcends my descriptions. That Molinaro contrasts that piece with "We" shows that executing the violence, creativity, and rhythmic disparity of the hardcore aesthetic through purely acoustic instrumentation sometimes trumps the actual thing."-Inverted Music Company