LA DESOOORDEN

One of the better known progressive bands to actively play live in 1990s Chile, LA DESOORDEN formed in the southern city of Valdivía in 1994 and spent the next decade playing extensively in the circuit scene of the region and neighboring cities. In 1999 the band underwent a major lineup change and in 2001 would finally start compiling its original material for recordings. The first indie album to emerge was "El Monstruo de Siete Cabezas" followed by the 2002 release "Compilado Rock Valdiviano" which compiled its musical progress from 1994-2001 however the band's first "real" album wouldn't emerge until 2003 titled ENSAYO.

Typical of many Chilean bands of the era, LA DESOORDEN's mission was to forge together the world of Latin American folk music with the greater complexities of progressive rock but that wouldn't come until later as the earlier albums were much more rooted in funk rock, alternative and less progressive styles mixed with homegrown Latin jazz and folk. Although ENSAYO featured a better production and more robust musical direction recorded and mastered at the CLIO and RAF studios in Santiago, ENSAYO was still released independently and was promoted through another round of incessant live performances.

ENSAYO represents the end of the first era of LA DESOORDEN before it adopted a darker progressive rock demeanor that incorporated the complexities and discordant atonalities of King Crimson along with the more meandering progressive alternative metal leanings of bands like Tool. This album closes the chapter where the band sounded more like Faith No More especially on that band's hit album "The Real Thing." Laced with funky bass grooves and heavy guitar riffing, one comparison really rings true with some of the vocalist's singing styles which are right out of the classic Mike Patton playbook. Nevertheless this band fused enough Latin jazz and other folk flavors to keep it rather distinct although comparisons to the more ambitious Chilean band Fulano also ring true.

ENSAYO comes off as a mix of 90s alternative rock mixed with Latin funk and jazz and at times sounds a bit like the Latin band from the USA called Ozomatli without the overt pop hooks. ENSAYO features grungy guitar work but also the intricacies of jazz and other Latin American sounds including samba and pan-Latin influences. ENSAYO is a lengthy beast with 14 tracks that reach the 62 1/2 minute mark and the playing time honestly outstays its welcome as the tracks for the most part rely on the same formula and don't offer the crazy complexities and interesting musical creativity that bands like Fulano delivered without flinching. This band was much more streamlined to capture the crossover appeal which extended to its very last days until its end in 2012 and continued into the band Homínido which featured two members.

Personally i much prefer the darker more progressive albums that followed ENSAYO as this first chapter is too heavily steeped in 1990s North American funk rock and smooth jazz slickness. The band was successful in delivering some energetic performances but compositionally speaking wasn't nearly as sophisticated as fellow Santiago proggers Fulano and Akinetón Retard. ENSAYO is more of a tribute to the band's past then forward thinking. The band's sound would improve significantly on "La Isla de los Muertos." This album is OK it is recorded quite well and not a horrible listening experience by any means but it lacks any kind of long lasting grit that makes you want to return. Although it took the band a good decade to warm up they would finally deliver the goods on the following album.

This group from Valdivia, Chile was formed in 1994, having an incredible number of live shows in the largest cities of the country during the first years.In 1999, after some line-up changes, the main core would be settled with Peter Pfeiffer on sax, Alfonso Banda on guitars, Rodrigo Gonzalez on drums, Francisco Martin on bass, Fernando Tagore Altamirano and Karsten Contreras, both on voices/percussion.An album with material from the 90's, entitled ''Monstruo de 7 cabezas'', was released in 2001, followed by a bunch of brand new compositions by the group, as displayed in the 2003 independent release ''Ensayo''.

La Desooorden's sound is rather chaotic in this early offering, not in terms of complexity but more due to the extreme diversity regarding the heaviness, influences and atmospheres of the album.At moments they sound like a happy Jazz Pop band with pleasant tunes, intense singing, quirky sax playing and simple grooves, creating a rather radio-friendly style, which is far from attractive, containing plenty of uninspired funky and Latin vibes.But at their most aggressive they do become a monster with a combination of attacking vocals, punchy guitars and somber saxes, even if the music is fairly accesible, not forgetting to add some Latin-spiced themes in the process.Moreover it is almost impossible the members of the band not to have been inspired by the music of compatriots FULANO, as there are tracks in here, where La Desooorden try to combine theatrical singing with powerful saxes and psychedelic guitars with a slight KING CRIMSON taste and they do it in a decent way.The later part of the album seems to be more consistent.Smooth jazzy passages with sax, acoustic and ellectric guitars in the forefront, supported eventually by more balanced singing and the right dose of heaviness in the process.

