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Mysterious electronic post-punk on the great La Vida Es Un Mus label
Our take: One of the more mysterious releases on the La Vida Es Un Mus label, Algara is a band I know nothing about. Their lyrics are in Spanish, so I assume they’re from a Spanish-speaking country, but that’s about all I have for you. Thankfully I can describe the sound, which is minimalist, drum machine-fueled post-punk. The production is full of space, with the drum machine, bass, guitar, and vocals all occupying very different frequency ranges, giving this a cold, isolated feel. The drum machine’s program is minimalist, the bassist bangs out the chord progression in eighth notes, and the vocalist rants rhythmically rather than sings (though both Eric and Jeff described the vocals as “sassy”), so it’s up to the guitar to carry most of the melody. The guitarist plays simple, single-string melodies high on the neck, and while the melodic sensibility reminds me of Diät, the stark guitar sound is of a piece with the record’s minimalist aesthetic. Given how understated everything is here, it may take you a few listens for this to hook you, but as with most everything on LVEUM, your attention will be rewarded.