Review: Delving ‘Hirschbrunnen’

Nick DiSalvo begged his parents for a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder for Christmas at the age of 12… I got my first Tascam US 4×4 at the age of 33. I guess I’m 21 years late. Nick knew what he wanted to do at an early age and I admire that. He’s been recording songs and ideas for a long time and has taken this forced break to put years of inspiration into one outstanding record he entitled Hirschbrunnen.

Delving ‘Hirschbrunnen’

His upcoming Delving album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Richard Behrens and Emanuele Baratto at Big Snuff Studio. The album will be released on June 11th through Stickman Records. First listen, you can hear how wonderful of an album it is. But on the second, third and fourth time of listening, you really get to hear all the textures and nuances throughout that really make this special.

The opening piano of Ultramarine is beautifully soft and welcoming. As the piano fades out, the groundwork presented by a fantastic rhythm section fades in. Overlaying delayed guitars, both clean and distorted, are mixed in with synthesizers. All these sounds are very well layered and are just the beginning of the textures I discussed earlier. As the guitars fade out to silence, it gives me just enough time to say ‘wow’ before the next track begins.

Track number two shares the same name as the solo project. Delving starts off with a quiet reverb guitar riff that transitions into a full sounding groove. This is a mere appetizer to wet the palette for the true work of art of the remaining four minutes. The weaving layers of instruments is breath taking. The song slowly builds and continues as it fades. I like to think this song never really ends and is continually playing forever in another space and time.

Nick stated, when I interviewed him as part of our In Search of Tone series, that his favorite pedals are delay and that is the effect he’s most drawn to recently. By track three it’s obvious and he has perfected its use. The Reflecting Pool is perfectly titled because the delays give me the feeling of rippling water. Halfway through the song it shifts yet again with a grand piano transition into synth that gives me a Stranger Things vibe (probably because I just finished watching it). The build on this song is something I search for in songs and it gives me chills.

you really get to hear all the textures and nuances throughout that really make this special…

Wait And See is titled appropriately because the chill vibes in the beginning set up an epic conclusion with a fast paced and outstanding guitar solo worthy of the wait. The song is well structured allowing anticipation to build and epic conclusion where Nick doesn’t disappoint.

Hirschbrunnen is German for ‘stag fountain’ and Nick states that he is used to traveling and seeing the beauty around the world but doesn’t always get to experience the beauty at home. Being forced to stay confined to a town, and even a block, allowed him to experience the beauty close by. The Hirschbrunnen is titled because of the large fountain close to where he lives. Knowing this story and listening to the song I feel as if I’m walking in Nicks shoes as he explores his surroundings. The opening is soft, calming and the addition of the birds makes you feel you’re walking past this fountain and as the song ebbs and flows it’s as if you’re also exploring different parts of his town.

Vast is the sixth and final song on the album and clocking in at nearly eleven and a half minutes is the longest on the album. It’s a fantastic closer encompassing everything from the last five tracks. The music dies down for a short time at around six and a half minutes allowing you to get lost in the spacey tones. The thundering drums bring you back at seven and a half minutes only to get launched back into reality seconds later! One hell of a journey and one hell of a closer.

Delving’s first album is an experience throughout. The cover art is stunning showcasing the stag fountain exquisitely and the music held between the sleeves of this phenomenal record is well worth a listen. I would like to thank Nick’s parents for buying him that Tascam 4 track cassette recorder all those years ago.

Label: Stickman Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Scribed by: Josh Schneider