PINTA TU ALDEA

It's no that I'm in two minds whenever I think about (or review) this album: it's just that two minds are required to properly understand Alas' second offering. The entry of new bassist Pedro Aznar helped to enhance the rhythm section's drive, as well as give a more dynamic dimension to main writer Moretto's vision: the fact that Aznar was versatile enough to add some extra performances on additional synth and flute proved revitalizing for the band as a unit. The opener 'A Quiénes Sino' has to be the best Alas track ever. It kicks off with a 3+minute intro motif massively based on floating synth layers, delicately adorned by dreamy trumpet and flute lines: the intro's end gives way to the main theme, which is a most splendid exercise on fusion-tinged melodic prog, in many ways similar to the sound achieved by Moraz during his Refugee days with a touch of M.I.A.'s aggressive side, if only a tad tougher: 'A Quiénes Sino' sounds like an ever-creative progressive machine that revolves around recurrent motifs fluidly and inventively. The 10 minute long namesake number brings a similar vibe to that exhibited in the debut album's first suite ('Buenos Aires es Solo Piedra'), translating the airs of jazz and the mood of tango into the language of prog, yet with an enhanced energy firmly related to the fire of the preceding track. The electric piano interlude brings a proper moment of introspectiveness, in this way, developing a clever contrast that affects positively the whole track. After this number, unfortunately, the first half ends, aborting the fulfillment of the golden promise that had been glimpsed at so far. The departure of drummer Riganti led to no replacement, which seems to indicate that Moretto and Aznar felt confident that the new material might work well without a percussive input. If that's the case, they were very, very wrong, indeed. Let's make it clear once and for all: the musical ideas comprised in 'La Caza del Mosquito' and 'Silencio de Aguas Profundas' are excellent, owning a most captivating vibe and portraying a peculiar elegance. The main problem is that the music seems to surpass the performers, as if these had no sort of control over them. It is a pity really, since the unexpected tricks and variations add an air of excitement to the main melodies, but the fact is that the lack of consistence is patent. More than an album, strictly speaking this is the sum of the halves of two different ones. The two tracks that fill second half should be mostly appreciated for bringing the listener pleasant ambiences of bossanova and tango, respectively, but they pretty much pale in comparison with the mini-epics that occupied the first half. All my aforementioned reservations notwithstanding, "Pinta Tu Aldea" deserves a positive rating at the end of the day: 3 ½ stars for a very good album that could and should have been excellent,... or even more than that.