AKINETÓN RETARD

All hail to Akinetón Retard! This is one of the most brilliant avant-garde rock bands from Chile, nowadays: the instrumentation, consisting of guitar, bass, drums and two saxes, is used as a vehicle for the simultaneous provision of the demented energy of Crimsonian prog, the nightmarish insanity of Zheul, the magic of old fashioned jazz and the challenging impetus of free jazz, all of them refurbished by the exuberant colours of Latin jazz. Though the input is mostly instrumental, the onomatopoeic chanting that appears in places serve as a special extra ingredient in AR's own sonic amalgam. But the main "chanting" comes from the dual saxes, which create alternate auras of neurosis, tension and mental confusion while the lead guitar goes sneaking in hither and thither. All this sonic outburst is kept right on track by the efficient rhythm section: not being without extravagance, the Tutas-Tradib duo manages to provide a solid focus of intelligence for the overall musical dementia. The album's opener 'Copenhaguen Schtorba' is a real shocker: a bizarre treat that grabs the listener by the neck of their shirt and demands them to "submit themselves or go to hell" with awesome urgency. The 5/4 initial motiv, the brief punkish sung bridge and the jazz rock main motif succeed each other in total fluidity, with a never decreasing fire. The listener willing to go on will benefit from the experience of the following two numbers, also pretty intense and magnificent: 'Primogenia Satiria', which is longer, simultaneously a bit more restrained and more insistent than the opener; 'Viaje a Erlebnis', on the contrary, is shorter and more concise, bearing a lighter mood while preserving the same insanity. A moment for relaxation comes with the introspective 'Blues in Re', a sort of reminder of old fashioned jazz from the era of 50s bohemia and beat poetry. 'Gansos, Patos y Gallinas' brings shades of "Red"-era King Crimson's most aggressive side spreading on a Latin-jazz tinged tropical pace - go figure! 'Mamut y Milodones' keeps a similar pace, albeit a bit jazzier, not unlike "Köhntarkösz"-era Magma. It's such a pity that this number is less than 3-minute long. The album's closure is much longer, fortunately: all throughout its 8+minute duration, it recapitulates some of the most prominent ambiences featured in the preceding repertoire. The band took their name after a medication against the spreading of Parkinson's - well, if listening to AR's music is hardly recommended to those who suffer from it, it is almost mandatory for those rock fans who long and yearn for bands that recreate the aura of old progressive's most bizarre side in a most inventive manner. In conclusion: AR's debut album is an excellent item in the contemporary section of your prog collection.