The Full Lineup Of Closet

Originally formed in 2005, Closet is a Uruguayan band whose repertoire pays an equal debt to rock instrumentation and electronic beats. The band has already released two EPs – one that goes by the great name of “Nociones Utilitarias Del Amor” [Utilitarian Love Concepts], and another that goes by the even better name of “Dildo”. They also released a full-length album named “Lengua” [Tongue] in 2010. One can but wonder (and rejoice at the thought of) what their next work will be named… answers to the usual address on a postcard with a picture of Benny Santini, please.

This is the band’s latest video. The song is “POU”, from the “Lengua” album.  The clip has been produced by Metropolis Films, and it has been directed by Oliver Garland.

The current lineup of Closet comprises Camila Sapin (vocals), Germán Pérez (vocals, guitars and programming), Charly Servetto (guitars and programming), Flavio Galmarini (drums and programming) and Patricia Iccardi (bass).

This is their official website. You can download “Lengua” there. And at zero cost, it must be added. This means the IRS won’t be getting anything. Ha. That will serve them right. Let’s avenge what they did to Willie Nelson, and download it in droves. Me? I’ve already downloaded it five times.

Andrea Deleón Santos

A new Uruguayan pop artist, Andrea Deleón Santos issued “Bruja” [Witch] at the tail end of 2010. “Decidir” [Decide] was chosen as the first single from the album.

The song stands as a very lilting ballad, with a clean cut arrangement that gives Andrea’s voice a great chance to shine. The song is also well-devised in structural terms, and although personally I don’t like the middle eight that much the whole composition holds together undeniably well.

I hope to review “Bruja” sometime soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the official video for “Decidir” below. (Lyrics in Spanish and in English attached at the end of the post).

DECIDIR

No puedo comprender que más tengo que hacer
No puedo entender que estés pero no estés
No puedo descifrar tus claves para amar
Ya no quiero fingir no me quiero mentir

Un día prometiste
Volver
Pero nunca lo hiciste
Un día prometiste
Ceder
Pero te arrepentiste

Cuanto hay que esperar
Cuanto tiempo pasará
Para encontrar tu amor

Quisiera escapar y arrancarme el amor
Pasa siempre al revés y aparece el dolor
Si vas a decidir, no quiero solo un sí
Quiero un corazón dispuesto a ser feliz

Un día prometiste
Volver
Pero nunca lo hiciste
Un día prometiste
Ceder
Pero te arrepentiste

Cuánto hay que esperar
Cuánto tiempo pasará
Para encontrar tu amor

Dejé atrás el tiempo de hacer
Dejé todo lo que pudo ser
Ya no alcanza una explicación
Conocí tu verdadero yo

Ya no hay tiempo que contemplar
Ilusiones que alimentar
Ya no hay nada que pueda ser
Tus mentiras ya se dejan ver

Cuánto hay que esperar
Cuánto tiempo pasará
Para encontrar tu amor

DECIDE

I can’t understand what else I’ve got to do
I can’t understand you being and not being here
I can’t decipher your codes for loving
I don’t want to pretend, don’t want to tell myself more lies

One day you promised
You’d come back
But you never did it
One day you promised
You’d surrender
But you changed your mind

How long must I wait
How much time must go on
Before I can find your love

I wish I could escape and throw my love away
But it never works out and pain is what comes up
If you’re going to decide, I want more than a “Yes”
I want a heart willing to be happy

One day you promised
You’d come back
But you never did it
One day you promised
You’d surrender
But you changed your mind

I left the time to do things behind
I left all that could’ve been behind
No explanations would suffice
I got to know your true self

There’s no more time to contemplate
Or illusions to thrive
There’s nothing that could come to be
Your lies are on your sleeve

How long must I wait
How much time must go on
Before I can find your love

The winners of the Grafitti Awards were announced last Friday. The
Grafitti Awards are the exact equivalent to the American Grammy
Awards, as the work of musicians across different genres and styles
is distinguished and honored.

What I want to share with you now is the clip that romped home with the
“Best  Video Award” accolade. The song is named “Gigantes” [Giants],
and it is by the Uruguayan band Orgánica. The clip was directed by Pablo Riera, and arranged by Paristexeas.

A new Uruguayan record label has launched. It is named NADIEQUIERE Discos (official page here, Facebook fan page here), and it has some bands I already covered on MusicKO (such as Casablancas), and other bands like The Bear Season that I’ve always meant to review but that are still on the pipeline because I’m as peripatetic as Ryan Adams. You know, I actually look a lot like Ryan – the only differences are that he has tons of hair, that he can sing and that he can play guitar. Oh, and that he has dated Winona Ryder.

