AQUI

Almondegas sophmore release became their most popular and bestselling album of their entire discography, thanks to their first (and only) national hit with Canção da Meio Noite (Midnight Song), which was inlcuded in the soundtrack of a Saramandaia, a successful soap opera. It also yielded one aof their best known songs, Haragana.

When compared with their debut, Aqui (here, in portuguese) shows the band much more confident and confortable at the studio. Their instrumentation also grew, with a more elaborated use of percussion instruments and the introduction of new ones (flute, violin, even bass and drums on a couple of tracks, but still no electric guitar). The musical style remains more or less the same as before, but the band has matured both as songwriters and players. Although there is little or no prog in here - or even much rock - it is obvious that they were expanding their folk boundaries to new grounds. The inclusion of themes, slangs and singing from their region set them apart from most folk-rock groups of the time.

Some tracks are exceptional like the beautiful southern folk of Gaudencio Sete Luas (Guadencio seven moons), while the mix of portuguese and spanish lyrics and styles of Mi Triste Santiago clearly offers an interesting hybrid resulting of people who lives on the border, closer to another country than to Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo.

To many this was their finest hour. But they would eventually release two more albums before desbanded by the end of the 70´s. Again I recommend this one for the ones who like to explore regional folk music with a sophisticated approach and subtle arrangements. 3,5 stars.