Luca Bash

Italian singer songwriter Luca Bush has been a very, very busy man lately. In 2014 alone he released 4 EPs, ‘Cyan’, ‘Magenta’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Key Black’. No, these EP’s were not named in dedication to a family of over-privileged prigs (I kid, of course), rather, they represent the colours of the inkjet printers that print out vivid images and Bush’s musical interpretation of those base colours. This time around, Bash has taken a less colour coded yet equally as poignant approach with his 5-song compilation of singles from those previous EPs to create a more vibrant multicolour that trumps the lot.

Despite composing songs in English, Bash hasn’t detracted from the captivating sweetness of Latin poeticism. ‘The Single Drops’ is less of a collection of hackneyed axioms about love and life and more of an authentic compilation of idylls from the mind, body and soul of a contemporary idyllist.

Luca Bash’s dense Italian dialect is clearly evident throughout the EP. However I get the feeling that, whilst some may find it endearing, others may just find it quite runic and genuinely struggle to understand what he’s saying at times. Nonetheless, his baritone vocals, reminiscent of an adenoidal Randy Newman, have expressive and emotive range, so even if you miss a word of two you can at least feel the sentiment.

Throw in some spritely guitars from long-time collaborator Giova Pes on lead and Luca that form the melodic and rhythmic crux of this pastoral mixture of folk, pop rock and falseta. In fact, it’s literally just two men and their guitars but that compositional nakedness only adds to the genuineness of the songs. There is an organic chemistry between the two guitarists that creates a harmoniousness of tempo, tone and structure. In theory, one would assume severe subjects wouldn’t marry well with predominantly upbeat musicality, but here it works in a bewitching way.

‘Your Tomorrow’ is hushed and quixotic like a mingling serenade, ‘Forever Like Asleep’ is edgier and ‘A Little Tale’ is a complication of licks and metaphors. ‘The Single Drops’ as a whole is a passionate median of Bash’s life and love of music to date. Followers of music by Nick drake or John Mayer will love the bones of this one.