POLLO DEL MAR
The Golden State (MuSick)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Rarely has an album cover so perfectly captured the feeling of the music within. Pollo Del Mar have always been associated with the instrumental surf scene, and it's true that some of their music is exactly that, but a more accurate description of their overall sound would be to say they play "ocean music." Their sound is deep and vast, with an element of mystery compelling to anyone who has ever found themselves staring out to sea and sensing its power. Turn the volume up and the lights off and Pollo Del Mar will provide plenty of ocean to float away in. Pollo's been together nearly a dozen years, and they sound like it. They've always been a cut above the throng when it came to technical skill, but at this point they're among the elite. Guitarists Ferenc Dobronyi and Jono Jones' styles blend beautifully, bringing powerful songs like "UBIK," and "A Flash of Green" to explosive conclusions, and creating breathtakingly beautiful sounds on "Mare Amniotica." Songs without lyrics don't often have such a cohesive concept as "Mare Amniotica," a gentle, dream-like, wordless lullaby for a child in the womb. Not the departure it may seem, when you think about it, since the baby floats peacefully in a sea (mare) of its own. Two cover tunes fill out the album, one a frenetic prog reading of "Hall of the Mountain King," the other an uptempo version of The Clash's "Charlie Don't Surf," and while both are nice, it's the original material you'll probably find yourself drawn back to again and again. If you're new to Pollo Del Mar and you pick this up and enjoy it, take my advice and go after their back catalog. This is their best, but it's not much of a drop off to the others.

© 2004 - DJ Johnson