CIUDAD DE PAPEL

While I thought their previous album showed flashes of brilliance, I could only muster 3 stars for it overall. How things have changed with this their most recent album from 2007.This album's title means "City Of Paper" and the concept was inspired when a factory was built in the bands home town in their native country of Chile.The album cover certainly became more clear when I took out the liner notes and unfolded it and saw the album cover and much more in this 8x4 inch picture. In the distance at the top is a huge smoke stack and factory with this river of pollution and cut outs of people floating away from it. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say.The music is phenomenal ! Often i'm thinking of the tribes in the rain forests with the samples they give of these natives chanting and speaking along with their native Folk music which is blended in with violins, horns, bass, piano, drums, guitar and more. By the way this is much heavier at times than the previous album and surely the subject matter has a lot to do with them showing more passion and anger.This sounds amazing with headphones with all the samples too. I'm just so impressed.

"Fumarolas Del Alma" opens with atmosphere as sparse sounds build. Drums before a minute then the violin joins in.The guitar replaces the violin as it settles some.Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in with percussion stars to lead. It kicks in after 3 1/2 minutes with guitar and drums when the vocals stop. Nice. Sax after 4 minutes. Some creepy vocals 5 minutes in as it calms down, then the normal vocals return along with sax and violin. It kicks in heavily after 6 1/2 minutes. "Ciudad De Papel" opens with percussion then the heaviness kicks in quickly.Vocals after a minute then the sax helps out. A change 3 1/2 minutes in to a lighter vocal-led section until the heaviness returns 5 minutes in. "El Llamado Del Totoral" is a cool track with percussion and atmosphere.

"El Gran Acuerdo" features horns as almost spoken words join in along with drums, guitar and more. A phone is ringing and answered as we hear the brief conversation as the music continues. Great sound after 2 minutes with horns.The guitar a minute later is excellent as well. "Migraciones Eternas" opens with what sounds like chickens as some chunky bass then sax comes in. It turns heavier. Vocals come in as it settles before 1 1/2 minutes. Sax 2 minutes in then it turns heavy again. A calm with birds singing 4 minutes in then sax and drums arrive as it builds until it's heavy with vocals again. "La Voz De Los Ninos" opens with pouring rain as vocal samples come in. Piano before 1 1/2 minutes as female vocals come in and children's vocals too.Tribal sounds can also be heard. "Accion Por Los Cisnes" opens with sampled spoken words with children in the background.The music kicks in and the vocals arrive before 2 1/2 minutes. Horns a minute later. I like the last minute as it gets heavier.

"Tralcao (Lugar De Truenes)" opens with rain and spoken sampled words. Percussion and vocals follow. Sax 2 minutes in. "Hominidos (Historia De Seres Nerviosos)" has some good guitar before a minute as horns join in as well. Great sound. "Los Trabajadores" opens with someone speaking and a crowd chanting something. A chainsaw starts up then vocal melodies. Check out the bass as spoken words come in then sax. Vocals and guitar follow. "E.N.E.U.J. (Esto No Es Un Juego)" hits the ground running. Nice heavy guitar here with drums. It settles some when the vocals arrive. "Boletos Para Ir" opens with acoustic guitar as percussion, sax, violin and other sounds slowly join in. Reserved vocals before 2 minutes in this melancholic closing track.

This band was no doubt greatly inspired here and pulled off one amazing album in the process. Chile offers up another gem.