Detailed Reviews [Canturbe - 2009 - "Sociedad Secreta de Melancolicos"]

Prolusion. The Argentinean act CANTURBE was formed sometime in the late ‘70s, and released their first album in 1980. They were a constant and popular feature in Argentina in the ‘80s (especially in Buenos Aires) – due to the band focusing much of the lyrical side of their production towards life in that city. After a lengthy hiatus that lasted from the early ‘90s, this veteran band decided to get back together, and their comeback album "Sociedad Secreta de Melancolicos" was issued towards the tail end of 2008 by their native label Viajero Inmovil Records.

Analysis. South America has produced a number of innovative and adventurous progressive bands over the years, often combining flavors of their own cultural and musical past with whatever variety of art rock they have had a desire to explore. Canturbe, at least in this incarnation, isn't representative of this tradition. Instead, they opt for exploring a rather different musical territory, much closer to contemporary adult-oriented rock in style, where their musical and cultural heritage is sparingly used and as seasoning first and foremost. Gentle and dreamy compositions are what we get on this disc, with the piano and acoustic guitar the most notable providers of the dominating musical motifs. Dampened symphonic backdrops are a pretty constant feature, and the bandoneon (a type of concertina from the accordion instrument family) is used often and effectively to add fleeting textures of a mostly folk-inspired expression. Bass and drums supply steady rhythms and momentum, but get to shine somewhat brighter when they join the guitars on more jazz-oriented escapades on a couple of occasions, most notably in the final 3 or so minutes of Una Mujer en Buenos Aires (A woman in Buenos Aires). Structurally the compositions come across as mostly founded in mainstream traditions. And while the more typical verse and chorus constructions are avoided, most numbers are pretty straight forward affairs with few shifts in pace and intensity. The art rock aspect of these tracks is mainly found in the arrangements, and there in a subdued form. The contrasts are of the gentler and smooth variety, while dissonance and disharmony are effects hardly ever utilized. It is a well made effort, though. The band manages to create songs that avoid the most distinct derivative elements, and well crafted moods and melodies make this an enjoyable affair throughout. Despite the lack of challenging features I'd even hazard to describe some of these efforts as brilliant endeavors, with Odiseo por Buenos Aires (Odysseus for Buenos Aires) and Radiografa (Radiographer) as the ones I'd recommend to check out if you're curious about the music created by this act.

Conclusion. The name of the disc implies that a melancholic mood is a feature of this production, and if you find this emotion interesting in a musical setting and generally appreciate bands residing in the borderline between the lighter side of art rock and mainstream adult-oriented rock, "Sociedad Secreta de Melancolicos" is most likely an album you should get more familiar with, in particular if you have a soft spot for the town of Buenos Aires.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: Agst 22, 2010
The Rating Room