Graham Reid | | <1 min read
After
their double live of 18 months ago some might have thought this
slippery trio (and guests) who have made tango-cool albums a
life-style accessories would have exhausted their self-invented
genre.
And
while this album is no huge re-invention for those who are ho-hum
about them (this writer), the dub elements, more pronounced
tango-noir and slippery horn parts discreetly elevate this one in
places.
Vocalist
Cristina Villallonga brings slow steam to the milonga (tango hall) on
Desilusion
over
a slightly annoying spoken word thing; Mil
Millones
is jazz-dubbery for cocktail hour; De
Hombre a Hombre
is jazz-spaghetti western with bandoneon; and the rolling rhythm of
Panamericana
will challenge those who like their Gotan as background.
Others
among the 11 tracks are less successful: the children's chorus on
Rayuela
irritates; the low vocal rumble of Tu
Misterio
sounds like an outtake from a Cirque du Soleil soundtrack; and other
material (La
Gloria,
the orchestrated ballad Erase
Una Vez)
add little to what Gotan Project have already given us. Too many
vocals samples rolled in throughout also.
So,
hints of new directions but too often reverting to familiar paths.
mark - May 13, 2010
I have always been slightly bemused by this bands popularity. to my ears they have not managed to do any one part of their "fusion" of music well. The tango is usually tame and dirgie, the beats are slow and boring and the "world" sound samples contrived. I was not expecting anything new from this release (although i was hopeful) and not anything new was what I got.
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