Album of the Month : March 2001
Sr. Chinarro (E):
« La primera ópera envasada al vacío » (Acuarela)
After their two "pop" albums - "El por qué de mis peinados", ’'97 and "Noséqué-nosécuántos",’' 98 - , the time had come for Sr CHINARRO to renew with what fits them best in the end: the romantic and melancholic inspiration of their early stuff. Last year's excellent " La pena máxima E.P. " was a decisive step in the right direction, but " La primera ópera…..." goes even further.
By far the most radical album Sr. CHINARRO ever released, it sounds as if Antonio Luque - backed once again by new line-up - had finally decided to strip everything to the bone and concentrate only on essentials. His new songs blatantly ignore classic pop patterns to invent their proper language, adventurous and free. Based on various sluggish rhythms and repetitive themes, they build up gradually on an intricate, semi-improvised musicianship, finely enriched with wondrous string arrangements ( the last straw classic pop aficionados can clutch at !), while Luque delivers his unmistakable deadpan vocals, more impassive than ever when they don't simply disintegrate into some inarticulate groans and moaning.
The game was risky, but proves to be another victory for Luque, never better than when he takes up a new challenge. Bewildering and elusive at first hearing, the music unfolds in a spiral, catching the listener into a claustrophobic yet strangely addictive soundscape. Producer Paco Loco - far more inspired here than with the Rn'R bands he's frequently connected with - gives the whole album an exceptional presence and density, adding the final touch to this stunning masterpiece.
So, here it is, " La primera ópera envasada al vacio" by Sr. CHINARRO : you won't listen to these songs at breakfast, you won't whistle them in your shower or play them at parties, but their dark beauty will haunt you for a very long time…...