TREM DO FUTURO

The band name, TREM DO FUTURO (Train Of The Future), makes a clear reference to something deeply impregnated in souls and minds of all Brazilians: "when will we take this 'train of the future' and fulfill the entire potential of our beloved nation, this sleeping giant?"; there are also many references about this never-attained and much desired future in literature, fine arts and other musical and political movements.

That said I expected to hear an album stuffed with a dense folk core added with various insertions of the original Brazilian popular music, being all covered by a fine layer of symphonic cortex - but I became a bit disappointed seeing that "Trem Do Futuro" is a work much more in the vein of Italian and British counterparts with only soft and distant touches of the music made here in Pindorama. Once the disappointment dissipates it turns into a fair surprise when realizing that TREM DO FUTURO issued a valuable product fully hearable and amusing.

Cover artwork is interesting while the general production barely exceeds the average stair. The fine musicianship of band's members compensates with advantage some minor defects and once you're not too much into the recording technical aspects, the hearing experience might be enjoyable - just remembering that songs are sung in Portuguese. Singer Paulo Rossglow is tuned and has a powerful voice but for those initiated in the Brasiliana features, his accent is totally diverse from that of the state (Ceará) & region (Northeast) where it's said the band come from; certainly, a Southern, unless he's pretending.

The first chords of 'Vagão 1 - Réquiem da louca' grab the listener with its blend of thunderous and catchy tunes provided by keyboards; flutes and drums complete nicely the panel of this introductory piece. The album follows in the same line as portrayed in the first track: symphonic melodies - sometimes calm sometimes frenzy, rock passages, and pop spots; anyway it's a prog-rock album, no doubt about it. Songs are not memorable but not dispensable too, but some deserve to be highlighted like the tasteful 'Revolução das flores', the colorful 'Bivar', the appealing 'Moksha' and the short and gorgeous 'Entrée', responsible to close the album. Lyrics are so-so; I swear I could understand almost everything.

That way, this Train moves on and from what they apprehended along the road we may expect a superior work with their recently released album, after a gap of 13 years; meanwhile, this one fits the metric-gauge category, being good, but non-essential.