Short Reviews [Marco Ragni - 2010 - "In My Eyes" [US edition]]

At the beginning of 2020 Marco Ragni released a remastered version of the American edition of his debut album from 2010, which included some additional songs. By the time of the original album Marco had been working in different bands, including three albums with Heza and more recently an album with the funk psychedelic outfit The Mokers who were a funk psychedelic outfit, and it was this experience in the studio which allowed him to decide to record an album on his own which he would then release on Crow Records. I have been unable to determine the recording line-up but given that Marco is a multi-instrumentalist it would not surprise me if he recorded all of it himself. While these days I think of Marco more as a progressive rock artists who tinges his albums with psychedelic influences, back in 2010 he was fully embedded in the psychedelic scene, and it is certainly interesting to come across it now, as if it had just been presented to me with no information I would probably have guessed it was a modern release but it also could have easily come from late Sixties America as opposed to modern day Italy. I particularly enjoy the banjo on “The End of the Journey”, as it definitely adds some date to the song, being incredibly effective. Throughout the album we are also treated to fuzzed and distorted electric guitar, lots of acoustic guitar, dynamic basslines, and gentle singer songwriter-style psyche which feels incredibly authentic. It is not unusual for songs to not have much in the way of drums, and this in itself adds more warmth to the overall sound. This may not be an album which I would expect to hear from Marco these days, given where his musical odyssey has taken him, but I am very glad indeed to have heard it.