EL GRAN SILENCIO
Libres Y Locos (ARK 21)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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I don't habla anywhere near enough Espanol to keep up with what these guys are talking about, and I don't care. It just sounds really great. El Gran Silencio toss traditional Mexican roots music and instrumentation into a musical blender with elements of punk, hip-hop and ska and pour out a heaping helping of D.I.Y. listening pleasure.

Libres Y Locos is the US debut for the band, which has achieved great success in their native Mexico. That success should easily be replicated in the substantial Spanish language marketplace north of the border, but once this stuff is in the air, it's hard to imagine it not crossing over. The sound is tight and tough and there's just no justification for letting the lyrical language get in the way of the eloquence of the musical language they express.

Personally, I'm getting more and more pleasure from learning to deal with lyrics I can't translate simply as I do with listening to instruments I can't play. Good is good, no matter, and this is damn good.

Track List:

Guacharaca Scratch * Dormir Sonando * Perdido * Dedadencia * Contra Reloj * Con Sangre Del Norte * No Sabemos Amar * Mitote * Rebelite * Piporro's Tacanzo * Creaturas Debuz * Tonta Cancion De Amor No. 2 * Columpio * Libres Y Loco

© 1999 - Shaun Dale