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Fernando Perdomo — Out to Sea 3 - The Storm
(Cherry Red Forward Motion FMR031, 2020, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2020-11-21

Out to Sea 3 - The Storm Cover art

Having heard and reviewed several of Fernando Perdomo’s albums before, I knew what to expect going into Out to Sea 3 - The Storm. His recordings have featured pristine productions of instrumental rock that features some elements of classic progressive rock without tipping over into indulgent pretense. Camel is always the group that comes to mind when listening to his music, especially the time around Mirage and Moonmadness. This third installment of his Out to Sea series starts in exactly that mode, initially with a gentle piece centered around acoustic guitar and string synths. “Wonder” definitely sounds like it could be an unused piece written for The Snow Goose, and “Cycles” is another dramatic piece in the same idiom. It’s with track 4, “The Storm,” that things start to go a bit wrong. The elaborate arrangement of multiple layers of acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and keyboards is marred to my ears by bad intonation — at least one of the guitars is sharp enough to put my ears on edge, and clashes with the piano. For such a meticulous player and producer, I’m baffled by this flaw (and I’ve independently verified my perception with other listeners). This problem continues into the next track to a lesser degree, but following that, I don’t hear it — and to be honest, it doesn’t bother me every time I listen. Several of the tracks are quite enjoyable, notably “Frenzy” and “Doom Is Often Loud.” Special notice is deserved by “The Crab,” which has a really intriguing riff that is off-kilter rhythmically and catchy in an oddball way. On the whole, Out to Sea 3 is a fun set of instrumental compositions that should appeal especially to fans of classic Camel.

Filed under: New releases, 2020 releases

Related artist(s): Fernando Perdomo

More info
http://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com/album/out-to-sea-3

 

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