Tempano / Childhood's end - Musea 2000
Chilhood´s end begins rather dauntingly, with a pair of very dissonant, difficult instrumental tracks that don´n quite portend the rest of this album. "Tres" and "Timorato" come off like slowed-down Boud Deun (After Crying´s Peter Pejtsik guest on cello).
But any concerns are laid to rest when the band´s trademark melodicism returns on track three. "Lugar de casas nuevas".
Pedro Castillo´s beautifully lyrical guitar moves to the fore, and stays there through the ensuing "Sin retorno", featuring a sweet spanish vocal also by Castillo.
Tempano´s progressive jazz/fusion sensibilities become apparent early on, but don´t dominate their maturely confident pregoressive brew, which incorporates both symphonics and (slight) indigenous folk elements. All comes together in astonishing fashion with the 24 minute "El fin de la infancia", a symphonic progressive masterpiece that flows through varied dynamics - some wrenchingly harsh- and culminates with a lilting, sensitively wrought vocal melody three-fourths of the way through.
On the final two tracks, "Escape para un hombre comun" and "En la via", the band returns to off-killer jazzy noodlings and swinging melodies.
What´s great about Tempano is their sense of pacing. These guys know how to breathe space into their arrangements to optimum effect. Sure, they´ll bash you over the head here and there, but you´ve got some time to recover before they do it again. It´s nice to have them back !.
- JOHN COLLINGE
