Adorno - Said and unsaid (7'')

Adorno is a four-piece emo band from Portugal. They sing in English though, and their emotional mix of passionate hardcore and distorted punk sounds like they would have fitted perfectly on Dischord Records (Fugazi's Ian MacKaye's label) back in the day. After a remarkable demo and two splits with the excellent German act Syn*Error and the Americans of End Of A Year (later compiled on the album 'Year one'), the guys are finally back with 'Said and unsaid'. The seven inches, announced a year ago, is being released by Germany's Adogio830 and our very own French label Pure Pain Sugar.

It was worth the wait. Four new songs of bouncy emo. From the first track 'One thirty six', you'll realize Adorno's sound is not chaotic, it's actually very tidy, with a clean production and pushed-forward vocals. That's not saying they lack energy though, as the noisy 'Uncharted maps' will quickly prove you. The distorted sound is still here but they slowed the pace down on those new songs; perfect example, 'Untitled' is much more melodic, especially in the vocals, than their previous work. You may even be surprised by the gang vocals at the end. The delay pedals bring a post-rock touch ('Said and unsaid') while the shining vocals and the genuinely-sounding drums recall their screamo influences. No screams, no rawness, just a clean, real and very pretty sound.

Adorno got softer, pushing further their melodic side, and it fits them well. 'Said and unsaid' is a very good 7'', easy to digest and only paving the way for the best to come. Two new tracks will appear on a split 12'' with France's best newcomers, Sugartown Cabaret, in March. But afterwards we want a full-length, obrigado!

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Comadre, Snowing, Loma Prieta
Check also:
Prawn, Suchi Rukara, Shokei

www.myspace.com/adornno
(Adagio830/Pure Pain Sugar, 2010)