You would think that, especially with your debut album, a musician might want to stamp his individuality on his creations or at least make some kind of statement. However, “Bears” by Diamond Gloss takes an alternative approach and have gone for blandness instead. Now, the bedsit ambient genre isn’t exactly known for innovation but you would think that Diamond Gloss (an alias for Gonçalo Pereira) would have made some sort of attempt to stand out from the crowd.
“Bears”, however, is a dull, joyless album that lacks originality, virtuosity or direction. These instrumentals- songs is too strong a words for these quasi-musical meanderings - drag on interminably with only the usual tired samples and half developed melodies holding them above the level of a tuneless drone.
I could be doing Diamond Gloss an injustice of course for perhaps it was his aim to produce an album that cures insomnia. Success should always be measured against what you were trying to achieve, after all.