Jazz, Funk, Pop and Heavy/Psych/Alternative Rock are all present in this album.The talent of the band guarantees a nice listening experience, even if the included material is not entirely convincing.Recommended.

The second La Desooorden effort was enough to lead the band to concerts in various cities around the country, supporting monster names like Los Jaivas and Congreso.In 2004 it was time for the band's third effort: An indepedent release under the title ''La Isla De Los Muertos'', featuring among the known crew also Benjamin Ruz on violins.

To my ears La Desooorden sound much like a modern and Latin version of KING CRIMSON, where complex Rock meets the sensibilities of Spanish language and Latin tunes, with a touch of Post-Rock, RIO and Jazz throughout.The sound is heavily driven by the guitar work of Banda and his ROBERT FRIPP-styled playing with plenty of complex ideas, nervous breaks and evident dissonances.He is strongly supported by the duo of Ruz and mainly Pfeifer, some nice ethereal violins in the start of the album will leave their place to the dominant presence of Pfeifer's sax, which is the reason (along with the drumming of Gonzalez) why the album sounds very jazzy at moments.There are also some instrumental passages with a strong and very somber Ethnic feeling.Another aspect of La Desooorden's sound is the constant use of vocal lines by Fernando Tagore and Karsten Contreras.This is mostly a theatrical performance in singing, with both vocalists alternating between different emotions and lyrical styles, not always on par with the music, still enjoyable and close to the style of FULANO.

This is a good Heavy/Jazz/Prog album, where sometimes music is sacrified in the name of rather excessive vocal moments, but the pleasant moments are more than the mediocre ones.Another recommended album from the ever-growing Chilean modern Progressive Rock scene.

3.5 really

La Desooorden from Chile was a very nice surprise for me, knowing this band only quite recently, I was realy impressed by this album, their forth from 2007 named Ciudad de papel or City of paper translated. A combination of jazz fusion with folk elements and heavier parts, make from this album a realy solid affair. Lots of untraditional and unknown to me instruments involved here like trutruca, tablas,darbouka and other strange ones, makes a very intristing atmosphere combined with guitar, bass, drums, keyboards. In this album is treated subject like pollution of the enviroment as the cover arts shows aswell, a realy actual and evocative problem for today in any country. Is a quirky album, with complex arrangements, sometimes they remind me of Van Der Graaf Generator but maybe more heavier in parts, with sax playing odd chops but very original I might say in the end. Very good the vocal parts , fits perfectly here. It was a realy nice ride for me this relase, it took more then usual to fully appreciate this at max, it is not an every day album to listen, has some very strange parts to me, but in same time very intristing, is sophisticated and damn progressive. Every piece is a winner here from the start Fumarolas del alma, seconded by Ciudad de papel and then El Gran Acuerdo who is more towards jazz rock side but excellent and goes on on every piece, far from being something usual here. A very solid album and very original. An intriguing band that needs for sure a wider recognition.3.5 stars for this one.

While I thought their previous album showed flashes of brilliance, I could only muster 3 stars for it overall. How things have changed with this their most recent album from 2007.This album's title means "City Of Paper" and the concept was inspired when a factory was built in the bands home town in their native country of Chile.The album cover certainly became more clear when I took out the liner notes and unfolded it and saw the album cover and much more in this 8x4 inch picture. In the distance at the top is a huge smoke stack and factory with this river of pollution and cut outs of people floating away from it. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say.The music is phenomenal ! Often i'm thinking of the tribes in the rain forests with the samples they give of these natives chanting and speaking along with their native Folk music which is blended in with violins, horns, bass, piano, drums, guitar and more. By the way this is much heavier at times than the previous album and surely the subject matter has a lot to do with them showing more passion and anger.This sounds amazing with headphones with all the samples too. I'm just so impressed.

