ESPACIOS

Together with Espíritu, Ave Rock was a pioneer of symphonic prog in Argentina, their second album "Espacios" being their most accomplished effort. The band's compositional ambitions are evidently high, as it can be inferred from the pretentious expansions of 'Pausa en Espacios' and 'Surcos en el Aire' - 21 and 15 minutes, respectively -, but if we look beyond this particular detail, we'll notice that the band has a lot of strong points: an ability to organize diverse musical motifs with lively cohesiveness, a clever management of textures and tempo shifts, robust performance skills, and solid interplaying. While references to Yes are evident in Ave Rock's global sound, those are not as notable as they were in Espíritu - Ave Rock's music tends to be more reflective and less lively than their aforementioned compatriots, so their major foreign influences stem from Genesis' dramatic sensibility, 73-75 Pink Floyd's eerie melancholy, and some of the special ethereal magic usually associated to Invisible, another compatriot band that was very influential in the local rock scene during the early 70s. Since the lyrics are not too abundant, the vocal parts don't affect essentially the band's overall style, but every time the vocal harmonies appear, the listener may hear some Yessian hints. The dual guitar labour assures a permanent presence of electric power all throughout the repertoire, both in the fast and the slow parts; meanwhile, keyboardist Alfredo Salomone adds a touch of distinction with his piano chord progressions, and layers on organ and synthesizer. The rhythm section manages to sustain the momentum of the rockier moments and turn to a more subtle role during the slow passages. Sandwiched between the two epics, '4.30 en el Universo' is an intimate ballad that may pass overlooked, but it's pleasant anyway. Generally speaking, "Espacios" is a very interesting example of the high quality attained by the earliest South American prog bands, which paid a close attention to the most prominent bands of the UK and Italy while struggling to create their own sound --- 4 stars.