EL CIELO

First of all this is certainly a very nice album and secondly there's a highly intellectual ambitious idea behind. The band tries to paint musically Salvador Dali's famous picture Dream Caused By The Flight Of A Bee Around A Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening (the one with the naked woman and the two tigers since no one will remember this title). The overall topic is Sigmund Freud, subconsciousness, the significance of dreams and a rare disease called Sleep Paralysis which is very nicely documented in the booklet by letters of patients. They are even cited under Dali's painting in Wikipedia. All these facts are quite impressing and as well I found it very interesting to read the letters. Unfortunately I can't claim the same for the music offered here. In some way I feel paralysed between this sophisticated background and a kinda music that reminds me mostly to alternative pop-rock.

Unlike most of the reviewers here who are just uncritically praising this record I'd like to follow the more unusual approach for such concept albums and will try to analyse the songs here without regarding the work as a whole piece of art.

Let's start with the brushstrokes since these six pieces or interludes I like the most of all and find them the most interesting ones from the musical point of view. The album starts with the sounds of painting a picture and one could almost cite from one of the letters: ".the audio was constant, buzzing like monotonous tribal chants". Second brushstroke (track 4) sounds quite similar to the style that Swedish band PAATOS is doing, as well a bit Post-Rock-alike, a short, but very nice instrumental piece. "Walk in the Park" (track 8) is played on piano accompanied by some strings, also a very pleasant highly classically influenced piece. "Brushstroke Reprise" (track 11) is a nice combination of electronic with acoustic guitar having as well some vocals. The last brushstroke "An elephant in the delta waves" (track 13) is a rather ethnic one with mandolin and some female chanting. Very pleasant one as well and the title is a nice reference to Dali's painting. From the remaining 11 tracks more or less only "Of the room", "Who is me" , the proggiest one having some sax playing and the final track are really able to fascinate me slightly. During listening to most of the songs I feel reminded to dozens of bands coming from the alternative pop/rock genre like A PERFECT CIRCLE, MUSE, DEPECHE MODE or VAST. Though sounding certainly better than any of those ones I couldn't call them more than just nice, but not that special either. Worst one is for sure "Convalescent".

I'm a bit split in my opinion about this band I've got to say. On the one hand they are showing a highly sophomore approach and for sure big artistic talents. On the other hand there are too obvious pop elements in their music what's even confirmed on their latest release. I'd wish they would follow more a musical style they're playing in the brushstroke pieces, then I could imagine them to be a great band in the Post-Rock genre. I'm still hoping that I like a bit more their "Leitmotif" album which I could not listen to so far.

Since I'm obviously the only one here rating this album lower than 4 stars and though I can usually enjoy modern music as well maybe I should make the further note:

DOES NOT DO IT FOR OLD LADS WHO PASSED THEIR FORTIES!