Fernando Perdomo 2026
Clouds 8
A thin line between sentimental treasure and sensual pleasure: another chapter in the coastal dweller’s saga locates a pot of gold in the process, as opposed to the finale, of his way to blue.
It’s not too often that Fernando Perdomo has the time to play with the listener’s perception of his art – the American multi-instrumentalist is too busy to care about the things which can detract from the beauty of a melody – but when he goes for such mind games, he does so on a grand scale. As a result, one should not concentrate on a warning sign on the way to the end of the rainbow, because there’s nothing perilous in the eighth installment of Fernando’s nephology-focused instrumental cycle – and nothing grand either. What Perdomo strove for on this record was pure expressiveness: here’s why he didn’t overstay the welcome of “Cloud 8” and kept its run to just under half an hour. Indeed, why stretch perfect details?
And opener “Desert Dream” is indeed immaculate in its dry acoustic resonance, a barely-there strum of six strings billowing and bouncing off the light background colored with gentle daubs of synths, before the similarly arranged “Memories Of You” briefly changes the nostalgia permeating this album into something more tangible in terms of touch, and “Relaxed” brings a Satie-esque transparency to the fore. But if “The Wicked Wind” sacrifices a clearly formed tune in favor of elegy, “Waltz For The Earth” layers up a few alluring lines to sculpt spiritual experience out of folk dances, so following the wordless song’s swirl with the hymnal, finely detailed “Spirit Of Love” would seem only logical – as would allowing “The Core” to again access traditional lore and get dissolved in silence. And while “Intensity In The Cosmos” reaches for universal magnificence through Fernando’s exquisite finger-picking, the country-tinged, yet equally intricate, “Beautiful California” magnifies Perdomo’s here-and-now – or his past with the “Echo In The Canyon” project.
Though there’s something hedonistic in “Evening Of Pleasure” – a still minimal but immensely gorgeous rhythmic dance – “Cloudia” closes the album in a solemn and simultaneously playful manner, which could make this piece a tagline for the entire series. A serious achievement.
*****
