Fuzznaut Premieres “5184” Video; Apophenia Out Now
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, solo drone guitarist Fuzznaut — né Emilo Rizzo — released his new album, Apophenia (review here), on Nov. 4. And you have to believe me when I say I know it seems like the world is full of drone projects. You’re not wrong. Between the fact that just about any phone on the market can double as a recording studio and that about a year and a half out of the last two years were spent in lockdown, yes, it is not uncommon to find the rigors and anxieties of our age translated into varying sorts of soundscapes, manipulated effects, and so on. But you saw the three words ‘solo drone guitarist’ in the first sentence above and your eyes immediately glazed over, you’re missing out.
Here’s why: the thing about Fuzznaut isn’t the novelty of the makeup of the ‘band.’. Because it’s not a novelty; drone projects abound, as noted. It’s the expression in the sounds themselves. Across Apophenia, and emphasized in the closing track “5184,” for which there’s a suitably atmospheric video premiering below, Rizzo ties his guitar not only to immersive and hypnotic progressions, but to a genuine and purposeful sounding setting of mood. He uses it to convey emotion — in this case, it’s homage born of admiration and tribute, and that certainly counts — and the song rings out with a construction that’s both easy to follow and deep-running enough to lose oneself within, if only for a couple minutes.
I’m reasonably sure the footage in the early part of the clip is of Pittsburgh, and if you take the visual subtlety that brings the viewer from floating around in the ether above the city into a venue before and during a show as a clue to the song itself also following something of a plotline, I think that’s probably the idea too.
The full stream of Apophenia, whether for meditative or deep-dive purposes, is at the bottom of this post. You’ll find the video for “5184” below, followed by some comment from Rizzo on its intent.
Please enjoy:
Fuzznaut, “5184” video premiere
5184 off the album Apophenia by Fuzznaut.
5184 the closing track of Apophenia. The main riff was written the day Eddie Van Halen died. It was a somber day in the guitar community and just felt the need to play and that just came out. During a part of the song, I tried to get some vibes as a nod to his tone. His influence is so profound that anyone who picks up a guitar, it would resonate. Overall, this album is about sitting with adversity, but not letting inside/outside negative forces devalue your struggle.
Apophenia written and recorded by Fuzznaut at Strega Sana Sounds March-July 2022
Mixed and Mastered by Erik Peabody at Viking Guitar Productions
Artwork by Fuzznaut
