TRIZ

Rating: 6/10

Triz is the sole solo effort from Brazilian musician Alexandre Loureiro. This is quite an obscure release, and I know next to nothing about this guy beyond the bio here on PA. However, I'm glad that I stumbled upon this album. The music here is an eclectic amalgamation of classical, folk, jazz, and traditional prog. A large cast of musicians and vocalists are recruited to back Alex up. The result is a solid, albeit flawed and somewhat artificial-sounding, collection of diverse progressive rock.

"Todo o Tempo do Mundo" is an atmospheric piano intro that opens the album in a strong fashion. "Trancado Por Dentro" is a folky track with acoustic guitar and other strings accompanying the keys, vocals, and throbbing bass. I like most of this track, even though the vocal section in the middle is a rather lame "Do ri me fa so la ti do" exercise. "Limites" continues with the folky atmosphere. Excellent flute and vocal work dominate, but the track drags on a bit. "Por Enquanto" is on the heavier side (at least within the context of this album). This is one of the weaker tracks here; it sounds rather synthetic. The pleasant "Circulos" begins in a decidedly Gentle-Giant-like manner. Acoustic guitar and bass take the lead yet again. "Vozes? Vozes" alternates between piano and folky passages. The instrumental interplay at the end of this song is quite impressive. "Porem? Quanto?" begins in a surprisingly avant manner. The jazzy instrumentation is excellent, and the mallet work gives this track a Zappaesque feel. "Nos" is by far the best song on the album. The vocals are catchy, the piano is a wonderful, and electric guitar ties everything together perfectly. The soloing at the end is also excellent. "Realatividade" features some Wakeman-style keyboards and more pleasant acoustics. "Passatempo" is a fairly uninteresting vocal-oriented acoustic piece. The vocally-driven and slightly operatic "A Prece" comes next, the twelve-second "Enfim?" closes the album.

While this is a good album, I can't help but get a sense of artificiality when I listen to it. The programmed drums probably have a lot to do with this, but many vocal parts also sound rather mechanical. The songwriting and musicianship is quite good on Triz, but I can't truly connect with the music. There's not too much more to say for this one - it's a good album, but it certainly isn't on the top of my obscure prog list.