Releases that range from okay to magnificent (at least to our ears).

Entre Desiertos - Días Negros Vol.1

Entre Desiertos is a curious case. At a local level (and I would dare say national) they used to be an example that pop shouldn’t have to be a cloying paste and without any substance; however, as time goes by, the band’s ambitions seem to be diminishing, opting for more concrete songs that exploit their more accessible side. Fortunately, they are still a long way from lowering themselves to the level of those duller projects that they often surround themselves with.

On their first album since Cuadrántidas (2017), it’s evident that the band's focus is now more directed towards the production value than the songs’ actual soul. “María” sounds great, but if it weren't for certain details provided by the drums, this track would just fade into the background with a soporific air. "La Gota" lacks the energy it transmits in a live setting, as the vocal delivery and performance feel very robot-like and contrived.

On the other hand, the highlights are blinding. "Celeste de la memoria" stands out for its energy and dynamism, while the simplicity of "Vaivén" gives it an elegant touch. Both tracks are an example of how sophisticated and endearing Entre Desiertos can sound, easily earning their place as some of the best work the group has delivered since their debut EP.

In essence, Días Negros Vol. 1 is made of pure hits. Each song was promoted as a single with its respective commercial and is a testament to the band's great ability to write engaging radio-friendly songs, and although studio magic is sometimes too ostentatious, there’s still some organic feel to the tracks. Despite their greatness as musicians, though, Entre Desiertos’ biggest flaw lies in their transition from a band that used to stand out without a problem among the pastel-colored indie scene due to their ambition, to becoming heirs to the Porter sound; and when that band’s most creative member abandoned them centuries ago, the comparison is not exactly a compliment.

SCORE: 7

E. Jason Gibbs - Wolves of Heaven

A raw portrait of what can be done with acoustic guitars beyond their conventional use. Yes, we can say that these practices that seek to free the composer and performer from the jaws and restrictions of formal musical language are nothing new and that, ironically, they have already become a lexicon by themselves; even so, it continues to be a liberating experience as it helps us to continue expanding our openness to the use of sound and musicality.

In any case, Wolves of Heaven is not just a compendium of extended techniques. Gibbs also has a place for arpeggiated playing infused with that primitive John Fahey flair ("Drunk in the Fog," "Deer Yard," "Blues for the Dying Owl") and the result is quite moving. However, there comes a point where Gibbs' timbral explorations get stuck in their ways, leaving us in a state of expectation since many of its best attempts are delegated to the first half of the album.

Even so, Wolves of Heaven is an album worth listening to from start to finish, because it is far from being a tedious experience, and since it is a fairly sincere, intimate, and uncut delivery, it is normal for its narrative to occasionally go off the rails; Gibbs is allowing us to enter his space, showing himself as he is, warts and all.

SCORE: 7.2

Señales Selañes - Radio Ejecutivo EP

Mixing neo-soul grooves and the loose energy of jazz with the complexity of fusion, Señales Selañes debuts with a demo EP that doesn't seem to be in need of a more polished production; it could even be said that the rawness works in their favor, as it separates them a bit from several similar trendy projects that only seek to sound as pristine as Thundercat or Anderson .Paak.

The weapons of choice for these jazz Mafiosi are the electric keyboard, drums, and bass; and, while each one has its moment to shine, there is no room for solo indulgences. Every instrumental acrobatic is done to inject energy into the songs, while the austerity of the recording adds an intimate touch, transporting us to that busy rehearsal space in which the three musicians conjure whirlwinds of dissonant notes, frenetic rhythms, and saturated frequencies.

The tamer moments will undoubtedly take us to that period of time when BBNG sounded everywhere, from your favorite preppy bar to your grandma’s iPod; but in its wildest outbursts, those in which the heat created by the instrumental friction penetrates the barrier imposed by the speakers, the trio evokes bands with more milage to them, such as Brand X. By fusing the old with the modern, the work of Señales Selañes has an exquisite and contagious anachronistic touch.

