Towards the end of last year this extraordinary record was released. It actually originates from 2001 and has been remastered in digipack form and digital download – the whole album can be heard on BANDCAMP.
First of all, a word about the band that recorded this album in Santiago. They are Andrés Moraga: Arteaga tap bass, Alesis SR-16, programming, samples, voices; Jorge Álvarez V.: guitar new standard tuning, voices, and Rodrigo Sepúlveda E.: guitar standard tuning. I don’t know much about them but apparently, they split up in 2008 to pursue other musical projects in the context of film, theatre and other groups.
Their musical heart comes from KING CRIMSON of the “Beat”, “Discipline” and “Three of a Perfect Pair” period with some FRIPPERTRONICS. ‘Arpegios’ is a great all-round composition in this vein, while ‘Cuático’ has a neat false ending; ‘Hiperbass’ is another interesting track on which the guitar has a violin kind of sound ; ‘Hormigas’ has a chaotic otherworldliness about it; the evocative ‘Japan’ is appropriately entitled; the hypnotic ‘Satsanga’ has another Eastern feel about it with a muted drum sound and what sounds like offbeat hand percussion – its 7 minutes pass very quickly; ‘Slow Attack’ is another stop-start track, with a banjo-like sound to the guitar this time (but not too much!); ‘Viaje Astral’ makes subtle use of synth and vocalisations.
I do have one reservation: the metronomic drumming (I used to have an SR-16 myself and know that is capable of more). Perhaps the band might reunite and return to this music some day? As for now, ‘Homónimo’ is an engaging listen and one I am sure I will return to. Well done to Juan and Mylodon for rescuing it from obscurity.
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