ALUX NAHUAL

One of Central America's most successful rock bands, ALUX NAHUAL was formed in Guatemala City, Guatemala in 1979 by brothers Alvaro Aguilar (acoustic guitar) and Plubio Aguilar (bass) along with their cousin Ranferi Aguilar (acoustic and electric guitars) soon to be followed by drummer Javier Flores, cellist Paulo Alvarado and violinist Jack Schuster. Flores would then be replaced by Orlando Aguilar before this band's debut release. The early endeavors of the band were to perform covers of 70s classic rock acts like Kansas, Led Zeppelin, Toto and other bands that added symphonic touches that bordered on prog rock however ALUX NAHUAL would soon move into original music that would become progressive folk tinged rock. The band's name means "The Spirit of Music" in the indigenous Mayan language which is fitting because Spanish rock was frowned upon in the 70s given the Latin cultures dynamic and energetic music forms that include salsa, merengue, marimba and cumbia just to name a few.

Given these roadblocks for rock on Latin American radio stations mostly due to the English language dominating the genre, ALUX NAHUAL recorded its own unique style of progressive folk rock that contained lyrics exclusively in Spanish and after a few years of becoming a popular live act was signed to a local record company and once this self-titled debut hit the market, the audience responded with enthusiasm as the band became an instant hit and has enjoyed a long and prosperous career ever since becoming popular in not only Central America but all throughout the Spanish speaking world, As a result ALUX NAHUAL is known as the band that broke down the doors that allowed rock music to expand into a part of the world where it had not gained the popularity as it had in English speaking nations as well as Europe.

While ALUX NAHUAL was considered a rock band by many, it was not a typical sort of rock band by any means. Along with the usual instrumentation of guitars, bass, keyboards and drums were the unlikely sounds created by the violin and cello. While all lyrics were sung in Spanish, there are very few references to the musical styles of any Spanish speaking countries except for a small amount of flamenco here and there. In fact when the album starts, the opening track "Cola de Golondrina" sounds more like a rock version of an Irish jig with its busy violin runs screeching up and down the scales along with a heavy drum presence and catchy dance melody however on the second track "A Tí" things slow down a bit and the mood changes more to the symphonic prog sounds of Argentina from such classic bands as Crucis, Alas and Invisible only ALUX NAHUAL crafts it all with more accessible pop melodic hooks and keeps the proggy aspects firmly under control.

"Hombres de Maiz" shifts again to a more rocking sound with funky electric guitars and hyperactive violin parts that channel the Mahavishnu Orchestra's best Jerry Goodman. The album is really all over the place as the following "La Fabula del Grillo y el Mar" which reverts back to a lush folky ballad that is perhaps the most awkwardly corny of the album. Perhaps a single? I don't know but it kind of feels out of place. Tracks like "Posada" and "Un Poco de Paz" offer more proggy workouts. Using acoustic prog folk as the canvass to paint upon, the violin and cello add interesting counterpoints and the intricate rhythmic complexities create some of the most interesting tracks on the album for those seeking the more prog oriented sounds. The album comes off an eclectic batch of tracks that were obviously formed at different stages but still must've sounded like a breath of fresh air for a region of the world unaccustomed to such musical styles commingling without a touch of the local flavors included.

ALUX NAHUAL's first album really sounds like no other that i've heard. The influences of English speaking classic rock and symphonic prog can be detected but the mix of folk and the classical elements such as violin and cello give this debut a flavor unlike any other. Straddling the line between the accessibilities of folk fueled rock music with controlled elements of more sophisticated prog, ALUX NAHUAL took the region by storm and this album literally sold out within days which was a huge shock to the music industry which erroneously assumed that Latin rock was of little interest to the public. Everything changed with this album but despite the success of this album it has never seen a reissue beyond the original vinyl LP that was printed in 1981. This is a fascinating slice of proggy folk rock from a region of the world where you would never suspect such a style of music would be able to emerge from.