PEDRAS E SONHOS

For folks from the bands country, the title of the first track will inevitably provoke the imagination. Lampião is part of popular imagination for a long time. He's been known for many crimes and murders, against poor people, but specially against the rich, the tradesfolk and the owners of huge farms. Him and the other bandits that had a similar kind of life were a common scene between 1910 and 1940 on the Northeast part of Brazil, and this social phenomenon was called Cangaço. Its practitioners were named cangaceiros. Eike Batista is a public brazilian person, because of his fortune (at the time of this album's release, it was estimated on 30 billion dollars), and also for his marriage with Luma de Oliveira, a famous actress and model at that time; some years later, Eike was arrested. So, the meeting (encontro) between both is an excellent motif for a story/lyrics.

Musically, it begins with a romantic path, that quickly expands to a Forrock (it's how brazilian people call the cross between rock and forró, a traditional kind of music from northeast of Brazil), like a heavier Alceu Valença, with guitar, triangle, acoustic guitar and flute. The bass contributes wonderfully to the composition. The vocals are like a call, a cry. A little of swing can be felt throughout all the instrumental parts. A spectacular acoustic guitar sews the other instruments on the smoother parts. The brief interventions of the guitar are precise, and there are some delicious moments that reminds Alceu Valença's interpretations for frevo (a musical brazilian style). The lyrics are simple but genius. Starts narrating that many cangaceiros are together, and

"Suddenly a fuss bothers the whole group [ver se vai ser o caso de eu substuituir group por outra palavra]

A train crosses the sky and lands on the ground

From the big tin vulture, sorrounded by many men

A foreigner and his tie descends speaking on the phone

The gents all in black, future sending a plague"

The security guards threaten to run them away. Eike intervene: "- Forgive the rudeness of my employee

I'm a civilized man, abhor agression

I bring a signed paper, value for transparency

The land is in fact mine. The government held an auction"

Eike offers an indemnity, and behold Lampião retorts: "If you like X, one more X you'll take on my 'whixper' that says XISPA (RUN)!

And the folks with their ties ran away

Got in the tin vulture and took thy shadows very far"

Some more untranslatable and brilliant rhymes are sung. Musically, they execute a tenebrous xote (a brazilian musical genre). This song also seems to me as an irrefutable homage to a profession in Brazil called repentistas, artists who duel themselves improvising verses and songs. This is a trully memorable track! By far the best of the album.

The following track opens with reggae, and quikly develops to a hard-rock, engrafting some elements of coco. Clarinet makes great short interventions, and the guitar exhibits gorgeous phrasings. Robust and complex vocal and poli-vocal harmonies are also present, which are enrichened by some tape effects. More to the end a sensual trumpet reminds me a bit of tango. And before its closure there is this consistent alternation between reggae and rock, with some pieces of maracatu (a musical genre) and calypso.

Third track is very melodic, with a soft-pop-jazz interpretation. They make a bright, biting and impactful use of evangelical/catholic clichés that circulate among the humble common people. This is this song's biggest triumph, along with the outstanding alternation between vocalists, and the precise choose of the moments with backing vocals and/or chorus. On its middle there is some rock, but generally the musicality is more towards a ballad vibe. There are moments when the vocals produce some singing expressions similar to the way brazilian evangelical pastors adress the faithful, almost shouting, or shouting, phrases of impact taken from the Bible. Once again, about the sound, on its second half there's a bit of MPB.

A lullaby sustains the introduction of the 4th track. A very heavy bass is on the next part of this music, with unexpected key signatures. Reminds me a hard mangue-beat (a brazilian musical subgenre). Suddenly they go back to the lullaby. Velvety vocals participate, what makes a contrast with the pachydermic bass. A firm march marks the transition to another part, that seems to me as a Gentle Giant with an acoustic mood.

Prelúdio em HD, a short one, is on african vocal style (I can't identify more precisely the genre).

The following track has reggae and specially calypso. The bass playing delivers superb pulls on the strings. Somewhere it gets a bit heavier. And on the second half, kind of rocky. The lyrics aren't so inspired now. Very close to its shutdown, it turns to a considerably more energetic performance.

Rock is the main musical style on the 7th track. But its full of stops, on a way that the composition gets confusing, and it doesn't mesh. This is the weakest song of this disc, because the lyrics are also faint.

Next track has a gentil and symphonic suit of brass section. The title, "Spring Consecration", may suggest something linked to Stravinsky, but I didn't identify no connection. Ironically, for my audition, the impression is that, with exception to the start, the phrasings don't fit one to another, and when it looks like it's going to get better, it doesn't.

The last song has a firm rock, with a celebrative spirit. Nice riffs on guitars, and consistent vocal harmonies. Some serene passages, kind of soft-pop, are delivered. More to the ending it turns to a more circus-oriented mood, it's the moment when they play a tasty swing, with jestful rhytmic guitar, trumpet and trombone. Lyrics have some bright snippets.

This effort may please a lot a bunch of rock fans, at least the ones who appreciate the eclectic side of this musical genre. And it will definitely captivate those who enjoy the cross between rock and latin-american music. It's not my case, I'm into prog rock and some hard-rock. This is why I'll give it a 3.3.

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