"Fumarolas Del Alma" opens with atmosphere as sparse sounds build. Drums before a minute then the violin joins in.The guitar replaces the violin as it settles some.Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in with percussion stars to lead. It kicks in after 3 1/2 minutes with guitar and drums when the vocals stop. Nice. Sax after 4 minutes. Some creepy vocals 5 minutes in as it calms down, then the normal vocals return along with sax and violin. It kicks in heavily after 6 1/2 minutes. "Ciudad De Papel" opens with percussion then the heaviness kicks in quickly.Vocals after a minute then the sax helps out. A change 3 1/2 minutes in to a lighter vocal-led section until the heaviness returns 5 minutes in. "El Llamado Del Totoral" is a cool track with percussion and atmosphere.

"El Gran Acuerdo" features horns as almost spoken words join in along with drums, guitar and more. A phone is ringing and answered as we hear the brief conversation as the music continues. Great sound after 2 minutes with horns.The guitar a minute later is excellent as well. "Migraciones Eternas" opens with what sounds like chickens as some chunky bass then sax comes in. It turns heavier. Vocals come in as it settles before 1 1/2 minutes. Sax 2 minutes in then it turns heavy again. A calm with birds singing 4 minutes in then sax and drums arrive as it builds until it's heavy with vocals again. "La Voz De Los Ninos" opens with pouring rain as vocal samples come in. Piano before 1 1/2 minutes as female vocals come in and children's vocals too.Tribal sounds can also be heard. "Accion Por Los Cisnes" opens with sampled spoken words with children in the background.The music kicks in and the vocals arrive before 2 1/2 minutes. Horns a minute later. I like the last minute as it gets heavier.

"Tralcao (Lugar De Truenes)" opens with rain and spoken sampled words. Percussion and vocals follow. Sax 2 minutes in. "Hominidos (Historia De Seres Nerviosos)" has some good guitar before a minute as horns join in as well. Great sound. "Los Trabajadores" opens with someone speaking and a crowd chanting something. A chainsaw starts up then vocal melodies. Check out the bass as spoken words come in then sax. Vocals and guitar follow. "E.N.E.U.J. (Esto No Es Un Juego)" hits the ground running. Nice heavy guitar here with drums. It settles some when the vocals arrive. "Boletos Para Ir" opens with acoustic guitar as percussion, sax, violin and other sounds slowly join in. Reserved vocals before 2 minutes in this melancholic closing track.

This band was no doubt greatly inspired here and pulled off one amazing album in the process. Chile offers up another gem.

With this third release "La Isla de los Muertos", Chilean band La Desooorden began to unweave and develop their progressive side after two albums in which they had focused on a more straightforward approach to rock-fusion. Now, this is a concept album about one of the most miserable moments of Chile's history: the termination of around 2000 people who worked for the Baker Exploitation Company in the XI Region: all of them had been taken to the distant region of Caleta Tortel and killed so the company wouldn't have to pay them their salaries. This dramatic story of greed, blood and injustice inspired poet Manuel Zúñiga to write a sort of epic, and that is where the band took their idea for this album. Poetry and social concern can easily motivate a sort of ambition in the musical domain, and La Desooorden properly accomplished this intuition. The band's sonic delivery is related to Koiak and Mar de Robles, as well as the Mexican band Maldita Vecindad (one of the most celebrated bands in Latin America in the 90s, despite their reluctance to be part of the mainstream), and for the more lyrical passages, Congreso. The album starts with a dreamy intro of piano and violin, portraying an air of mystery augmented by the sampled voices that represent the dead men, women and children's spirits. The dreamy stuff slowly developed into a creepy mood, although the disturbance is never explicitly explosive. 'Pardos Fueron Frente al Mar' brings us the whole ensemble's sound for the first time. The strong presence of extra percussions together with the permanent rhythm duo is highlighted in the global arrangement, although Pfeifer's sax and Banda's guitar noticeable display traces of refined energy. Both singers alternate chanting and narration, which also helps to convey the sense of drama inherent to the concept: actually, the recitations outnumber (or so I think.) the sung parts. 'Algo Tenía que Ver la Luna' keeps up with the momentum, reinforcing the jazz element: this song has hooks, but also a reasonable dose of complexity. 'Pero Dios Los Visita de Vez en Cuando' displays melancholic nuances, while 'Me Pregunto Entre Todas las Preguntas' shows the most aggressive facet of the band. The latter's vibrant scheme ultimately states an electrifying climax for the ambiences that had been first originated in the preceding track. 'En los Ojos de la Muerte' sort of recapitulates the moods conveyed on tracks 2 and 3. 'Caleta Tortel' is headed for the exotic potential of fusion, with guest violinist Benjamín Ruz assuming a preferential role in the instrumental architecture: a very majestic interlude. 'Seguramente Encontraremos' brings back the band's aggressive side, only this time blended with sophisticated interludes on martial rhythmic cadences, as well as a finale that is more evocative than flaming. 'Las Palabras Viajan en el Viento' bears lyrical textures ordained in an overall jazz-fusion framework. Not unlike 'Caleta Tortel', 'Bajo Pisagua' is majestic and dreamy, and it also features guest violinist Ruz. The album is closed down by 'Lo Que Ha Quedado Es Solo Esto', a mid-tempo that perfectly recreates the sense of farewell and distance that ghosts embrace when thinking of the world that they were forced to leave behind. The sax lines are particularly evocative. "La Isla de los Muertos" is an interactive CD: when you play it on your PC, it displays a series of images and photo from Chile's jungle areas, credits and lyrics, band photos, wallpapers, fauna and nature's sounds,. really lovely. In terms of using rock as an art of eclectic sounds, La Desooorden really went for it with this album. In comparison with the follow-up "Ciudad de Papel", this album's sonic strategy feels less robust, but definitely, richer in subtleties and moods. Both albums are excellent items recommended to those die- hard prog fans with fusion inclinations.

