The Glass Labyrinth
Crash Symbols, 2022
http://twitter.com/GrimorioAbril
REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/05/2023
The atypical Brazilian musician Grimório de Abril is an artist with many talents. Across these nine very unique tracks, Abril handles synth, vocals, guitars, percussion, flute and kalimba, and it's all executed in an unclassifiable fashion. 
The aptly titled “Opening” leads with a dreamy atmosphere of warm guitar, wordless vocals and plenty of electronic moments that make for a distinct haziness. “Sezao (Fever)” then follows with much mystery, as layered voices and cultured percussive sounds blend for the striking mood, and “Glass Shards, Pt. I” continues the exploration with pretty strings and synthetic drums that are abstractly poetic.
Some of the best tracks land in the middle, where the firm keys and sci-fi backdrop of “Lua de Lixo (Moon Of Trash)” are as mesmerizing as they are creative, while “A Ghost By The Window” takes a more intimate route that’s beat-friendly, a bit haunting and even cinematic in its meticulous use of light-versus-dark dynamics.
On the back half, “Navalha (Razor)” carries plenty of psychedelic nods amid the swirling, ominous climate, and “Glass Shards, Pt. II” emits a nearly tribal feel in a spacey sort of way. “Oneiric Violence At The Trianon Park” exits the listen, and it’s a curious mashing of ambient, baroque, and experimental song craft that you’re not going to hear anywhere else.
A listen that certainly carries influences from South America, but is also very much in tune with America's electronic ideas, this album demonstrates that Abril makes music for any occasion that's aesthetically exciting, thoughtful, and maybe even perplexing. The artwork is quite eye catching, and it’s all housed in a quality cassette that might irritate some with an intense disdain for that format, but it’s actually quite charming for a fan of dated technology like myself.
The aptly titled “Opening” leads with a dreamy atmosphere of warm guitar, wordless vocals and plenty of electronic moments that make for a distinct haziness. “Sezao (Fever)” then follows with much mystery, as layered voices and cultured percussive sounds blend for the striking mood, and “Glass Shards, Pt. I” continues the exploration with pretty strings and synthetic drums that are abstractly poetic.
Some of the best tracks land in the middle, where the firm keys and sci-fi backdrop of “Lua de Lixo (Moon Of Trash)” are as mesmerizing as they are creative, while “A Ghost By The Window” takes a more intimate route that’s beat-friendly, a bit haunting and even cinematic in its meticulous use of light-versus-dark dynamics.
On the back half, “Navalha (Razor)” carries plenty of psychedelic nods amid the swirling, ominous climate, and “Glass Shards, Pt. II” emits a nearly tribal feel in a spacey sort of way. “Oneiric Violence At The Trianon Park” exits the listen, and it’s a curious mashing of ambient, baroque, and experimental song craft that you’re not going to hear anywhere else.
A listen that certainly carries influences from South America, but is also very much in tune with America's electronic ideas, this album demonstrates that Abril makes music for any occasion that's aesthetically exciting, thoughtful, and maybe even perplexing. The artwork is quite eye catching, and it’s all housed in a quality cassette that might irritate some with an intense disdain for that format, but it’s actually quite charming for a fan of dated technology like myself.
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