Followers of one man outfit Pedro Coelho Pereira will know he is somewhat fond of the dis prefix.
He called both his band and debut album Disappearer and now for your consideration comes second long player Disconnected.
If I can suggest a few others I’d go for disarming, dissembling and – given his obvious talent – just a tiny bit disappointing.
Disarming because Pereira’s largely instrumental pieces worm their way into your consciousness: concealed melodies emerge as if from a half-remembered dream beneath a wash of guitars and the occasional vocoder vocal.
Dissembling because as the Portuguese’s self-effacing band moniker suggests, it’s very difficult to get to the man behind the music. There’s passion and skill in these brooding soundscapes, but perhaps a little too much control.
Like soundtracks for films yet to make it onto celluloid, this music remains determinedly in the background. Carefully crafted and tastefully mixed, it’s great to listen to in the car, or working on the computer, but there’s not enough variety. The pace and feel remains constant throughout and while clearly deliberate, Pereira could do so much better if he would only let himself go occasionally.
Disconnected’s tracks bleed into one another nicely, but the music doesn’t demand your attention like say Mogwai or the Cocteau Twins. The muted tone is reminiscent of Shoegazing bands like Ride and Galaxie 500, but feels slightly underpowered.
Fellow space-rockers like My Bloody Valentine and Spritualiized knew how to wig out occasionally and Disconnected would benefit enormously from the loud-quiet dynamic of bands like Nirvana, Pixies, or Sugar.
This is not a bad record, far from it, but you sense Pereira has so much more in his locker. Disappearer needs to stop hiding in the shadows and come out and grab us all by the throat.
