I’m not a music reviewer, but I won’t let that stop me from playing on on my weblog. I was recently introduced to the strange sounds of the Kronos Quartet in the form of their latest CD, “Nuevo” and now I can’t stop playing it. A mix of rocking tunes, squeaky instruments and randomly shouted Spanish lyrics adds up to an oddly lovable combination.
From the squeaky jive of “El Sinaloense” to the sad mourning of “Se Me Hizo Facil”, their tunes are compexly layered and a delightful change from the repetitive simplicity of today’s popular music. The group slides effortly from fast dance tunes to slow ballroom compositions. The whole CD is an entertaining romp through the genres, but the twelve-minute “12/12” takes the effort to a new level. Slowly blending from natural sounds through various instruments up to repetitive electronica it’s a powerful and engrossing trip. Meanwhile, it’s all played with the unmistakable trademarks that make this CD, well, nuevo.