SCORE: 7.3

Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst

The Canadian project continues to reassure its place as one of the most renowned groups within the circle of the most extreme practices of the metal genre. A Diabolic Thirst is a continuous onslaught of blast beats, tremolo picking, and piercing screams, which mercilessly place the listener at the center of a violent maelstrom.

On a superficial level, it might seem that, from opener "Imperial Saison Noire" to closer "Diabolic Immanence", Spectral Wound does not deviate much from its formula, but the band does not skimp on dynamics to increase the impact of their violent outbursts. While there are a few pauses -like that acoustic interlude on "Frigid and Spellbound"- they only function to increase the tension, keeping the flow of the album from becoming monotonous - which can happen when everything is all speed without nuance.

“Mausoleal Drift” easily stands out as the most versatile piece, with its bleak and melodic intro, the use of different tempos, as well as a fairly wide animic range. This could be a road worth exploring for the future, as it shows that Spectral Wound is capable of composing complex and compelling pieces without having to compromise their aggressive tendencies.

SCORE: 7.5

Claire Rousay - A Softer Focus

Using field recordings of mundane situations, subtly processed and accompanied by atmospheric textures, drummer and sound artist, Claire Rousay, creates stories of which the audience is responsible for putting the visual part; she only gives us the tools and the route to follow based on the collected sounds. A Softer Focus, like 2020’s If I Don’t Let Myself Be Happy Now Then When? (Mondoj), has a sublime emotional charge, very inclined to melancholy, which is only amplified by the subtle use of violin and piano.

Claire remains distant, and in the only instance that her presence is felt (“peak chroma,” “stoned gesture”), her voice is distorted. There is even a conversation that is also affected by the voice filter, which creates a paradox since it puts a barrier between the audience and the artist's world despite being a fairly intimate moment. “Diluted dreams” plunges into hazy tones that, together with the field recordings that accompany them, create a beautiful nostalgic sensation, even if we -as the audience- are dealing with foreign memories.

A Softer Focus represents a very high peak in the artist's catalog, which is not something to be taken lightly, as Rousay has a fairly prolific workflow that has been pretty consistent qualitywise, regardless of whether she’s opting for the musical or the abstract, working solo or in collaborations, releasing studio material or live performances. This album sees Claire maturing and perfecting her approach to soundscaping.

SCORE: 8.2

Todas Las Anteriores - Amarillo Bugambilia

The Mexican experimental-electronic duo, Todas Las Anteriores, embarks on a dense journey propelled by amorphous structures that extend for what seems to be an eternity. In Amarillo Bugambilia, genres such as drone, dark ambient, synthesis, and abstract electronics converge creating heavy layers of sound, from which hidden details slowly arise, filling them with life.

The album goes from having extensive spaces between its sonic elements -though never veering into complete silence- to full-on frequency clusters in its last piece. Amarillo Bugambilia’s progress feels natural, as each track flawlessly intertwines with the one that follows. By the time we get to the end, with textures almost bordering on noise, the change doesn't feel abrupt at all; on the contrary, it feels like a logical step, one which was already alluded to in the second cut, "Tiempo".

The effervescence with which each track unfolds its hidden details gives them a stealthy cadence, but the moment they reach their boiling point, as in the climax of “Corazón”, the energy released is overwhelming.

Amarillo Bugambilia is a fairly short album and, to some extent, it is easy to digest. However, it has the potential to be an extremely powerful experience if given due attention; in fact, this should be a mandatory requirement to unearth the details that lie trapped under its thick sonic layers.

SCORE: 8.5

TOMAGA - INTIMATE IMMENSITY

The greatness of this album, which lies in its glorious fusion of electronic elements and percussion, comes with a tragic burden. The duo, who until 2020 consisted of percussionist Valentina Magaletti and multi-instrumentalist Tom Relleen, came to an end by the latter's unexpected death. Intimate Immensity was the result of two years of work and without a doubt, it is a worthy finale for a no less than spectacular career.

Throughout the album, the chemistry between Magaletti and Relleen reacts on more than one occasion, revealing the collaborative solidity of the project; the duo guides us through passages with vast influences, ranging from kozmische muzik, post-rock, Ethiopian folklore (“The Snake” is very reminiscent of Hailu Mergia’s work); we can even hear tinges of hip-hop and industrial in pieces like "The King of Naples."

