Dreamy, cinematic, ambient pop rock. Bliss Wishes is at once worldly and profoundly personal. "You're a spy, a surfer and an outsider." Visions of The Ventures playing behind Serge Gainsbourg.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Psychedelic, POP: Delicate



Details:
L. CEDEÑO writes songs that occupy a precious place, a place of the past (and ideal future) that recognizes the craftiness and craftsmanship of a song turned out by a man with enormous natural talent. He's got the hooks, the looks and the irony, only he prefers to entertain his own ears and those of people who understand such musical intelligence. CEDEÑO is the kind of songwriter who long ago recognized the assembly line of mainstream pop, and chose to lope off into his own sunset.

In listening to his solo debut, Bliss Wishes , you'll see that his disassociation from trend or expectations seems more potently realized than ever. The full-length release ups the ante on his moody, dreamy pop while leaving in place the foundations of surf guitar and a subtle southern drawl found on his 2002 EP Beatific. In other words, Bliss Wishes is ambitious, immensely listenable, and in constant flirtation with unexpected perfection. Just when you think a song might shatter to the ground in a mess of confused intentions, he hoists it up to the most innovative, victorious resolution. Brilliant.

Wearing his lifelong Serge Gainsbourg admiration like a badge of honor, the album's openers "Dream Girl" and "Trixie" lay bare the ironic, moody melancholy of classic-euro pop. But other than that, Bliss Wishes' twelve selections are gladly uncategorizable, unless that happens to be one of the categories. His voice is wispy enough to waft through any kind of tune yet deep and knowing enough to lend heft to his dreamer-cynic wordplay.

Heavy reverb here, adventurous lo-fi there, haunting and silky in between -- L. CEDEÑO always lets the process serve the music. All of the songs on Bliss Wishes spin in disparate spheres, but CEDEÑOs aesthetic undercurrent pulls them together.