Private Reasons (studio album) by Bruno Pernadas

One of the best albuns in 2021

From Mercury 04/27/2021 21:45

(Clean, professional, epic, varied, subtly ambitious, well-realized, piece of Pop ((in so many varied forms)) that never falls short of technical brilliance. Although it rarely blows me away or hits me on a personal and emotional level, its clearly a fucking major musical accomplishment.)

This is a 73 minute glistening and bright tour-de-force of understated technical brilliance. A big, bold blend of so many sounds and such varied instrumentation that it requires (at least for me) several listens to grasp all the little details and subtle embellishments that lace this album. The elegant and stately way this album blends Psychedelic Pop, Progressive Pop, Neo-psych elements, exotic instrumental breakdowns and almost tropical moments of summery jazz pop, and dream pop and chamber folk and and and... is impressive. Wildly impressive on a technical level. However... despite its daring blends and clear creative brilliance I was, in all 3 listens, never blown away and never did my heart feel completely in it. It felt like I was an outside observer watching a true masterclass of pop without ever feeling that feeling that is what I come to pop for - empathy and that feeling of investment. The whole album is quite dignified and clean and professional. It is not , however, an emotional or even overly joyous experience.

With his 2016 album Those Who Throw Objects at the Crocodiles Will Be Asked to Retrieve Them, the album was similarly technically impressive, with the added bonus of being emotionally moving. The emotion exuded from that great (even, dare I say, modern CLASSIC) album was a boundless joy and vibrant, wide-eyed sense of jazzy exploration. This latest Bruno Pernadas, while being equally or maybe even more, technically accomplished does not ascend to the same heights as his 2016 record of renown. Outside of "Theme Vision", and maybe "Little Season I" I don't hear any transcendent tracks. All the tracks are beautiful and nicely done, only a few stick to my ribs, so to speak.

This may be one of those massive, important albums that I return to and later see is just one of those year-defining breakthroughs of utter excellence. For now I can say its brilliant and I like it, but its not a personal favorite of the year due to a lack of what I will call personality or personal investment.