DEPOIS DO FIM

I find it quite surprising that until a couple of years ago I'd never heard this album. well, I knew that BACAMARTE existed, I knew their other album ("Sete Cidades", much more a solo project) and I knew that band's female voice, Jane Duboc, trailed a successful career as a pop singer. I knew also about "Depois Do Fim" but hadn't the curiosity to listen to it. My fault, my fault, I lost certainly a bunch of enjoyable moments. The reasons for this disdain I cannot really list, maybe I was stuck in the 70s prog-scene in Brazil, with the likes of Mutantes, O Terço, Barca do Sol, etc. however, time moved and I felt compelled to follow on.

Well, what to say, this album is astonishing, amazing, admirable and for me, as a Brazilian, touching - I see parts of my beloved country in almost every tune, every detail of "Depois Do Fim". I wouldn't point any band member in particular, they all shine intensely and I wouldn't care too much with the general production, far from being flawless; the songs and the overall atmosphere are those that really count. Also this album is very conceptual dealing with world's end and the aftermath of much abuses on Earth, even if lyrics made it apparently difficult to be caught, the sound that leaves the songs explains clearly the concept after a few hearings.

'UFO', the opening track, starts with some beautiful fingerstyled acoustic guitar chords well in the Brazilian tradition of great violonistas of the past, like Canhoto or Dilermando Reis. The song moves to a kind of serenade, sweetened by Guarany-styled flutes only to give room to majestic synths and a warm rockish swing. There's a new movement, where keyboards and fingered guitars do the show. Soon, once again the splendid flutes return to take part in the musical feast along with the remarkable synth sounds heard before. What a banquet for the ears!

'Smog alado' shows clearly the band's influences in a line close to Jethro Tull, Camel and EL&P. Duboc's vocals appear in a kind of Renaissance mood (another influence), strong, decisive, attractive. Song's final part is very symphonic and catchy.

'Miragem' opens with some oriental tunes soon replaced by guitars boiling like a trio elétrico, which permeates half of the track, until a flute intoning a modinha tune is added giving a delightful feeling of places already seen, people already met, things already done. The electrified fever closes the song.

'Pássaro de luz', a song fitted especially for Jane Duboc's voice (in fact, she got a hit years later with this song), has nice fingered acoustic guitars, the general sensation is puerile, dreamy, uplifting. 'Cano', the short track that follows, is the moment for the musicians show a bit their skills although the song could be extended, since the theme is fair.

'Último entardecer' brings back the symphonic trend, the whole song (the longest in the album) smells like a half-epic, accompanied by philosophic lyrics, dealing with death, madness, fear, hope. Some nice synth chords begin the solo part, followed by guitars and piano segments. Duboc's vocals sound like a warning, an announcement just to introduce the dialog among instruments. Song ends with the 'last sunset' departing while a 'new sunrise' appears.

'Controvérsia' opens with a notorious bossa-nova beat, followed by a salad of sounds that bears resemblance with a jam-session. Anyway, a certain sensation of filler is present. 'Depois do fim', the title-song, is pure symphonic with all those changes in signatures progressive hearers love. The atmosphere is dark, vocals are haunting, and instrumentation is precious, energetic, well in accordance with the scatological theme - the possible end of times, the apocalypse.

'Mirante das estrelas', the bonus closing track, fits well because it summarizes the entire content of the album, piece by piece - it's like a puzzle being solved. All tunes and chords heard along this output is revived smoothly and vividly. The soft and sad parts near the song's end are expected to bring peace, at last.

Final rating is unequivocal, this is clearly a masterpiece: 5 stars.