GERALD

Storytelling about the human condition in the Neo-Prog way with a jazzy-pop-fusion delivery style. Reminds me of some of the current young prog bands from Italy--like UNREAL CITY and INGRANAGGI DELLA VALLE or several of JOHANNES LULEY's projects as well as the 2014 debut album from I AND THOU, Speak. Very melodic and simple; showing tremendous potential.

1. "The Drive (Chapter I)" (5:15) a nearly-flawless bit of ear-candy to open and entice the listener into this interesting and pretty album. The vocal does not even enter until the final minute. A beautiful voice has Nuno Aleluia--not unlike that of JOHANNES LULEY. (10/10)

2. "Through the Haze (Chapter II)" (4:27) is a spacious, almost jazz lounge sounding instrumental song with nice saxophone singing the lead over some clean, spacious soft rock (using some borrowed riffs). (8.5/10)

3. "Into the Fold (Chapter III)" (6:37) sounds a lot like a 1970s ELOY song. The vocals are emotional if somewhat strained. More saxophone (this time soprano) over a STEELY DAN-like section that is followed by an odd little organ, synth, guitar weave. Smooth and (8.5/10)

4. "The Curtain Falls (Chapter IV)" (5:37) a simple and fairly straightforward song but probably my favorite song on the album. Great TOTO-like vocal and nice keyboard layering in the vocal sections. I don't much care for the staccato C section, though. (8.5/10)

5. Fadeaway (Chapter V)" (10:34) opens with piano and bird-like violin flitting around in the background (in a "Lark's Ascending" kind of way). String section soon joins in and completes the 75-second intro. Bass chords, jazzy drum support and piano soon establish the foundation for the next section. It's gorgeous! Strings and electric guitar join in and then the song shifts into more soft rock format. Funky bass with syncopated drums and keys in the fourth minute, shifting to flute-led full-orchestra section as a segues into the delicate vocal section. Beautiful in a BRUCE SOORD/PINEAPPLE THIEF/I AM THOU/JOHANNES LULEY way. The seventh minute progresses into a support section for synth and then guitar soli. Simple, spacious, but, unfortunately, neither of the soli are anything very exciting or exceptional. The vocal and music supporting the vocal sections are really the highlights of this song--though as a ten-minute long tapestry, it is very well constructed--it flows very nicely. (9/10)

My one overlying complaint of this is that the drumming often sounds like a show of military rudiments and the mix of all of João's instruments could be blended a little better. Great, clean sound and very nice, competent compositions and performances; perhaps a bit too clean or antiseptic. The music here is very pleasant, melodic, pretty, but I have found, too easily it loses my attention and fades into become background music.

4.5 stars marked down for its brevity (32 minutes making it more of an EP).