Short Reviews [A Flying Fish - 2025 - "El Pez Que Volo. Act II"]

What we have here is the second in a trilogy of releases from multi-instrumentalist Rahoola, who also provides vocals for different characters, alongside multiple guests providing additional instrumentation or vocals. This is meant to be a very deep piece of work, as Rahoola states, this is, “An artistic syncretism inspired by Christian & Buddhist texts through a Jungian approach of multicultural interweaving”. There are various words in that sentence which are somewhat unusual within a music review, and given what is trying to be achieved it is perhaps not surprising that recording for this release started in 2014. The first album in this series was released in 2023, but I don’t know when the next one is due. Although the album is in English, there is so much going on with so many characters, and little in the way of linking dialogue, that it is very hard indeed to work out what is taking place and what the story actually relates to. It is one of those releases where I think the only way to fully appreciate it is by having the physical as opposed to digital, and this is available as both CD and on vinyl, as one really needs to be looking at the collateral while it is being played. It is very theatrical in nature, experimental, and the way the vocals are used often makes me think of RPI, and it is incredibly intense as it while it obviously belongs onstage it is mixing together incredibly diverse styles of art rock, so much so that one totally loses sense of where one is. That it is quite an achievement is never in doubt, and I am glad I have heard it, but did I enjoy the experience? On that last I am not so sure. Complex and complicated, I believe this needs the visual aspect to get the most out of it, and coming into a story a third of the way through is never a good thing, but it is certainly intriguing, and it can be heard on Bandcamp if you wish to discover more.