Portuguese composer Tiago Sousa is perhaps better known as the founder and editor of Merzbau (a pioneering net label), which closed down last year. While losing a forward-thinking music outlet is certainly lamentable, if it allows Sousa to focus on his solo recording it may very well be a blessing in disguise. Insonia, Sousa's fourth outing, is a record of simple elegance and romantic melancholy derived almost entirely from piano, presented as a limited CD release from the Berlin-based Humming Conch.

The opening track, "Moviemento," sets the emotional tone for the majority of the album with poignant piano lines gently ascending and descending, punctuated by the spectral percussion of co-producer Joao Correia. The piano gives way to a solo guitar melody that transforms into a bossa nova dronescape of contrasting organ and guitar over a hesitant 6/4 rhythm, before resolving back into the solo guitar melody. This blend of emotive ambience spiced with tight band-oriented movements creates Insonia's strongest moments, wherein Sousa's compositional restraint is highlighted by brief snapshots of possible complexity.

This is not to say anything is lacking from the album's more subdued songs, as the solo piano pieces are often the most expressive. The titular fourth track, for example, provides more narrative in six-plus minutes of instrumental meandering than all but the best lyrists can supply within traditional storytelling. The vast open space of this and similar tracks provide fertile ground for soundtracks, and at times it brings to mind some yet-to-be-made Michel Gondry or Charlie Kaufman flick. As pleasant as these dreamy numbers are, it is on songs like "Folha Caduca," where Sousa's piano is complimented by Correia's impressionistic kit work and Ricardo Ribeiro's clarinet, that the album realizes its greatest potential.

The album's only weakness is the sense that it goes to the same place too often, particularly on nebulous tracks like "Reflexo" and "Surrealismo Impressionista." Sousa's piano and organ playing on these two tracks is lovely but lacks the conceptual direction of "Moviemento" or "Folha Caduca." It is difficult to imagine a way to fix this without sacrificing the limited sound pallet and long rests that define Insonia. However, without its threnodial characteristics, the album's more fleshed out and energetic movements might be less impactful. Perhaps by incorporating nominal field recordings or other post production elements, Sousa could broaden the spectrum of textures while preserving his ethereal architecture.

With Insonia, Tiago Sousa cements his place as one of the most distinct voices to emerge out of the current wellspring of piano driven minimalism.  Listening to the album, I recalled a quote from a late 60's Miles Davis interview in which Davis said something along the lines of: "Music is not about the notes you are playing, it's about the silence in-between those notes." That statement seems particularly accurate when discussing minimalist composers like Tiago Sousa, who appear to be more interested in constructing moods and atmospheres then in flaunting their virtuosity. As great background music that periodically demands the listener's full attention, Insonia is an intriguing blend of contradictions. It is both ambient and epic, simultaneously compressed and expansive, with its divergent themes unified by a consistent emotional resonance of blissful heartache that never descends into melodrama. This is highly recommended for any fan of contemporary classical or avant jazz, and a great introduction for folks who have yet to explore these styles of music.

-Andrew Whitaker