OBRIGADO SAUDADE

Adam Pierce's Mice Parade project hasn't gone Brazilian -- not a risky assumption, considering the number of indie-electronic producers who have tested the waters of the southern hemisphere -- but merely added onto several tracks some elements considered South American: wire-brush percussion, ethereal melodies, and a succession of airy, reedy lines and effects. From Pierce's breathtaking work of the past, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn that Obrigado Saudade is a record bursting with creativity; this comes through most clearly during the second half of the record, with "Wave Greeting" and "Out of the Freedom World" leading the pack -- the first with waves of squelchy electronics and wiggling keyboards, the second with an admirably clean, organic, brisk production. The third track, "Mystery Brethren," is Seefeel by way of Tortoise, featuring a breathy vocal (sample) reminiscent of the former and the busy drum-work of the latter. It's obvious that as his career has developed, Pierce has learned much about song construction. Though friends like Doug Scharin and Dylan Cristy do make appearances, Pierce recorded most of these himself, and each of these compositions reveals not only an imaginative use of trace musical elements, but also a maturing sense of how to arrange them. ~ John Bush