American listeners rarely hear bands from south of the Tropic of Cancer who play multifarious indie-pop, bands like Maracaibo, Venezuela's Furia de Buzo Ciego. Essentially the brainchild of songwriter Abel Murillo, this band augments a standard guitar/bass/drums setup with lite electronics, keys, harmonicas, and some tasty handclaps handclaps.
This follow-up to ¿Por qué no me escribes?, a cassette-only release, is the group's second album. It kicks off with “Buenos Dias,” an instrumental which would easily stand as the album’s highest point if some vocals were added to its chiming orchestration. Although this track clocks in at over four minutes, it never overstays its welcome; such oncision is one of the group’s biggest strengths.
The rest of the album sprints by in a cogent half-hour. Many of the songs share melodic tendencies heard in the work of another international pop band, Japan's The Pillows. Highlights abound -- there's the electro-fried “Hogar,” the darker, dancier “Y si no lo hice bien?,” and the hooky, bass-heavy “Todo es Numeros.” Whether your knowledge of Spanish is stunning, a little rusty, or nonexistant, Furia de Buzo Ciego's punchy pop is bound to elicit your elation.
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