Italian project FIRETAIL is the creative vehicle of Andrea Vascellari, which he use for crafting music rather different to what he otherwise does as Lullabier. “Learning to Cheat” is the debut EP by this project, and was released as a free download by US label Silber Records in 2013. For connoisseurs of good sound, the artist does sell higher quality versions of this EP on Bandcamp. The free version on Silber Records are limited to mp3’s of 128 Kb quality.

The two tracks on this EP, one a bit less and one a bit more than 8 minutes long, are both of a fairly similar nature. Ambient, cinematic creations that invites to associations with the sea. End = Beginning builds and ends slowly, and contains a dark drone or resonance with smooth, gentle textured guitar and reverb constructions wash in lakes wave on the shore, with occasional surges soaring upwards. A pleasant and inviting construction, easy on the ears and mind both.

Concluding construction Floating Around sports a sampled undercurrent of waves washing on to the shore, with slow surges of guitar and reverb constructions slowly washing in and disrupting into a jittery drone like sound that slowly fades out, creating a soundscape of fairly constant surges and a jittery dronelike texture all present in a delicate, careful manner.

A pleasant and soothing creation that should attract the attention of fans of ambient music in general I guess, and one that arguably will have it’s key audience among fans of ambient post rock.

My rating: 60/100