I had not listened to La Desooorden's Ciudad de Papel in a while, and had been revisiting the past gods a lot (Genesis, Tull, Gentle Giant,.....) When I looked at my collection and spotted this, I thought - why not, I kind of liked it the first time I spun the disc.

Man, it quickly blew me away. From the beautiful Ange styled vocals, to the child like instruments/vocals, to the power house prog rock, this is a seriously wonderful listen. I love the mix of sax, as it really adds that other element that is needed to take something from good, to fantastic.

The writing is mature, the production second to none, and the overall feel is a perfect blending of old/new prog, a touch of RIO, and just that wonderful South American feel. The percussion work is another real accent that seperates La Desooorden's Ciudad de Papel from the rest.

Don't let the non-English language hold you back on this one, even though I don't understand a word of it, the art of the vocals in their native language only proves to enhance the experience.

For you older listeners like myself, we who were lucky enough to be there at the beginning of this life changing thing called progressive rock, this is new styled progressive rock, but with a wonderful ethnic/real world feel to it - something new that inspires. This is a great album, and a new hope of competing with my early heroes!

As always, thanks for listening, and thanks to Prog Archives!

Tom

The lyrics are in Spanish but I figured this must be a concept album because of all the spoken vocals and sampled sounds, and indeed I found out it is a concept record. This takes away a lot of the enjoyment from this record for me because the music seems to take second place to the concept.

"Transformacion Del Mito" features violin, faintly spoken words, along with birds chirping and water sounds. A rhythm comes in that is almost waltz-like as piano joins in. Not a fan of this one. "Pardos Fueron Frente Al Mar" opens with these methodical male vocals. It turns jazzy before a minute. The two male singers are speaking. A nice heavy soundscape 3 minutes in with some good sax. Thunder and rain before 5 1/2 minutes. Great sound a minute later with actual singing. "Algo Tenia Que Ver La Luna" opens with the sounds of waves, sea gulls and a ship. A catchy sax / drum melody takes over. "Pero Dios Los Visita" is led by smooth sax with again spoken vocals.

"Me Pregunto Entre Todas Las Preguntas" opens with more spoken words but it changes to an amazing soundscape of heavy drums and scorching guitar. "En Los Ojos De La Muerte" is good as vocals,bass and drums all sound excellent. "Caleta Tortel" features a nice drum / violin melody. Some cool bass 1 1/2 minutes in. "Seguramente Encontraremos" has a one minute intro that I love. It reminds me of why I like music from Chile so much. Spoken words and violin follow. "Las Palabras Viajan En El Viento" opens with sax and drums. I like it. Violin 3 minutes in. "Bajo Pisagua" opens with acoustic guitar and violin. Samples a minute in. "Lo Que Ha Quedado Solo Esto" has more samples of water and birds. A catchy melody a minute in. Vocals follow. Marching style drums late.

