FREAK

Alejandro Matos, as some of you know, is a very talented musician from Argentina whose first album was released in 2000. However, his musical skills have been improving ever since. With "Persona" we can find a very interesting album that shows Matos intelligence at the moment of composing the music and writing the lyrics. His style is particular and reflexive. Now, with the release of his latest album entitled "Freak" in 2009, we can find a more mature Alejandro Matos, with (in my opinion) a more interesting proposal and overall a better album. Once again, I thank Alejandro, for his music and his kindness.

"Freak" consists of eleven compositions divided in two (or three) parts. The first part has the name of "Normal" and features the first five songs. The sixth piece is an 18-minute epic entitled "El infierno de los Buenos", which is also divided in five passages. And the last part, from song seven to eleven takes the title of "Normal".

So the album opens with "Falso Primogénito" which starts with acoustic guitar and Alejandro's voice, later keyboards and guitars appear and produce a strong symphonic sound. The song makes some minor changes through the minutes; sometimes it slows down with some choral vocals keyboard effect. After minute four there is like an interlude where only the keyboard and soft drums sound, and later it opens the door to an excellent guitar solo.

The second song has some percussion which adds a different flavor to Matos' music; it is entitled "El más allá" and it is a soft composition that besides that percussion features some nice acoustic guitar, soft synth sound and vocals. After minute three it makes a little change and creates an interesting atmosphere.

"Agujero de Sueños" starts with some ambient synth which later will be accompanied by nice bass lines, drums, guitars and vocals. Later a heavier yet emotional sound appears due to those electric guitars. Here the atmosphere has tension on it, so the listener can feel trapped under the music and will take part of the song itself. This is a very interesting composition actually.

"Verde por Dentro" is a wonderful composition, the lyrics are pretty good, and the atmosphere is excellent, I really like the way he uses the synth and creates different nuances while the song is passing. He adds some figures and puts different elements on it, which makes it really interesting and of course, enjoyable. Another wonderful thing, is that he also added the sound of a violin in the last minutes, and the result is a heartrending but beautiful sound.

"Veneno Ilustrado" is a quite different track from the previous one, the keyboard sound actually reminds me a bit to the first song of the album due to the symphonic sound created. This song has a stronger flavor, actually it is one of those tracks that suggests movement, I mean the atmosphere and emotions created do something on me. It has also some mood and a rhythm change, the end is soft but intriguing. With this song, we have reached the end of the first part.

Now, "El Infierno de los Buenos" is one excellent track, an epic one which shows Alejandro Matos talent and skills as a composer, it is not easy for a one-man-band to create an eighteen-minute song. It starts with voice and piano, making a soft and tranquil sound until minute two where guitar appears and though the rhythm might be the same, we can clearly notice that little by little the song is progressing. There are some funeral drums which give another perspective to the music, however it lasts some seconds only and the "normal" drums appear. Before minute five there is a short stop, where bass and synth sound for some twenty seconds or so, later vocals reappear along with guitars and drums. The structure is actually really interesting. Later a guitar solo enters and makes its contribution to the piece, all the instruments play a leading role, the thing is that in moments is the bass what takes most of my attention, sometimes guitars, and sometimes keyboards, this is why the song is so strong.

At half the song, there is a moment of tension and nervousness, where one don't know what is going to happen next, I mean the music creates an ambient where the listener enters deep into its realm and becomes part of the music itself, and maybe of the story. The guitars play actually a very important role here because besides the keyboards, they help to create that dark and nervous sound. Later there is a wonderful passage where the music and lyrics really interplay and produce something on the listener. The last minutes are pretty interesting and entertaining, the music is still wonderful and the atmosphere created amazing. One excellent song, without a doubt.

Now we have reached the last part of the album, whose first two songs are named "La Pasión Según el Caníbal (parts 1 and 2). Nice bass lines and keyboards accompanying the vocals, the structure is pretty good, and the lyrics better. There is again a guitar solo after the half of the track, later some new guitar and keyboard figures appear. Soft piano and raw guitars for some seconds, in order to give pass to the last part of the song, which is fading out. Then, where new bass lines appear is the sign that the second part of La Pasión has started. And this part is great, the rhythm might be the same but this time the music flows naturally and creates a wonderful atmosphere. This time vocals do not appear, for the first time in the album, and it is a nice decision.

"Invernadero de Preguntas" is a short two-minute track, with odd noises that make me thing of a city of emptiness and desolation; I don't really know what the purpose of this short piece was.

"El resto" returns to that interesting and symphonic like feel due to the keyboards sound. There are some short passages where the music sounds soft and calm, but in moments it becomes heavier, faster and intriguing. There is a moment after minute two where the guitar solo is evident, but when it appears it is really enjoyable.

"Sombras sin Filo" is the last track. Another short piece that since the very first seconds sounds like a goodbye due to that acoustic guitar sound. Actually this song is only Alejandro with his guitar, showing their relationship and intimacy. The last words are "lo que te espera es mejor" a nice way to end this great álbum.

Freak is a most complete album, its sound shows how Alejandro has improved with the years, and also shows a more mature sound. If you know Persona and Freak, you will clearly notice the difference between them, however, all is a matter of subjectivity, you may like better Persona than Freak, or the other way around. This time my final grade is four stars

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