On Brian Christinzio’s sixth album as BC Camplight, he wants listeners to know about his recent experiences and their effect on him. Herewith, a mostly unembroidered account of how he sees things. When allusiveness arrives, the metaphors are easy to interpret. The last three tracks are titled “Going Out on a Low Note”, “I'm Ugly” and “The Mourning”.
The Last Rotation of Earth follows-up 2020’s Shortly After Takeoff. That also drew from his then-recent past: being removed by immigration authorities from his adopted home of Manchester – he’s from Philadelphia; his father’s death, and the associated ravaging of his already compromised psyche. Christinzio is now back in Manchester with an Italian passport gained through his family background.
All has not been well in the run-up to the release of The Last Rotation of Earth. The album’s promotional material says that after nine years Christinzio’s relationship with his fiancé disintegrated. His long-term struggles with addiction and mental health are noted. He is quoted, saying the album “is a document created in the shadow of incredible darkness. One from which the creator hadn't planned on escaping, and still doesn't. Hence the title of the album. It is the result of an illness that I've battled my whole life. It isn't something that the world has done to me. It's the world I live in and it's no one's fault”.
For all its thematic rawness, The Last Rotation of Earth is often lush. The melodies are instantly memorable. His honeyed voice is harmonious and warm. A love of doo-wop is evident. While glitchy stabs of electronica and rhythmic shifts disrupt the flow, the long-term correlation with Randy Newman remains apparent. Hints of Seventies duo Metro – David Bowie covered their "Criminal World" – bubble up. There is beauty to this music. But however these dark, often uncomfortably funny, dispatches from Christinzio’s consciousness are framed it’s impossible not to be knocked off balance while listening to this album. A disconcerting experience.
