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Dreams Of The Sun And Sky

by Fernando Viciconte

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album



    FERNANDO
    DREAMS OF THE SUN AND SKY

    Label: Domingo
    US RELEASE DATE: 2001-08-14
    AMAZON
    ITUNES
    Fernando's troubled folk-rock aches with a wildness it can't quite contain. His guitars own up to their country and Mexican influences and his voice cries out his sorrow while refusing to ignore the beauty that is around him. Like the album title, Dreams of the Sun and Sky suggests, Fernando may be stuck in his own pain, but he can still hope for something better. While his music may not break any new ground stylistically, Fernando is pushing his own talent to the limit and has a created an album of depth and thoughtfulness.

    Fernando mopes along with his unaffected acoustic guitar for the first few songs of Dreams of the Sun and Sky, his voice wrapped in down-home melancholy. His take on sadness is moving and likeable, since he never seems to let it drag him down, especially on "Away". Soon, though, Fernando shifts away from straightforward grief to the brighter pop of "Blue Room" and the playful "The Fly". Fernando's understanding that there is a need for variety is what keeps Dreams of the Sun and Sky from sinking under its own weight.

    Fernando's emotive voice is an appropriate starting point for his music, capable of conveying the broad range of feelings he tackles on Dreams of the Sun and Sky. Although his voice is far from the most expressive, its weariness works well for Fernando's style and provides an honest, confessional feel to his music. As a guitarist, what he lacks in style he makes up for in passion. He is competent enough to carry this album with enough personality to keep it intriguing, while never trying too hard to attract attention to himself. Fernando's low-key approach is what keeps Dreams of the Sun and Sky from falling apart.

    Truly, though, Fernando's sadder songs are the more compelling ones, from the stripped-down "Climb" to the powerful "Greenfield". Fernando seems to search for transcendence in these songs, promising, "You will always have each other, nothing else exists" in the sweet (although slightly preachy) "Hold On". The jazz-influenced "Only One for Me", with its mourning brass, complements Fernando as he sings "please won't you stop your crying. Those tears are a waste of time". His sensitivity and sympathy give Dreams of the Sun and Sky a tenderness that is sincere.

    Fernando constructs his songs like mini-epics. While most only run about four minutes, he packs so much emotion and power into these songs that they feel much larger and longer than they actually are. Because of this, it becomes easier to take each song on its own merits than to try to place it in the larger picture of the entire album. Although the album does have thematic unity, Fernando experiments with different techniques to convey his meaning. On some occasions, like the pretty but forgettable "White Light" and the unintentionally silly "Killer Waits", this focus on the songs as individual entities tends to work against him. This is only forgivable since Fernando's stronger songs supersede the weaker ones.

    Fernando's strengths, overall, do outweigh his weaknesses. As a musician, he has his own viewpoint and, while he is not necessarily the most gifted in expressing himself, he manages to project compassion for those who are unhappy. Dreams of the Sun and Sky may not be perfect, but it is heartfelt.

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 11 Fernando Viciconte releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Intimate Enemy, Justicia, Widows (Remastered 20 Year Anniversary Edition), Save Me Mini Record- US Edition, The Dogs, True Instigator, Enter To Exit, Dreams Of The Sun And Sky, and 3 more. , and , .

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1.
The Jackal 04:47
2.
Climb 03:59
3.
Away 04:05
4.
White Light 02:43
5.
Blue Room 03:06
6.
The Fly 02:44
7.
8.
Greenfield 04:11
9.
Killer Waits 04:13
10.
Hold On 04:35
11.
Fade Out 04:32

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Review by Erik Hage-All Music Guide 4 out of 5 stars
This album of roots- and Latin-flavored dream pop is hard to shake. Fernando Viciconte has a pleasant rasp of a voice that can come off like Wilco's Jeff Tweedy or even John Lennon at times. (The latter particularly on "Away.") The songcraft is gorgeous, varied, and highly original, however, whether it be the way the plaintive Spanish trumpet sails in just as Fernando purrs "…clarion call" on "The Jackal," the driving indie rock of "Blue Room," or the stark, cascading beauty of "White Light." There are also plenty of Beatlesque flourishes, while "Killer Awaits" showcases Fernando's country-folk roots. This is a stunningly pretty album by a criminally overlooked Portland, OR, artist. Dreams of the Sun and Sky is packed with gorgeous mystery.

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released August 1, 2001

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Fernando Viciconte Portland, Oregon

2016 Oregon Music Hall of Fame Inductee, who has 10 critically acclaimed( Billboard, Magnet, Paste, MSNBC...) studio albums in English and Spanish with members of REM( Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey), M.Ward( Mike Coykendall), Elliott Smith( Scott McPherson), Richmond Fontaine( Paul Brainard, Dan Eccles), The Delines ( Sean Oldham, Freddy Trujillo), Eels ( Chet Lyster, Derek Brown). ... more

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