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Frederico Parra

Descending

Review by Gary Hill

This is an album that’s tough to classify. I’ve put it under progressive rock mainly because the mix of sounds is a very progressive thing. Additionally, there are comparisons to be made to Peter Gabriel. There is even a cover of one of Gabriel’s songs. It’s a safe bet you’ve never heard anything quite like this. It’s an adventurous set that is quite entertaining.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
One Taste

Bombastic and percussive, this is quite a mélange of sounds. There is a lot of world music here. Symphonic elements and something more like Peter Gabriel’s more adventurous stuff are all represented here. There are vocals, but they are non-lyrical. This is a powerful piece of music.

The Other
This is more of a song type piece. It has vocals, but they don’t work all that well for me. Still, the music is unusual and stunning. There are a lot of symphonic layers and more. This is definitely a progressive rock ballad, leaning toward the folk prog end of things. There are some more rocking sections in the middle of the track, too.
Into the Forest
Quite a strange but compelling piece, this is definitely different. Some classical styled atmospherics and melody create the backdrop. A voice delivers a middle Eastern styled vocal line. The melody of the instrumentation often matches it. This is not in English. It is powerful, though. Other voices, still delivering non-English world music sounds are heard on the cut later.
San Jacinto
More of a real progressive rock piece, this is a cover of Peter Gabriel. Mind you, this doesn’t really resemble his version. That said, there are a lot of electronic keyboard textures here along with Native American and world music sounds. This is a lot more diverse and adventurous than the original. It might not be as instantly accessible, but it’s got a lot going for it.
Dancing Voices
This is properly titled as two voices gently dance around one another. It’s non-lyrical. It’s also atmospheric, world music styled and pretty.
Descending
The title track falls somewhere in between folk prog and jazz. It’s quite a dramatic and powerful piece of music. Sometimes the vocals leave me a little less than impressed, but more often than not they work really well. This is arguably the strongest piece of music here. That makes it a great choice for title track.
Stellar Waves
Although this is weird, it’s also compelling. It’s essentially space music composed of layers of processed voices. It’s non=lyrical, slow moving and crazy cool.
  
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