Cut in with moving bass line. Then layer vocals and drums with syncopated rhythm, and Primitive Reason breaks into the U.S. airwaves for the first time. Primitive Reason's domestic debut, Some of Us, marks the band's third sum effort.
Primitive reason
Some of Us
Kinetic/Reprise
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Far from linear, this Portugese band incorporates a variety of musical backgrounds and styles into 11 tracks.
Primarily noticeable are the heavy undertones of hardcore guitar and bass work that also breaks into reggae and jazz. Drummer Jorge Felizardo carries the rhythm with a jazz/rock style and without dominating the sound. Vocalist Guillermo de Llera enhances the beat with quickly placed taps and slaps to the hand drums. Rapping with passion, de Llera's fluid vocals dance within the band's sound. Add the mild fever of the horns and the sequenced samples and the mix is complete.
Percussion creates a draw into the song and puts listeners on the roller coaster of sound on track one. From heavy rifts to jazz breaks, this sonic diversity continues throughout the disc. "Sage" and "Beat Down" are exceptional. They share a combination of funky rap, smooth melodies and bouncing rhythm that captures the attention.
One aspect to the disc is its ability to provoke interesting ideas through its lyrics. For example, "Walkabout" includes the lines, "There are some dark pages in the history/ of the white man's dealings with the Indians/ and many parts of the record are stained." Not the typical passage from popular American music.
The rest of the CD includes some heavier tracks, more rhythmic vocals and an instrumental with world music style.
Primitive Reason adds a spin to the music available in America today. The band grabs a song mold, dips it into various marinades of sound and throws it out into the sun to dry. Nothing held back, Primitive Reason is honest and brutal with melodies and rhythms. There is nothing primitive about the sophisticated sounds of Primitive Reason.