The label also has a good handful of artists that are completely new to me, which isn’t surprising because (as those fabtastic Swedes sang) “I’m living in a box but I come out when opportunity nox”. I hope to get to know them better soon…

In the meantime, give NADIEQUIERE Discos a look (official page, Facebook fan page – whatever excites you more). Of course, you need to understand Spanish to read these pages. But if you don’t, that shouldn’t be that much of a problem. I mean, how many people who are regular opera-goers know Italian? Eh? And how many people could make sense out of the wreck that Tommy was narrative-wise when it was first issued? Poor Pete Townshend, I read he did almost 1,000 interviews to cover those narrative deficiencies. Lessons learned, kids? Do things right the first time around.

Uruguayan label Esquizodelia Records has just released two cool compilation albums. These feature one song apiece from each artist on the label. You can get them on Esquizodelia Records’ website, absolutely for free.

A lot of genres are covered, and you are bound to find something interesting there for sure. And once you do, you can listen to even more music from these artists – the full albums can also be downloaded for free.

What do you think about these artists? Which one seems more promising to you? Leave a comment below and let everybody know!

RequeteLOCO:

1. DDD3 – Gaby Cows
2. Uoh! – ( L )
3. Siameses R.I.P – On the cremation of Chogyam Thungpa Vidyadhara
4. Relacionessexuales – Whiskeria
5. Fiesta Animal – Trafico de niños
6. 8 – Deep Flamba
7. Psiconautas – On my own
8. La Mugre Roja – Rock n Roll pt.II

RequeteFANTASTICO:

1. 3Pecados – Sin titulo 3
2. Solar – Uno menos
3. Genuflexos – Dance
4. Disaster – Leave my head
5. Lucas Meyer – Encontrar la explicación
6. Millonesdecasasconfantasmas – Hoy
7. El boulevard de lulu – Y de a poco
8. Roly Chamber – Cars

Today Uruguay’s national soccer team beat Ghana in the most dramatic match I have ever seen in my life. This puts Uruguay in the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years.

As a way of supporting a team that has made us all proud, I would like to share two of the most popular soccer-related songs that have ever been written and recorded by Uruguayan artists. The first is “Cuando Juega Uruguay” [When Uruguay Plays] by Jaime Roos. The other is “Cielo De Un Solo Color” [Single-colored Sky] by No Te Va Gustar. That song is not really about soccer, but it has become synonymous with the sport here.

Now we are squaring up against Holland on Tuesday. I frankly believe that after today’s show of stamina and guts everything is possible.

¡Vamos Uruguay, carajo!

“Los Amigos Invisibles” was Sordromo’s Final Album. It Came Out In 2004. Julio Berta Had Been Replaced By Martín Craciun, But Otherwise It Was The Same Lineup.

Sordromo’s fourth (and valedictory) album, “Los Amigos Invisibles” [“The Invisible Friends”] contains some of their best music together, but also a number of compositions that sound like nothing but rehashes of songs they had previously offered up. These compositions do not dominate the album in any sense, but they speak of a strained creative process, and upon listening to the album today it becomes evident why Rodrigo Gómez left the band shortly after the album had been issued.

To shunt the negative songs out of the way once and for all: “Lejos De Casa” [Far Away From Home] derives its melody and tonal structure from the song “Desnorteados” from the previous album, only that this time it lacks all punch. “Tanto Control” [So Much Control] and “Llamame” [Call Me] are clear examples of volume that tries to convey sentiment and that only ends up conveying patchiness.  “Nota Para Un Viaje” [Note For A Travel] is no much better, but it is placed right before the first truly good composition of the album (the title track), and there is a thematic bond at play that makes it more palatable.

But the one song that can’t be stomached no matter how much you try is “Un Secreto” [A Secret], where Sordromo apes the brit sound of bands like Astroboy. This song alone tarnishes the first side of the album irrevocably – and most of the compositions I criticized above were already segregated there to begin with.

Still, it is on the first side of “Los Amigos Invisibles” where we find one of Sordromo’s most memorable hits, “Lucerito” (a tale of broken farewells and reconstituted memories). The song has really exciting dynamics, and the breaks are as good as the ones found on “2 + 2= 3”, where the drums virtually jump from the speakers and run over you.  And the first side also hosts the angsty “El Filo Del Tiempo” [The Edge Of Time], a song that anticipates the hat trick that will close the album. “La Calma Y La Tormenta” [The Calm And The Storm], “A Punto De Equivocarme” [Just About To Make A Mistake] and “Inevitablemente” [Inevitably].

The three songs are linked by the despondency of the lyrics, and in “A Punto De Equivocarme” [Just About To Make A Mistake] Rodrigo’s voice sounds as if he were about to break down at any moment. It is a song in which emotions strafe the listener, and not a single bullet misses the target.

