The Wire

Acclaimed Portuguese guitarist Toral has excavated private tapes dating from 1987 to 1990 to shed light on his later course of development. The shorter recordings are in the vein of Brian Eno’s On Land and confirm Toral’s skill as a shaper of moody Ambient vignettes. The concluding piece is very different: dry, spiky and pointillistic, apparently involving deliberate permutation and open to chance. Its faltering pace creates an odd kind of suspense.

The Wire