This record was a dollar bin score several years ago, and this cassette version only set me back twice that much a few weeks back. On its face, Sentinela is just a really *nice* collection of peaceful sounds, and that vibe remains as you delve deeper into the layers of sound. But more than the general feeling of calm that the record (tape) presents, Nascimento presents a stunning collection of influences as one cohesive statement, making the saccharine '80s schmaltz of "Tudo" sound completely natural mingling with the film noir strings of "Cantigo (Caicó)" and the infectious pulsations of "Bicho Homem." Much of the record (tape) falls into a vaguely new age and/or easy listening crevasse, which is why listening closer, listening deeper, pays such dividends. The sweeping commercial orchestration of the seven plus minute title track gives way to an ethereal Afrofuturist close while "Peixinhos Do Mar" sends you to the dark corner, because it sounds like maybe you just stumbled upon something you need, but sometihing that simply wasn't meant for you at all. It's not so much that it all works, it's that it all works together. And maybe it's not until you finish, and you take stock of your surroundings (literal and meta), that you realize what Nascimento has done.
1 comment:
Thank you!
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