Magaletti has a very distinctive touch when it comes to treating, processing, and playing the percussion instruments and this elevates the pieces to stratospheric levels giving them a quite peculiar pulse. Valentina does not shy away from demonstrating the versatility and range of her sonic palette, but she always veers away from vain self-indulgence. Relleen's aural confections are just as bold and varied, creating enough spaces for the percussion to flesh out, but that remain captivating even on their own, as in “Reverie for fragile houseplants”.

The title track ends the album with an ostinato, both rhythmic and melodic, with a victorious air. The feeling it leaves behind is bittersweet because, unlike many artists who had the opportunity to give their last performance or work with some premeditation, TOMAGA is involuntarily saying goodbye; however, having been this way, Magaletti and Relleen left us with an album that, due to its versatile and lively nature, feels more celebratory of Relleen’s life and talent than a lament for his loss.

SCORE: 8.6

Christine Ott - Time to Die

Despite its morbid title, Time to Die feels more like a reaffirmation of life than the harbinger or herald of a death to come. It is an elegant meditation on what it means to be alive -a quite latent feeling nowadays- that begins with rough textures that slowly give way to the piano, harp, percussions, and the unmistakable sound of the Ondes Martenot swarming accompanied by subtle electronic settings.

Christine Ott has already worked on soundtracks, and Time to Die could well be one more foray into these types of compositions (the inclusion of Blade Runner’s iconic dialogue only accentuates that feeling). The album has a sensitivity that extends almost conceptually throughout each track: Ott provides a solid guide that dictates its narrative but avoids forcing its mood upon the listener. The pieces are abstract enough despite having a fairly straight emotional direction.

Nonetheless, Time to Die makes its point with the final track, which embeds its sweetness with a dirge-like air, combining the delicacy of the piano with the strangeness of the Ondes Martenot, with percussions that fade away, as if a heart slowly stopped beating.

The album constantly fluctuates between light and dark without going to extremes. The instrumentation never becomes overwhelming dark or happy; Christine keeps everything in perpetual balance and the result is an album with a wide sonic range and emotional nuance.

SCORE: 8.6

por Sebastián Franco

Silica Gel - May Day

In a tidal wave of ancient songs, close to the sacred and the most rudimentary electronics, accompanied by incidental sounds such as water, or the static of the wind, taking up the noise as a backdrop, Silica Gel incorporates medieval arrangements and aesthetics within a contemporary, avant-garde setting.

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, the neo-medieval ensemble debuts with an album that rescues a precise synthesis of satirical texts from the mid-fourteenth century, where the lyrics guide us through the stories of the Le Roman de Fauvel poem, about a donkey that reaches prominence at the French royal court. Without straying from its narrative line, the ensemble delivers a constant flow of sounds anachronistic to the time period they take inspiration from, managing to incorporate a complex cluster of electronic textures that derive from a sense of constant experimentation. With the goal of moving towards the limits of sound within a highly structured framework, the duo creates enough space for sounds to frolic around each piece.

The album has almost liturgical moments, such as "Harp Of Melody" or "To Be Supreme: Precious Word!" where the voices are exalted in a sonic collage, confronted with noise and dissonance, This is a labyrinthine body of work where the conjugation of every element delivers solid and distant pieces, but that is in perfect harmony with the historical account addressed by the album.

Important moments like “In Singing I Remember Everything I Want To Forget” or “Judy” merge two adverse scenarios with each other, but in a logical and organic way. These beautiful songs are grouped in a space full of subtle corrosiveness upon where the voices seem to rest, only to dissipate through the ether.

Silica Gel delivers a solid work with no faltering moments and that shows the juxtaposition of two contrasting spirits: One that constantly moves in a convulsive way, and the other that comes from a more restrained space. May Day is a comforting and mysterious album, full of an experimental spirit that makes us wonder about the musical vitality of time, unearthing an ancient sound endowing it with new life, overcoming time and distance; this makes it feel truly sacred.