GREG PUCIATO

Mirrorcell

Federal Prisoner
rating icon 7 / 10

Track listing:

01. In This Hell You'll Find Yourself
02. Reality Spiral
03. No More Lives To Go
04. Never Wanted That
05. Lowered
06. We
07. I Eclipse
08. Rainbows Underground
09. All Waves To Nothing


Audibly happy to be confounding people that thought they had him pegged, Greg Puciato's second solo album adheres to the same principles of blurred-genre anarchy that informed the first, 2020's "Child Soldier: Creator of God". Sufficiently removed from anything he had done previously, that album brimmed with smart ideas and a sense of liberation delivered via a blank slate and endless possibilities. Arriving less than two years later, "Mirrorcell" feels like a very natural follow-up, as Puciato's scattershot combination of gnarly alternative rock, squelching synth-pop, mutant noise and often genuinely beautiful melodies blossoms in all directions.

In reality, the only real connection between this and its creator's past life in THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is that "Mirrorcell" is a restless and provocative piece of work. After an overture of pulsing noise, "Reality Spiral" provides a flurry of riff-wrapped uppercuts, with a stirring vocal hook and a gripping sense of forward motion. "Lowered" is a simply sublime post-punk hymn, overwrought in just the right kind of way and possessed of a timeless, killer chorus, with guest singer Reba Meyers blending harmoniously with the star attraction.

Similarly bewitching is "We", which sounds like some magical, lo-fi DEPECHE MODE curio, but with Krautrock pacing and a simmering, sinister edge. Most impressive of all, "All Waves to Nothing" is a lurching, dubbed-out, drone rock ambush, with Puciato barking threats through a cosmic loudhailer amid a downward spiral of dirty riffs. When another sparkling melody bursts from the hostile melee, it feels miraculous.

Not everything on "Mirrorcell" feels as adventurous as those startling high points. "No More Lives to Go" is a little grey and uneventful, particularly given the songs that surround it, and "Rainbows Underground" adds little to what we already knew about the American's grunge fixation. Likewise, "Never Wanted That" is a decent rock song, but one that fades from memory as soon as something as warped and hypnotic as "I Eclipse" kicks into gear. Those inconsistencies aside, "Mirrorcell" is as brave and intriguing as discerning listeners have come to expect over the years. Not quite earth-shattering, then, but a very worthwhile addition to an increasingly broad and brilliant canon.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).