DESIGNIOS

For once, JLFL strayed a bit from his avant-garde musical vision and focused on a more symphonic- oriented style, with lots of prog-folk and fusion elements brought in to provide special cadences and textures to the overall scheme. This album includes reburbished versions of two old tracks, 'Abismo' and 'Los Designios de géminis', which date back from his old days in Nirgal Vallis, a pioneering symphonic prog band that kept a low profile in the 80s Mexican rock scene. This detail is an indication of how decided was JLFL to explore that unusual part (the symphonic one) of his musical interests. The fact is that this album sounds majestic from beginning to end, with each and every note, each and every particle of sound, every instrument in itself and in connection with the others: no matter how explicitly pompous or candidly serene a particular piece is, definitely there will be a majestic aura to it. The presence of singer Margarita Botello is crucial for the development of the melodic developments that take place in each track: she is sensible enough as to enhance the ambiences and atmospheres completed with the instrumental input. The opener is dominated by the acoustic guitars' dynamic strumming, complemented with flute lines and soft guitar layers: the track's spirit bears a folkish vibe, with an added touch of ethereal magnetism. A very appelaing opener, indeed. Track 2 is more explicilty focused on the reflective side of things, bearing a delicate experimental air with an extra touch of spiritual mystery: the processed sounds of string and percussion instruments sound like a background dream for Botello's vocal deliveries. This is like a momentary walkabout in the autumn fog, before the sun appears solidly in the sky on the wings of 'Saena'. 'Saena' is a beautiful highlight of the album, led by the piano mtifs and fed with keyboard orchestrations, mandolin washes, flute adornments and subtly delivered rhythmic patterns, plus a splendid violin solo. After this delicious item, 'Canción Para un Solo Día' brings a similar cadence, albeit with an enhanced touch of fusion that equally shares the arrangement's weight with the symphonic element. The featured presence of guest violin and cello helps to develop an optimistic atmosphere throughout the whole track. If the first two tracks were portraits of thoughts and reflections illuminated by the light of the inner self, tracks 3 and 4 are more extroverted, as colorful portraits of exotic landscapes illuminated by the light of the sun. At this point, let me confess that this album was my first JLFL experience, and by the time I was in the middle of track 4, I felt myself becoming a devote fan (little did I know that this guy's discography was far beyond this particular trend, but through the years my appreciation only grew and it continues to grow nowadays). 'Abismo' follows in the same celebratory trend of 'Canción', but with a bigger dose of energy: the rhythm pattern is evidently based on Mexican folk, but the instrumentation goes beyond the usual realms of fusion by adding clever violin/clarinet interplaying and a couple of furious (yet controlled) synth solos. There is also an almost-Hackettish guitar solo there. 4 minutes of pure, constant progressiveness. But how about an 18- minute span of this very thing, progresiveness? The listener will soon be served with 'Los Designios de Géminis', the epitome of the album's main scheme: symphonic prog replete with folk-prog elements and fusion colors. The multi-varied range of sonic resources (folk, spacey, Rennaisance, symphonic) under which the sections are modelled works beautifully as a unitary musical piece. Sometimes, an eerie section is used as a bridge: for example, the mysterious dreamy woodwind sounds that emerge at minute 6, before the organ gets in to build a mesmeric slow section with featured cello/clarinet. The last 8 3/4 minutes are occupied by 'Punta Cometa', which brings back the spirit of track 1, only with a more organized structure. It also includes eerie guitar and synth solos, as well as a brief spacey coda. I honestly regard Designios as a total prog masterpiece, but here comes a word of advice: this is not your typical JLFL album.