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Dec 10, 2018Romano has always been a tough artist to pigeonhole, but there's a feeling here of having shed a few more layers and dug a little deeper into his psyche, and the results are frequently exhilarating.
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Dec 10, 2018Throughout the record, Romano truly embraces mysticism in his lyrics, and throws the idea of form and structure out to sea. It can be overwrought at times, as Romano stretches the seams of certain songs with oft impenetrable lyrics and perhaps a surplus of instrumentation.
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Dec 10, 2018Sometimes Romano manages to pull off an unexpected success: a repeating thinly strummed acoustic guitar chord and quavering vocals at the start of “Empty Husk” eventually build to a catharsis of overdriven electric guitars and a vibrant melody. More often, though, these tunes just idle.
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Dec 10, 2018While Finally Free has a handful of songs that are excellent and some that are simply okay, the vexing dilemma points back to Romano himself. It’s as though he isn’t quite sure the direction to take and that hesitance alone is off putting.
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UncutJan 2, 2019A strange, untethered creation. ... But when Romano Keeps it simple, he's terrific. [Feb 2019, p.32]