Fernando Perdomo 2025
Waves 12
Winding down his year-long voyage to various shores, American composer gets back to basics but is sure to weave in a few surprises.
Fernando Perdomo must feel quite ambiguously about bringing this array of albums to a close: on one hand, he successfully fulfilled a self-imposed obligation to deliver a ten-track record every month; but on the other hand, the creative challenge is over and a quest to defy one’s imagination came to an end. There have been quite enough different strands and strains involved in Fern’s instrumental cabotage, and though he didn’t deliberately avoid styles associated with living on the sea edge – namely, surf-rock and tropical islands’ music – and didn’t let such a theme dictate his melodic approach, the saga’s twelfth chapter finds Perdomo eventually embrace the obvious… Or so it may seem at first glance – or, rather, first spin of the disc.
Of course, the series’ album just ought to fizzle out with “The Final Wave” – “In The Beginning (First Wave)” which started off the initial volume of "Waves" suggested as much – yet this epic’s title is the farthest point the listener’s perspective of twangy expanse should go, the dulcet tones of the artist’s guitars forging a spellbinding chain of progressively romantic, and frequently stormy, vistas that are never devoid of enigma or intrigue. Unlike the twelve-minute goodbye, opener “First Light Of Dawn” comes across as an acoustically translucent but equally robust piece whose deceptive amorphousness and amorous magnetism vie for space and achieve peaceful balance within a short amount of time. However, while the multilayered “Chimes In The Fog” explores sturdier rhythmic structures, Fernando’s bass and drums molding a tangibly pleasant groove, “Denny’s Magic Numbers” – cowritten with a certain Mr. Seiwell – and “Fudgie Goes To The Circus” opt for a simple tempo with accentuated beats to stress the fluidity of Perdomo’s electric lines.
Elsewhere, “Reflections” distills momentum to a soul-enveloping, if vibrant, soundscape, and “Frozen Oceans” offers heavier riffs and deeper dynamics to keep the audience hypnotized and headbanging, but “Land Ho/Sea Hag” dissolves its tentative tune in delicate, yet sophisticated, arrangement before the folksy “Pillows” evokes arcadian delights, and “EZ” so unexpectedly introduces blues sensibilities to the flow. A good run, this endeavor can become a water under the bridge soon. because Fernando Perdomo decided to follow “Waves” with another monthly service, “Clouds”: indeed, spreading his wings and soaring will only be logical.
****1/3
