UN MANUAL DE SIGNOS Y SÍNTOMAS

Formed in the city of Alicante, Spain, the power trio VIENTOS MODERADOS DEL ESTE (Moderate Winds Of The East) began in 2022 after the end of two other very different bands. Bassist Paco Esclapés and drummer César Espí had been playing together in the power pop band Madre Máquina while guitarist Pablo Mateo was part of a thrash metal band called Nebulosis. All three were looking to blend their respective styles into a new progressive sound that added all kinds of influences ranging from the world of jazz and electronica to heavier rock and blues.

The band's first effort UN MANUAL DE SIGNOS Y SÍNTOMAS (A Manual Of Signs And Symptoms) debuts in 2024 with a collection of seven tracks which add up to about 53 minutes of playing time. While sung entirely in the Spanish language, the album lives up to its title which offers lyrics about people who have done or about to do something that will the course of their life in a very negative way. The band claims to exercise a true musical freedom but in reality the instrumentation is quite limiting with only highly distorted guitar parts, a distinct bass sound and drums. Keyboards and piano are also used but not as fequently. The freedom does emerge in how it's all put together in unique ways.

There is definitely a unique tension between the two members who played power pop and the thrash metal connections. While the compositions are based on catchy hooks with guitar tones and riffs reminding me somewhat of 90s Weezer the drive can sometimes add a bit of metal heft to it however when it comes to the keyboards perhaps other 70s acts like Big Star or The Cars come to mind. Despite the Anglo influences though there is a distinct Spanish sound to the album beginning with the flamenco percussion on the heavy hitting opener "La Familia" which showcases the band's most energetic drive which is contracted by slower more contemplative tracks such as "Proxémica. Partes 1-3" which feature catchy piano parts and a jazzy rock Steely Dan vibe but the track does get down and dirty as it proceeds.

The best title of the album belongs to "La tarde en que Nietzsche pegó a Platón con el Mechero de Jim Morrison" which translates as "The Afternoon That Nietzsche Hit Plato With Jim Morrison's Lighter." As the shortest track it also features the strongest power pop influences with a bouncy guitar / bass / drum wallop and however other than a nice progression of varying motifs the track doesn't come off as zany as the title suggests! The true prize of the album comes with the closing "Vasilisa y la Bruja" which at 16 minutes and 25 seconds has plenty of time to unfold from a folky acoustic beginning to a melodic heavy rocker taking liberties and excreting the pronounced freedom the band is so proud to call their own. This track was inspired by the Russian tale Vasilisa."

Overall UN MANUAL DE SIGNOS Y SÍNTOMAS is a strong palatable debut with excellent tracks that deliver strong hooks, crafty prog leanings and nods to various 70s acts ranging from the Canterbury jazz sounds of Caravan, the heaviness of King Crimson and the pop sensibilities of bands like Supertramp and other progressive pop acts of the day. While the basic tones and timbres are fairly uniform throughout the album's run, the band does deliver some nice diverse moments from track to track and finds that cozy middle ground between heavy prog, hard rock, piano rock and Spanish folk music. It's a fairly unique album in the way the band puts it altogether and a very good start.