It works perfectly as the prelude to “Inevitablemente” [Inevitably], of course. The song is rendered solely by Rodrigo (he sings and plays the acoustic guitar), and his voice sounds bitten, as if after the previous caterwaul of emotions he has finally wiped the tears away, but tearing a bit of skin in the process. The song makes me think a lot of The Smiths’ final song, “I Won’t Share You”. Similar circumstances (creative differences), same message (it was good until it lasted, but that was it).

I have to applaud Rodrigo’s courage to call it a day. I think the band had nowhere to go after this point, and they quit before making any horrendous blunder. That is a lesson many bands do never learn.

I am rating this album as high as the previous one – although I enjoy “Salvando La Distancia” more in general, this disc has some isolated moments that surpass the best music that they had devised up to that point. And maybe you can’t tell from the reviews I have written and how critical I have been of them, but Sordromo is probably one of my favorite Uruguayan bands ever. The fact they ended at the right time, without cheating themselves or their fans speaks books. And their body of work must be among the most consistent you can listen to in the immediate history of Uruguayan music.

Rating: 7.5/10

Sordromo’s official site is found here. And this is their MySpace profile.

This is a classic of Uruguayan radio. The incident took place one Saturday in March, 1993. Jorge Bonomi & Fernán Cisnero hosted a radio show named “Tiempos Salvajes” [Wild Times] in which they routinely abused one of the most popular rock bands of the day, Niquel. The band was fronted by Jorge Nasser and Pablo Faragó, and the hosts of the show looked askance at them because they regarded themselves as tough rock & rollers. They deemed Niquel’s approach as something sissy. They were making fun of the band live on air, and taking special umbrage at their recently-released symphonic album. Jorge Nasser (the singer and leader of the band) had enough. He headed straight to the studio, and by a bizarre twist of fate he got in without anybody noticing. He stood at the other side of the booth’s door, listening to the final segment of the show.

When the two hosts began picking on Niquel again, he exploded. Nasser stormed into the studio and gave the two radio hosts a beating to write home about. And it was all broadcast because the operator (fearing for her safety) ran away so quickly that she forgot to turn the mikes off.

“Stop it, man, stop it! Let’s talk it over!”. That was the only thing the radio hosts could repeat during the beating. When the first bout was over and Nasser stood towering over both of them, one of the hosts (completely scared out of his brains) squelched “Call the cops!”. Nasser’s retort has gone down in the history of Uruguayan radio.

“¡Ja! ¿Pero no sos el superpunk? ¿No sos el súperagresivo? ¿No es que te gusta la música con personalidad? Bueno, poné personalidad, jugate por lo que decís”.

[“¡Ha! Ain’t you a superpunk? Ain’t you a super-aggressive one? Don’t you always say you like music with personality? Come on, put a little personality to use, walk it the way you talk it”.]

Below you can download the audio in its entirety – you can listen to the first part of the show, the beating and then the mention the two hosts made to the incident the following Saturday.

People being people, I know you will want to listen to the beating first. Jump to 02:58. The “superpunk” bit comes at 04:24.

Superpunk – Jorge Nasser Vs. Jorge Bonomi & Fernán Cisnero (Tiempos Salvajes)

"Salvando La Distancia" Was Issued In 2004, And It Was A Gold Record By The End Of The Year

A Uruguayan band that combined rock instrumentation with some electronic beats and scratches in quite an engaging way, Sordromo released “Salvando La Distancia” [Closing The Distance] in 2002. To me, the album (issued by Bizarro Records) exemplified how their approach (which yielded very good results in terms of singles) could be a little monotonous over an extended work. In the case of “Salvando La Distancia”, the monotony was aggravated by the solipsistic nature of the lyrics – all of the songs (with the exception of “Música Fea” [Ugly Music] and “Ventanas” [Windows]) were romantic fare. The combination could be a little debilitating sometimes, specially during the mid-section of the album.

Still, the disc had more than a few remarkable compositions – and then some. The first five tracks in particular were praiseworthy, with the singles “Las Cosas Del Querer” [The Way Loving Is] and “Como Un Sueño” [Like A Dream] achieving a phenomenal amount of exposure in Uruguayan radio. The two songs were also prime examples of the band’s marriage of rock instrumentation and electronic motifs. But the best example of Sordromo’s signature sound found on the disc was to be “Salvaré” [I Will Close], a song that mixed strangled guitar ruminations and matching electronic beats under a lyric dealing with separation akin to disintegration, and the will to overcome it come what may.

