BC CAMPLIGHT

Italian-American Manc’s second album is an oddball treat.

After Brian Christinzio fled mental illness and addictions in the US and relocated to Manchester, his change of scenery bore fruit in a record deal and a debut album, How To Die In The North. However, he was later deported back to his native New Jersey and only made it back here after wangling an Italian passport through his relatives, in time to pour out his troubles in truly inimitable style on a second album. The opening title track recalls Talk Talk’s more adventurous moments, all high, emotive tenor interspersed with Bee Gees falsetto, fizzing synth shimmers, breathy backing vocals and beautiful sadness, with a fartingly distorted fuzz-bass thrown in at times. He continues to pick and mix styles with aplomb: rock’n’roll piano combined with Krauty techno throb, synth sting and Ali Bell’s guest vocal on I’m Desperate makes for a truly unique sound. The beguilingly bipolar Hell Or Pennsylvania begins as a barroom piano lament, turns Surfin’ USA-era Beach Boys, then sinks back into a horn-smoked noirscape. ‘So it’s come to this… another bag of lemon twirls gone,’ he mutters. We hereby launch a campaign to keep this singular talent in the country long-term.