RETROSPECT 2013

Retrospect 2013 is the second compilation by the talented and prolific musician from Brazil. Contrary to Retrospect 00-2012, this one is entirely made up of tracks taken from albums he recorded and/or released in 2013: Connection, Manifesto, Stream and Inverno. Again there are 9 tracks, eight are his usual electronic stuff, with strong influences of the Berlin school of the 70´s krautrock scene, and one is a piano piece, where he shows the acoustic minimalist style of songwriters like Erik Satie.

Although I´m not an electronic music fan, much less an expert at that genre, I found this CD to be extremely well done and more varied than the first, maybe because the first track Biomekanik reminds of Kraftwerk, one the few electronic groups that I really liked at the time. But overall this is a very good CD and even if I do prefer a more melodic and "normal" approach on music I found Jobim´s music of the highest quality, someone who understood and learned from the masters but still has an original and personal touch all around. The production is top notch. And I also liked very much the artwork of his albums.

If you like electronic music you shouldn´t miss the chance to get to know this artist. And I think both compilations are a fine intro to his already large discography. Both are available for free at his site (www.gustavojobim.com).

Rating: 4 stars, no doubt.

Everybody deserves a break (or two).

Starting with the wrong foot my acquaintance with Gustavo Jobim's music ( two of his 2014 cds, which I reviewed one of those here in PA), I gave myself a chance and downloaded for free this time a third ( at Bandcamp), his 2014, "Retrospect-2013" which contains sections or songs of four of his 2013 releases: "Connection", "Manifesto", "Stream" and "Inverno".

Kind of a prolific artist Gustavo Jobim turned out to be, which of course has to do also, with the more accessible recording tools, artist nowadays possess or have access to, as opposed to the super-expensive and time consuming recording studios of yore. Anyway, this compilation works wonders!

Traveling different electronic routes and moods, the pieces fit each other perfectly. Starting with an epic song like a "retro" blend of Vangelis and JM Jarre, being enjoyable the rest to come is even better. Amazingly rich, taking into account the lenght of this cd (less than an hour), the spirit of experimentation never subdues the focused creativity and perfection of its songwriting.

To sum it up, cosmic, industrial, slow and fast, alien environments, with the precise splashes and doses of pure and manipulated electronic noise, original in its progressive/electronic songwriting, but also sparing time for a beautiful moment of acoustic piano meditation (track 8).

The dynamics and disposition of the songs enhance each one's attributes, but also the whole as an album, as to sound as a single effort and not the sum of four. Talking about four....

****4 "the best things in life are for free, although contributing to the artist is even better " PA stars.