METROPOLIS

Dark, depressing and jazzy. I think this is exactly what Rui was aiming to achieve. As written in the CD inlay, the concept is about living in a metropolis when you don't like to, and the music inside gives the idea very well.

The tracks have a base of electronic drums and bass which made me think to the last Bowie album. The Duke used the drums to give the music an obsessive sound. Handwrist did it 4 years before.

The highlight is the guitar which is likely the first instrument of this multi-instrumetist, while the vocals are the lowlight. I have to recognize that the way he sings in this album is finalized to the general darkness, so I couldn't expect anything different, but despite that, it's the only weakness.

So let's talk about the rest. All the tracks are dark and oriented on the same mood, but the guitar makes the difference. Sometimes the keyboards appear to add weirdness to the total, and I must say that the sounds chosen fit perfectly.

"Anti-Social Circles" is the exception. Not as dark as the rest of the album, it's final part is baked by acoustic guitar and is on major chords. Very interesting.

The title track, which is the longest, seems to feature a real drum kit in the initial part, probably it's just a well programmed kit. This track is so "variable" that it's like a sort of "ouverture in the middle". Frequent sudden signature changes make it sound like it was a collage of shorter pieces.

In any case, the track that I personally prefer, even with its vocals, is "Bourbon for Breakfast": dark, psychedelic, vaguely reminding to the early Gong (just in some passages) and with the always excellent guitar which here sounds more bluesy. Like David Gilmour having a nightmare about Roger Waters.

In brief, this is an album that exceeded my expectations. It requires the right moment to be fully enjoyed, so don't try it while having a sunbeam on a beach, or while trekking in the wood. It's dark and has to be consumed in the dark.