58. NICK FIORETTI "HIBERNATION"

here's a blissed-out, lyrical track, Hibernation from Seattle, Washington bedroom/synth-pop producer Nick Fioretti off his debut "Wait A Minute" EP (2010).

putting the whole grunge scene aside et a certain Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan movie, i must admit my image of Seattle, Washington was largely shaped by listening to fellow bedroom pop producer Owen Ashworth aka Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's Seattle Washington track over et over again* which illustrates the outsider's idea of the city with these poignant lines: "Sometimes I think about moving up north, where rent is cheaper, I can have a house and a porch, to watch the rain, walk out in the rain, stand under the rain, and let Seattle wash me."

with this sentiment in mind, when Fioretti delivers the lines: "and it's going to be a long cold winter", i shudder with a sense of sympathy, it is late summer here in the southern hemisphere, et the prospect of a cold, wet winter is not so appealing. Hibernation simultaneously captures a sense of isolation et longing, warmth et drowsiness, it exists in that state of sleep just before you awaken, caught between conscious et unconscious/ness, in that timeless, in-between zone, where everything is slightly blurry et in a constant state of flux, a place where anything is seemingly possible.

Hibernation plays out as a constant struggle between dream et reality, between euphoria et melancholy, the refrain is like free-falling in slow-motion from an unfathomable height et releasing a cathartic scream into the ionosphere. this is an achingly beautiful et entrancing synth-pop anthem, filled with an intricate tableaux of astutely arranged et processed synths, wonky, pitch-shifted synths bubble et pulse away, a soft, hazy, atmospheric wash blends with faint dreamy harmonies, floating off in the distance, joined by a sparse, icy piano melody that tinkles away, inducing a sense of longing et nostalgia, while a deceptively simple, yet effective syncopated drum-machine beat pounds away methodically.

although there is a chilly breeze prevailing through Hibernation, it is a deeply uplifting track, at times Fioretti's soft, dreamy voice soars, fighting against the somber, wintry lethargy, he leaves behind his earthly confines et floats high above the world, weightless, swimming in the deep azure sky, his euphoric vocals echoing back to earth, the warm sonic waves begin to melt the icy thaw that has a grip on the sleepy earth below, everyone begins to awaken, as if from a hundred year long slumber, thankfully for some, another winter has come to an end.

i'm really looking forward to hearing more from Nick Fioretti, he's let on that with his new music he is incorporating more diverse instruments like the mandolin, trumpet, harmonica, and ukulele into the mix, i'm eager to hear this new direction.


MP3: Hibernation

like what you hear? you can currently stream/download the "Wait A Minute" EP from soundcloud for free, go et check it out!

you can check out Nick Fioretti here: soundcloud | facebook


* also the fantastic et epic cover of Seattle, WA by The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up, from the Split CD with Xiu Xiu {2003}.