VALSES ELEMENTALES

Quite immersed in their exotic, eccentric psychedelic aroma. "Valses Elmentales" was released as the third album by an Argentine combo VLAD TEPES. I know a few Argentine acts like Nicotina Es Primavera, La Mujer Barbuda, or Vlubä, all of that have mysteriously tribal atmosphere, and through VLAD TEPES' album I can feel the similar vein, and in addition, sounds like their psychedelia would be leaning towards a Greek psychedelic pioneer The 4 Levels Of Existence, at least for me. Pop essence is fully utilized and garage-y shoegaze-y flavour is inlaid here and there at the same time. Such an absurd (in a good sense) combination and blending might be their method for maintaining progressiveness and catching the audience's heart, let me say.

This theatre gets started with the impressive topnote "Hasta Que Salga El Sol" filled with quite catchy and acceptable melody lines and complicated but uptempo, fascinating rhythmic bases. In the middle part steady guitar-oriented dramatic fantasy is wonderful. The following " Parecen Falsos" reminds me of kinda similarity to a Spanish psychedelic unit El Páramo. It's obvious they have strictly kept heavy, hard rock structures and dreamy beats in this stuff. One of my favourite songs "El Bache" is incredibly agonistic to Argentine Tango fans like me. Love their attitude to digest and absorb such a cultural background in their creation. In "Gilonio" we can feel much of jazz ... splendid drumming and heavy rock and roll launcher in the middle are also comfortable.

A short remark "Uranus" sounds like a laidback psych lecture full of hallucinogenic guitar playing and smooth ambience. Quite wondrous we could lean on their faraway starlight-like soundscape. On the contrary, the longest track "Ahora" featuring improvised guitar shouting is drenched in deeply depressive challenging spirits. The very last violin's cries sound like kinda current painful life under such a pandemic situation ... followed by "Tremenda Situación" yes the current situation, that encourages us tremendously with percussive kicks in a massively energetic manner. They would say "do not give up and beat the tremendous situation", I cannot understand Spanish though ... And we can have "Seguridad" at the end. We cannot help feeling a bright future in the latter melodious movement. Get their music power and enjoy our lives from now on. It could be their delightful message, methinks.