LO QUE QEDA

Having found by coincidence that Alejandro MATOS has published his debut album on Bandcamp, I've taken teh opportunity to listen how he was sounding in his beginnings. My first contact with his music was long time ago, I think more or less in 2007, this album was released in 2000.

One has to get used with the very particular voice of this Argentinian signer-songwriter, usually very "dark" especially with lyrics. His lyrics, in fact, are dramatic, intense, emotional and most of all, intelligent. So the darkness comes from the quite pessimistic vision of life that he apparently has. I don't know if out of the musical compositions it's the same, hopefully not.

Respect to the last three albums, the ones that I know, there's some more rock. The first track showing clear hints of his unique style is "Barro (Locos que comen vidrio" (mud - stupids who eat glass) . It flows into the following one "Culpa" (Guilt). this track, togetheer with the first has a keyboard intro vaguely psychedelic. I see some parallels with an Italian obscure singer-songwriter who explores similar states of sadness: Fausto Rossi aka Faust'O. For the little bit of Spanish that I can understand, Alejandro's lyrics are less raw and disturbing than those of the Italian. The sax on this track fits very well. A woman speaking in French above what should be a TV anchorman is put over keyboard minor chords, adding a psychedelic touch.

The album could also be intended as a single suite, as all the tarcks fade into the next with continuity. On "Obsession", Matos shows also some good lead guitar skill, even remaining on the dark side. The album is almost constantly on the sad side.

So it's not much different from his other releases. As I have initially written, there's some more "rock" and the lead guitar, in the rare occasions in which is present, sometimes adds some bluesy sadness. On the final of the last track, he places a "Gilmour like" guitar to lead the album to its conclusion, unfortunately faded out when things were starting to be more interesting.

A solid debut album, not too different in themes and quality from his more recent eleases.