Dreams of the Sun and Sky
© Copyright-Fernando
(678277025721)
Record Label: Domingo Records
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This album of roots- and Latin-flavored dream pop is hard to shake. Fernando Viciconte has a pleasant rasp of a voice that can come off like Wilco's Jeff Tweedy or even John Lennon at times. (The latter particularly on "Away.") The songcraft is gorgeous, varied, and highly original, however, whether it be the way the plaintive Spanish trumpet sails in just as Fernando purrs "…clarion call" on "The Jackal," the driving indie rock of "Blue Room," or the stark, cascading beauty of "White Light." There are also plenty of Beatlesque flourishes, while "Killer Awaits" showcases Fernando's country-folk roots. This is a stunningly pretty album by a criminally overlooked Portland, OR, artist. Dreams of the Sun and Sky is packed with gorgeous mystery.
Eric Hage-
All Music Guide
Dreams Of The Sun And Sky Fernando Viciconte may not be a household name, but the Portland, Oregon singer has the dynamic persona of a certified rock star. Drawing on hard rock, folk, pop and punk influences in addition to a more traditional Spanish makeup, Fernando's music has attracted a swarm of industry heavy-hitters - including majors like Interscope and Columbia. Jaded by major label bureaucracy, he shocked everyone by releasing his latest effort, Dreams Of The Sun And Sky, on his own Domingo Records. The labels hounding Fernando will be surprised by the sound of Dreams as well - rather than rehashing the bluesy hard rock sound of 1999's Old Man Motel, he crafted a folk-pop record that strays into pretty melancholia. Though most tracks rely heavily on an acoustic guitar formula with only sparse piano and horn accompaniment, it's Viciconte's somber vocal melodies that steal the show. Occasionally the band's panache for light pop tunes surfaces (the horn-peppered "Blue Room"), but stripped-down tracks like "The Jackal" and "Killer Waits" dominate the album with an engaging authenticity. ¡Viva la independencia! - Alex Naidus:
CMJ New Music Report Issue: 731 - Sep 10, 2001
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Moody, introspective rock at its best!
author: Jim
I love this album and it's on my extended rotation. The majority of the songs elicit an emotional response on the listener, which is the real clarion call of great music! I do think the material is stretched a bit thin and some not-so-stellar songs made their way - thus the 4. Buy this when you can!
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author: CD Baby
I REALLY like this mellow husky quiet sad singer songwriter. Like Elliot Smith, but even more weary if that's possible. Lennon's saddest post-Beatles songs. Wonderful recording. Is this Cowboy Junkies' depressed brother? Gritty, honest and with a slight rasp to his pipes, Fernando can swoop from the low-down agonized depths of despair to shouts of sheer unbridled joy in a heartbeat: brimstone to treacle in a single gulp.
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review by Adam Mckibbin
author: Entertainment Today
For all the many divergent roads as music has taken, at the end of the day I’m still a big sucker for a lone guy or gal with a guitar. The singer-songwriter isn’t exactly an endangered species, and it’s usually pretty easy to find a likeable one with easy acoustics and intimate lyrics. The trick, of course, is finding someone who stands out from the throng.
Fernando Viciconte — d.b.a. as simply Fernando — definitely stands out. A big part of his appeal is his ability — and insistence — to transcend genre. Before this release, his last projects were a rootsy Spanish album and a noisy guitar rock album. Fernando’s latest, the unfortunately titled Dreams of the Sun and Sky, finds him walking down a much more subdued path of introspective folk-pop.
The big guitar sound is mostly shelved, and its few appearances feel out of place. The crunchy end of “White Light” seems overly indulgent, and the heavy punch of “Greenfield” falls flat compared to its neighbors. The rest of Dreams — minus the shoddy art design — is an unmitigated success.
The album’s mood changes as quickly as your own. There are moments of brave optimism, like the triumphant ballad “Only One For Me,” in which Fernando gravelly asserts, “And now there won’t be no crying.” It’s hard not to compare the piano-driven “Hold On” to a Lennon song (the mid-song swirling build feels like a salute to “A Day In The Life”). “You will always have each other, nothing else exists,” Fernando sings. But even here there is a sense of sadness since the source of happiness is decidedly detached from the singer himself. There is no “we” or “us” in this tale.
There is an Everyman quality to Fernando’s vocals that is reminiscient of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. And, like Tweedy, Fernando is comfortable piloting both the lively tracks and the languishing ones, from the infectious rocker “Blue Room” to the chilling harmonica retreat of “Fade Out,” the album’s sorrowful closer. This versatility-and unpredictability-help make Dreams an easy recommendation.
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CMJ Review
author: Alex Naidus
FERNANDO: Dreams Of The Sun And Sky
Fernando Viciconte may not be a household name, but the Portland, Oregon singer has the dynamic persona of a certified rock star. Drawing on hard rock, folk, pop and punk influences in addition to a more traditional Spanish makeup, Fernando's music has attracted a swarm of industry heavy-hitters - including majors like Interscope and Columbia. Jaded by major label bureaucracy, he shocked everyone by releasing his latest effort, Dreams Of The Sun And Sky, on his own Domingo Records. The labels hounding Fernando will be surprised by the sound of Dreams as well - rather than rehashing the bluesy hard rock sound of 1999's Old Man Motel, he crafted a folk-pop record that strays into pretty melancholia. Though most tracks rely heavily on an acoustic guitar formula with only sparse piano and horn accompaniment, it's Viciconte's somber vocal melodies that steal the show. Occasionally the band's panache for light pop tunes surfaces (the horn-peppered "Blue Room"), but stripped-down tracks like "The Jackal" and "Killer Waits" dominate the album with an engaging authenticity. ¡Viva la independencia!
- Alex Naidus: CMJ New Music Report Issue: 731 - Sep 10, 2001
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