And the songs “A Solas” [Alone] and “Ventanas” [Windows] were quite anthemic, even if the lyrical devices they contained were nothing new. A sample line from “A Solas”: “A solas / con todos / duele / sé que no te gusta estar a solas con otros / se hace tan difícil cuando estás a solas” [Alone with everybody / I know you don’t enjoy being alone with others/ it gets so hard when you have to be alone]. The song is more than acceptable on the whole, though, with the pervasive drums making it resonant from the very first verse already. And “Ventanas” [Windows] dealt with the importance that even just a tiny amount of support brings to those who are abated, effectively underlining the title of the album and highlighting how some of the biggest divides actually exist between people who are close in physical terms.

However, come the sixth track (“Los Errantes” [The Wanderers]) and the similar way the band tackled each and every song began to take its toll. “Cuando Apagás La Luz” [When You Turn Out The Lights] and “Sólo Palabras” [Only Words] seemed indistinct. Repeated listens were to prove that they were catchy in themselves, though, with the choruses standing out above everything. And “Música Fea” [Ugly Music] had a suitable intro, yet the band was to grow waxen within twenty seconds, leaving you with a dirge-like composition.

However, the three closing tracks (which seemed like minor efforts at first) would prove to be quite memorable – “Salvaré” was a realized slow burner, whereas both “Desamor” [Heartache] and “Desnorteados” [Without North] put a fine point on the themes the disc dealt with. Sometimes the only way to close the distance is to end up losing your bearings. That was the message conveyed by the final track. To be a someone to somebody you have to lose a certain part of yourself. You might think that was not a conciliatory way to end the album. It was not. And I am sure that was what the band intended. I think they just wanted to have you thinking about the way relationships can go astray, and how they can be brought back in track (but not into focus) when that happens.

And more than a good couple of years later, the album still stands as something hugely successful. It might sound formulaic sometimes, but that does not tarnish its expressivity. And the one distance that really matters – that which can separate a listener from a performer – is absolutely closed when the CD finishes playing. In that sense, it will always be a fully realized work.

Rating: 7.5/10

Sordromo’s official site is found here. And this is their MySpace profile.

"Auto" Is The First Solo Album Issued By Former NTVG Member Mateo Moreno

The debut of Mateo Moreno (the former bass player for No Te Va Gustar, and one of its founding members) hit the shelves in Uruguay in 2009. Mateo is actually a multi-instrumentalist, and he handled the majority of guitars (including charangos) and also some percussion on his first solo offering. He also arranged all woodwinds and strings.

I became interested enough to buy this album upon listening to its first single (the outstanding “Simple”) on the radio. The song is a true capsule of sensibility and sensitivity in which different facets of affection are studied as if they were in the same plane, concluding in each case that love is a simple manifestation in itself. You can try to overcomplicate it, and you can also try to make it stand even simpler than it is. It will be all to no avail.

“Simple” is the best cut of the whole disc, and I also have a lot of time for the unbridled folk of “Souvenir” and the moody “Princesa Oscura” [Dark Princess], a song that mixes electronic passages with autochthonous sections in a surprisingly spontaneous way. And those who long for Mateo’s own evolution of the sound of No Te Va Gustar can always check out “Anestesiandote” [Anesthetizing Yourself], the best exponent of rock & roll the disc has to offer.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album does not hold that well together. If anything, it clearly sags and it should have been trimmed – 15 songs in the can are too much. I even have trouble remembering their names, let alone their melodies. “Todo Lo Que Hay Ver” [All That There Is To Be Seen] is too descending of No Te Va Gustar’s music, whereas “Estrella Fugaz” [Shooting Star] is inspired by a sincere sentiment that could not translate into a compelling song – I am sorry to say it, but it ended sounded mawkish. And songs like the opening “Desierto Digital” [Digital Desert] and “El Reloj” [The Clock] leave you expecting something that doesn’t come during their duration, something which is definitely insinuated but that never materializes in the end.

“It’s Such An Easy Game” and “La Abuela Del Fin” are mixed bags, with the former having a funky bass part that is a lot of fun, and the latter combining phased and full vocals to very good effect.

And the two final cuts are honestly good – “Efecto Domino” [Domino Effect] has a menacing introduction that makes you come back if you had drifted away from the room (something that happened to me every time I played the album), while “Destino Azul” [Blue Destiny] is striking – how something so bare can fill so many spaces. The lyrics are up there with “Simple”, too. The end couplet is particularly moving: “Fuimos soñando y se nos dio/podría ser peor” [We went along as we dreamed and it all came true/it could have been much worse].

As I said above, the album is too long for its own good. You can’t accuse Mateo of complacency or slacking, but he has to understand that sometimes less can definitely be more. It is a good debut, but I know he will do best the second time around. I am eagerly looking forwards to his next release. He has what it takes for improving over this by leaps and bounds.

Rating: 6.5/10

Mateo Moreno’s official website is found here. And this is his MySpace profile.