Sonoridade Pólvora

Hailing from Bahia, Brazil, but brought to us by a Swedish record label, the singer-songwriter Ian Lasserre plies determinedly unassuming, downbeat acoustic music that ultimately struggles to distinguish itself over the course of eight tracks. Lasserre's limited, laidback vocals, impressionistic fingerpicking, florid lyrics and rather directionless melodies make this a difficult album to warm to, despite its brevity. The soporific ‘Velho Chico River Blues’ finds Lasserre singing almost a capella, drowsily playful, and contains the best throwaway line on the whole album: ‘È um blues de São Francisco River, baby-yeah.’
Elsewhere, instrumental colour is supplied by, variously, mandolin, bass clarinet, flute and cello, though it's the starkness of Pedram Shahlai's solitary violin on the title-track that renders it one of the most striking and immediately accessible pieces here, seemingly shaking Lasserre out of his often grating torpor. The addition of Sebastian Notini's drums and vocal harmonies on the upbeat yet melancholy ‘Mar Mirante’ has a similar effect, while ‘É o Que Há’ has an austere elegance that is revealed if you’re prepared to be patient. Too often this record is on the verge of flatlining, in thrall to the kind of tepid acoustic pleasantries that give world music an overly worthy name.