Detailed Reviews [Alejandro Matos - Overall Review]

TRACK LIST:

1.  Dos Mil Anos de Tierra 6:29
2.  El Camino de la Mala Suerte 3:43
3.  La Plaza Equivocada 3:29
4.  La Justificacion de los Nuevos Dientes 4:23
5.  Pecado de Pecar 3:59
6.  Guerra de Silencios 8:28
7.  Fracasos Bajo Fianza 4:05
8.  Estatuas de Agua 5:28
9.  Telefonos de Negro 2:38
10. Gritos de Manana 3:55
11. Dormir 5:10
12. Las Buenas Razones del Error 3:20
13. Maldita Persona 3:00
14. Dos mil Anos Menos 6:47

SOLO PILOT:

Alejandro Matos – vocals; all instruments

Prolusion. Argentinian composer and multi-instrumentalist Alejandro MATOS has been active as a musician and band member since the early 90's, in particular from 1993 and onwards when he moved to Buenos Aires to study music. As the years went by he also started gathering material that needed additional outlets, and in 2000 he started a solo career with the album "Lo Que Qeda". Three more solo productions have followed, "Persona" from 2006 and "Freak" from 2009 the most recent of those excursions.

Analysis. "Persona" is a production that has something of a unique nature to its overall sound, with references to Pink Floyd, as well as the eclectic aspirations common among many Italian-based artists active in the art rock element. The bleak and dark nature of this production is one that at times approaches territories similar to Antonius Rex, to name one example from the latter scene, where the Latin-tinged vocal delivery may be the most distinct feature that makes comparisons to this latter scene ones that can be drawn with relative ease. The album itself is divided into two chapters. The first 6 tracks make up the first of these, Deformacion. This is followed by an atmospheric feature in the shape of standalone track Fracasos Bajo Fianza, binding the two chapters together, and the final seven pieces are sorted under the thematic heading Revelacion. One must presume that this is due to a conceptual nature to this disc, an additional treat for those fluent in Spanish. Matos tends to work with shorter tracks, with a mere handful of efforts passing the 5 minute mark. The conceptual nature of this production is a feature here too, however, and compositionally it would be just as correct to describe this CD as one epic length creation divided into 14 parts. Musically, these efforts have many traits in common, naturally enough. Matos has chosen to follow a verse and chorus structure in most of these ventures, where the verse parts tend to be of a slightly mellow nature, with dampened guitar textures and organ supporting the vocals, the former often in the shape of slightly psychedelic-tinged reverberating frail licks, contrasted by dampened riffs on select occasions. The chorus passages tend to be of a more majestic nature, with heavier riffs and organ used to craft a rich and often majestic sounding arrangement. As with the instrumental passages, additional textures are frequently placed further back in the mix, most commonly additional guitar layers but also symphonic-tinged synth layers from time to time. Matos comes across as an able and talented composer and his instrumental forays are rather impressive, seen in the context of him taking on all instrumental duties himself. And while these songs would have benefited from the input of a bassist and drummer with greater virtuosic tendencies, Matos' steady delivery suits these pieces nicely too.

Conclusion. "Persona" is a production that should be sought out by those fond of art rock taking on darker moods utilizing a mildly eclectic stylistic canvas. Fans of later day Pink Floyd and Italian art rock seem to be the most probable audience for this venture, and in particular those among them fluent in Spanish, especially if they have a particular interest in conceptual productions.

Alejandro Matos - 2009 - "Freak"

(70:42, ‘Navaru’)

TRACK LIST:
           
1.  Falso Primogenito 6:59
2.  El Mas Alla 5:30
3.  Agujero de Suenos 7:23
4.  Verde por Dentro 5:42
5.  Veneno Ilustrado 5:19
6.  El Infierno de Los Buenos 18:51
7.  La Pasion Segun el Canibal 5:42
8.  La Pasion Segun el Canibal-II 4:54
9.  Invernadero de Preguntas 2:07
10. El Resto 5:43
11. Sombras sin Filo 2:34

SOLO PILOT:

Alejandro Matos – vocals; all instruments

Analysis. Three years down the line we find Matos continuing on in much the same musical landscape as on "Persona". Slightly dramatic vocal delivery and a slightly eclectic tendency toward stylistic expressions draw associations towards the Italian art rock scene, while the utilization of gentle psychedelic guitar licks and space-tinged synth textures is done in a manner that at times does have something of a late 70's Pink Floyd tendency to them. Guitar riffs and organ combine nicely to form rich and often majestic sounding themes, lighter and less distorted guitar licks are frequently used in the verse and vocal parts of the compositions, and as on his previous effort the songs are sorted in cycles. This time around with the opening 5 pieces sorted under the header Anormal, the latter 5 under Normal, and the epic length 5-part feature El Infierno de los Buenos wedged in between these two. In the years between Matos’ two latest efforts he has used the time to develop as a composer as well as a musician. The individual compositions tend to be slightly more varied this time around, the instrumentation and effects utilized with a slightly more subtle approach, his skills with the drumsticks seem to have evolved a bit and the compositions are in general less ominous and brooding. Mix and production comes across as marginally better, too, and generally this CD sounds better overall. The compositions don't always have the same intensity as those of the previous effort however, which may be an indirect result of the aforementioned developments. The end result is still much the same as with 2006's "Persona", a dark-tinged and well-made journey into the art rock universe, with conceptual themes those fluent in Spanish can enjoy and entertaining and often intriguing musical landscapes touching upon symphonic and space-tinged universes with a mild eclectic approach.

Conclusion. Those who enjoy late 70's Pink Floyd and have a soft spot for the Italian art rock scene seem to be just as much a core audience for "Freak" as for Matos’ 2006 creation "Persona". The songs appear to be subtly more sophisticated this time around, the performance marginally better and the technical work arguably improved to a slightly better level too. A solid effort on all levels, well worth getting more familiar with by those who suspect they might have an interest in art rock of this particular nature.

OB=Olav M Bjornsen: Jan 2-3, 2010
The Rating Room

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Alejandro Matos

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