Alejandro Milán, probably best known from his time as keyboardist in
Stream of Passion has created a fascinating album with his new band Hello Madness. He is the sole songwriter, singer and also plays piano and keyboard on the album. Pablo González helps out on bass and Enrique González handles drums.
Yes, there is an absence of guitar. This gives the music a certain feel which suits it very well. I never missed the guitar. Bass and drums interact in an impressive way and provide a detailed base for the more emotional instruments to unfold, namely piano and Alejandro's voice. It is as if bass and drums provide a dark canvas for Alejandro to paint haunted, intimate expressions of a weakened soul on a search for peace. It's all very melancholic and painfully beautiful.
Alejandro's voice conveys a ton of emotion and he uses his voice in the best possible way. The way he adds vibrato to many passages underlines the emotion and works wonderfully. All songs share the same intimate atmosphere and all have a melodic core, meaning that they make an impression straight away but evolve with each listen. The rhythm section is tight and mostly laid back which fits the songs.
It's hard to pick favorites since every song brings a shade to the final impression but songs like
Once Again,
My Stranger and
Emotions are good examples of the amazing emotional display.
Another favorite,
Change is more upbeat and brings a positive flicker of light. I love the way the song seems to break free as the chorus arrives.
Each song on the album has its qualities.
Atmospheric, moving and altogether satisfying, "Light and Life after dusk" must be checked out if you're into the melodic or melancholic side of rock. I hope this is not just a one album project as there's some huge potential to be developed here. A bit more variety is on the wish list for the next album but all in all this is a fantastic debut.
Written by
Steen Saturday, January 24, 2009
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