VOLUME 7

Ever since I discovered this group with 2012's Espectro I have been in love. At the time my all-time favorite album from the classic "Canterbury Scene" was KHAN's Space Shanty and with Espectro I thought I was hearing a reincarnation of the one-off Hillage, Greenwood, Stewart & Peachy collaboration. Volume 7 only solidifies this feeling. While others note some kind of PINK FLOYD sound or feeling to them, I only hear the wonderful sounds of KHAN (and maybe a little CARAVAN). And yet, Brazil's Violeta De Outono, are a major force in and of themselves--and have been since the mid-1980s.

1. "Além do Sol" (5:20) introduces us to the nostalgic sound of this band with lightly picked arpeggios on the electric guitar, Hammond organ, bass and drums. The vocalist has a bit of a STEVE HILLAGE sound to his voice--which is lightly doused in reverb and mixed into the background (as it usually is). The first instrumental solo, taking place in the third minute, goes to the Hammond, followed by the HILLAGE-like guitar in the fourth minute. Neither are anything too extraordinary but both are so perfect in further enhancing the KHAN-like nostalgia feel. If KHAN had ever continued, this is what they would have sounded like. (10/10)

2. "Caravana" (4:34) opens with a mellow vocal section using a melody line familiar from Pink Floyd's "Breathe" before amping up into a full out Canterbury jam and then returning for the end to the opening section. Great organ and guitar play with solid support from the rhythm section. Great pre-digitized sound to the recording. (10/10)

3. "Broken Legs" (3:08) a fairly straightforward pop/rock song with some jazzy rhythm guitar work, 1960s sounding vocals and slide guitar work. Could be off of an early BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST or REO SPEEDWAGON album! (7/10)

4. "Eyes Like Butterflies" (6:02) opens with organ, picked electric guitar, flanged lead guitar strums, and slow-paced drumming. The bass almost has the melody lead--sometimes distracting me from the vocal. The chorus melody is gorgeous, if understated. Piano, organ, and Southern Rock-like lead guitar riffs pop out from time to time making this song a real pleasure from the standpoint of unpredictability. Really a cool composition--again one that could have come from an early 1970s blues rock band like the ALLMAN BROTHERS. (8/10)

5. "Em Cada Instante" (5:12) great Canterburian jam in the middle. (9/10)

6. "Pequenos Seres Errantes" (7:49) opens with some sliding guitar notes floating, echoing around the soundscape in the vein of DAEVID ALLEN in the GONG pre-Radio Gnome Invisible era. As it evolves it continues to develop in the vein of a couple of the space jams from Camembert like "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" or "Tropical Fish" only with synths taking the place of the saxophones. Great song--one in which the drumming and bass also stand out for the fact that they are mixed farther into the foreground. Even the vocal sounds psychedelic-Daevid Allen-esque. Awesome song! (10/10)

7. "Ponto de Transição" (3:48) is another rather simply constructed melodic pop-rock song. The vocal has a bit of a melancholy feel to it (though I don't know its content since it's in Portuguese). Piano, bass, drums and guitar--slide for the ABACAB solo. (7/10)

8. "Fronteira" (10:19) is an awesome jazz-tinged Canterbury-styled epic with multiple instrumental jam sections featuring the HILLAGE-like guitar lead and all-pervasive presence of the almighty Hammond organ. Great drumming on this one. Some great fast-paced sections balanced by equally great slow, spacious and delicate sections. (10/10)

5 stars; A-; a masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of the finest Canterbury style albums of the 21st Century. These Brazilians have mastered a sound that is, for me, one of the most engaging of all of progressive rock. And, should you find yourself liking this album, then you simply must check out 2012's masterpiece, Espectro--my favorite album of that year.