There are flashes of what this band could be if they just played music, but this is all about the concept. Good, but that's all.

This is one of the best South American prog-folk recordings of the year 2007 - La Desooorden set a pace of intensity and musicality that feels patently overwhelming and captivating, even for those who can't speak or understand Spanish. Like a river of creative inertia, the flowing sounds comprised in "Ciudad de Papel" deliver a sort of continuity of the art-rock-fusion style matured in "La Isla de los Muertos". "Ciudad de Papel" finds the band exploring a more aggressive side to their essentially sophisticated style, hence putting less emphasis on the mystical ambiences (prominent in the preceding effort) while providing more textures and complexity to the sonic fold. In the harder places, the band's overall sound tends to get (moderately) rough among the colorful amalgam displayed across the album's repertoire. The calmer moments bring moods of melodic vibrations not unlike their legendary compatriots of Congreso. The guitarist's input is more featured given the fact that he seeks more room for his soloing among the abundant sax deliveries and the emphatic rhythm section's cadences. With a tribal yet subtle structure, the opener 'Fumarolas del Alma' sets the mood for the lament on the environment's deflagration that will conform this album's overall concept. Guest violinist Benjamín Ruz dialogues masterfully wih Pfeifer's sax lines. The namesake track raises the energy dose, featuring powerful guitar riffing; the calmer sections that appear in the middle provide enough variation as to keep things somewhat mysterious, until the initial motif returns triumphantly with an epic sensitivity. Two instrumentals follow: 'El Llamado del Tototral' features didgeridoo and ethnic percussive blowing, while 'El Gran Acuerdo' goes to jazz-rock oriented places, in a way similarly to Akinetón Retard at their less explosive. For the later, the presence of guests on violin and trumpet effectively enriches the overall sound. 'Migraciones Eternas' kind of sets a blending of the first two song's atmospheres, in this way developing a strong cohesion for the tracklist, but additionally, this track comprises some resources of enhancement that almost border on free-jazz amidst the fusionesque vibe. 'La Voz de los Niños' portrays a more cinematographic aura, with a children's choir ethereally delivering their lines over the featured piano arpeggios. 'Aciión por los Cisnes' kicks off exactly where the previous track had been developed, that is, magical textures with a cinematographic aspect. That is, until the full ensemble gets on in full force and sets a bonfire of exquisite complexity, even going to more somber places that tracks 1, 2 or 5. 'Tralcao' is mostly acoustically-driven, including a delicious soprano sax solo that brings a fresh air of beauty among the mysteries exorcised by the percussions. 'Homínidos' finds the band leaning pretty close to avant-rock, while 'Los Trabajadores' brings back some of the energy of track 2, only with a more pronounced funky vibe to it. When it comes to the rockier side of the band, the most explicit example in this album has o be 'E-N-E-U-J', a hard number in which the band absorbs the influences of LZ and Red Hot Chili Peppers: the drummer shines particularly here (from a rocking point of view, that is, since he has been an individual hero all along, actually). The passages in which the guest trumpeter appears serve to add variation to the rack's general rocking spirit. Last, but not least, the eerie closer 'Boletos Para Ir' brings an air of reflection and melancholy, in accord with the pessimistic perspective about the environment that has been underlying beneath the amgier sets of lyrics in previous tracks. If the opening song had bore a candid, almost melancholic softness, 'Boletos Para Ir' is more obviously sad. The relaxing feel brought in by the acoustic guitar, the soprano sax and the bass sets a convenient contrast to the lyrics' fatality, while the violin flights and trumpet ornaments enhance the dreamy textures. "Ciudad de Papel" is another victory of art in the South American world of art-rock: La Desooorden is a name that definitely should be paid more attention to in the online circles of prog.

With lovable Latin folk tunes, the listener has to depart from the understanding that this group explores his concepts from configurations ventured in the experimentation, same that are translated both in certain musical references and in the blend that they do with folk, rock, jazz, pop music, and of course progressive rock, characterized by the vanguards ideas.

This album is nominated in the Italian ProgAwards 2007 by Manticornio, so lets see if recognition does its judgment.