Nicolás Cóppola - Event Horizon

Nicolás Cóppola

Event Horizon
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Nicolas Coppola’s latest release Galactic Destinations was fairly easy record to enjoy. There were plenty of up-tempo songs that were easy to bob your head along with and melodies that were easy on the ears. His previous release which we are reviewing today Event Horizon will take a little more effort from the casual music fan if you aren’t familiar with how dissonance can play into music. 

Dissonance plays a factor on some of these songs but also isn’t as jarring as on a piece like “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima” by Krzysztof Penderecki. If you enjoyed Galactic Destinations then Event Horizon shouldn't be too much of a stretch but the accessibility is certainly a factor.

The album opens with “Event Horizon Part I” which at its center revolves around a clean yet powerful sounding piano. Flourishes of synths seem to pan back and forth between your speakers. It feels somewhat like an intro to the more meaty “Event Horizon Part II” which is one of the darker and more dissonant songs on the album. You submerge into lower crusts of an alien planet, which doesn’t seem very inviting. As the song progresses notes become more rapid which are on the verge of creating of sense of impending anxiety.

The piano part on “Event Horizon Part III” is sleek and refined while the waves of white noise form the guitar create at least a sense of incongruity and dissonance. On the next track “Event Horizon Part IV” implements some percussive elements, which are mostly elusive throughout the remaining songs. This track is guitar heavy with a sludgy metal vibe. “Event Horizon Part V” feels like a song that might work well for meditation because of the hypnotic lead instrument which sounds like a crystal xylophone. 

There is a lot of restraint on “Event Horizon Part VII” which never seems to open while “Event Horizon Part VIII” is sparse and open sounding as Coppola utilizes space as the other variable in the song. Some more drums are introduced on “Event Horizon IX” as well as some heavy dissonance. The closer “Event Horizon X” may be the most experimental and avant garde piece on the album.

Event Horizon will come easier to those who already familiar with what the fringe of music offers such as free jazz and basically anything from Jon Cage. If you listen to Coldplay or whatever other prepacked music is being recognized from the mainstream then it will take some time to appreciate what Event Horizon offers. 

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