Ernesto Schnack - "Narratology"
Acoustic storytelling
I do not recall how I stumbled into Ernesto Schnack, but at some point, I found his 2013 album of original compositions, Worldbuilding, and it consists of truly gorgeous acoustic guitar instrumentals. And that’s what he is — a talented guitarist. Some of his compositions have been used for TV and Film soundtracks in Latin America (Schnack is, himself, Panamanian), but much of his discography is comprised of covers. He’s released four albums of covers since 2018; and if you’re looking for covers of acts like Tool or System of a Down in acoustic guitar, then you won’t find better than his.
But what interests me are his original compositions; I don’t want to write about cover albums (or soundtrack albums). Narratology is his first original album since that 2013 Worldbuilding LP.
There’s nothing overly complex here — this is just 29 minutes of good, relaxing acoustic guitar. There are multiple layers to most (if not all) tracks, and occasionally additional acoustic elements, such as a violin in the album’s opening song, “Lament”. Most tracks on the album are a little more pared down than “Lament”, however.
Given the photo on the album’s cover, plus the title and several song titles (“Stormlight”, “Hero’s Journey”, etc), I suspect that much of the inspiration driving the album came from novels, such as Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series.
Overall, Narratology is good, but not transcendent in any way. Schnack is a skilled composer, and some of that shows in “Lament” and “Solemnis”, but at other times it just feels like he’s jamming on his guitar. This is still a relaxing album to play in the background when you need something fairly toned down. Toss in Worldbuilding and his cover albums and you have a solid playlist for ambient acoustic guitar in a coffee shop or bookstore.
As a final note, I did discover, in researching this album, that Schnack has a band now: Hacienda Libre, a Prog Rock/Metal six-piece that actually dropped their debut album, Tiempos Violentos, this year. I do not have the time to add that to my list, but if you’re looking for a band in Spanish, give them a listen.
Rating: Green