Fernando Perdomo: "Waves 9" (2025) CD Review

Fernando Perdomo is one of the busiest musicians and songwriters out there. If you've been reading my blog this year, you've come across his name many times, because he's involved in so many projects. One of those projects is his Waves series, in which he has been releasing an album of new material on the first of every month. Ten new songs, not only written by him, but on which he plays all the instruments. What's especially remarkable about this project is that all the material is excellent. In fact, the music seems to have gotten even better as the year has progressed. Waves 9 contains some fantastic and captivating tracks. The cover photo by Joe Galdo is also interesting, with the beach and sky close to the same color, the distinction between land and sky almost completely blurred if it weren't for the waves in the middle.

"Are You Out There?" has an interesting opening, with a haunting, contemplative, almost spiritual bent, a surprising way to kick off the album. And then the guitar begins to sing, reaching out to the skies. This piece grows in beauty, both of this earth and of some place beyond it, where hopes and memories meet. In a way, this music feels like the album's cover, where boundaries become hazy. Take your loved one's hand and step into the unknown, which either of you might recall. That's followed by "Possibly The First Progressive Rock Song Directly Influenced By The Village People." That's an incredibly playful title, which I appreciate. Of course, now I want to dig into the history of progressive rock and find out if any other songs were directly influenced by the Village People. That's just the kind of project I enjoy, but I probably shouldn't waste too much time doing that. For now, I'll just dig this track, which has a good, funky foundation. The guitar work has a strong late 1970s, early 1980s vibe, a rocking kind of thing. No, this isn't disco, for this track was influenced specifically by the album Renaissance, released in 1981 and a bit different from earlier records by the Village People (if you haven't heard it, check out "Food Fight" from that album, which is unlike anything else you've heard from the Village People). Anyway, Fernando is clearly having a good time here, having fun riffing over the groove.

Fernando Perdomo takes us into stranger territory with "Emotion Attains Physical Form," a track sounding like it was orchestrated by an immortal carnival barker who has some darker tendencies after all these years. Melancholy has seeped into his act. But the show still holds some intrigue for us all. I love the different elements, different voices to this piece, all part of the act. This is certainly an interesting ride, leading to a definite conclusion. That's followed by "Desolation Desperation." The guitar sings upon a hazy landscape, unsure who will be receiving its message, but needing to send it all the same, if only to retain its own sanity. We hear love in its notes, and need, desire. Sometimes the reaching out is enough. The air moves around the notes, allowing itself to be shaped by them, and so there is the sense that we can effect some change in our surroundings. The guitar work toward the end is particularly good, and we feel that someone will respond. Someone somewhere.

"Digital Raindrops" is an odd track, the sound fractured, hopeful but hesitant, with a desire to pull things together and reach some place of beauty, yet caught in a temperamental machine. Then we get a track titled "To Infinity." And yes, when I read that title, I heard "and beyond" in my head, and I don't even care all that much for animated films. Anyway, this track takes us into a strange space, the cosmos populated by creatures that sing like whales, a place where ancient knowledge has its own motions, its own coordinates, and where we could, if we desired, swim within that knowledge, despite the dangers. The guitar pushes forward, while also reaching back to us, to beckon us onward, reminding us we can persevere. And then it lets us go.

The guitar work at the beginning of "Rays Of Life" is like sparks of light in a deep blue ocean. Then a groove is found, and it is like suddenly everything around us is engaged in a pleasant dance. Everything feels good, feels right. The guitar work is what we focus on, but there is some delicious stuff on bass too. I just wish this track went on quite a bit longer. It seems to conclude prematurely. We are then in darker, uncertain territory with "Riptide." Nature is in control, but not in a hurry. Soon we become part of it, engaged in a section of an eternal dance as we are swept along by currents beyond our control. Yet there are plenty of spots to grab hold, if we have that need. The inclination, however, is to see where this will take us. And it seems to continue, even as the track fades out.

There is a delicate beauty as "Lady Lake" begins, magical and gentle. We feel safe in the arms of this music. Close our eyes and let go. A thousand hands will catch us, guide us, if we need them, but we find we can swim through air, breathe in water. What a great feeling. And then with the album's final track, "The Lighthouse," we are in another interesting space, where melancholy has beauty, where an old despair has things to teach us, and yet where worries disappear, evaporate under their own weight. The guitar leads us into a restful ease. Memories play at the edges, but cannot harm us. And the future seems to be a shared memory, something we agreed upon without desiring it. Hold onto each other before the end so that we can face it together.
 
CD Track List

1. Are You Out There?
2. Possibly The First Progressive Rock Song Directly Influenced By The Village People
3. Emotion Attains Physical Form
4. Desolation Desperation
5. Digital Raindrops
6. To Infinity
7. Rays Of Life
8. Riptide
9. Lady Lake
10. The Lighthouse

Waves 9 was released on September 1, 2025. By the way, the disc itself has a cool picture of Fernando.