JOVENABUELO

If you still doubt about post-rock popularity all over the world, then you must check this band from Chile, named Jovenabuelo, a curious name for a curious band. They are a relatively new project with a fresh and original sound, whose debut album saw the light some years ago in 2007. Thankfully, we can listen to their music in the pay-what-you-want mode via bandcamp.

This album is entitled "Ya Listo Chao" and features six compositions that together make a total time of 38 minutes. It opens with "Carrete", a well-structured and better performed track which little by little is catching your attention. The sound is soft and beautiful, and the addition of a melodica makes it even better, creating an original and distinctive sound. A fantastic opener with a fantastic end!

"Siete" shares a calm and charming sound, with constant guitar that are adding new figures or elements while the seconds pass, and wonderful drums. The second part of the track becomes happier and even more stimulating, without a doubt a worth listening track. Worth mentioning now, that this is an instrumental band, so do not expect vocals.

"Ya Listo Chao" is an amazing track, charming, beautiful, mellow, melancholic, etc. Several emotions can cause this single composition. "Tren" actually follows the same path, both tracks have that Explosions in the Sky - Do Make Say Think feeling inside, with inherent melancholy that contrasts with the happiness of some passages. This track has a pretty nice piano sound, complemented by a curious guitar.

"Sotobosque" is the shortest composition. It is only a little more than a minute of post-rock with a jazzy touch. And finally "Bosque Destiaño" which in the other hand, is the longest song, a 10-minute epic. It has a variety of elements, excellent percussions all over the track, soft and heavier guitars in different moments, and an experimental sound in a couple of minutes. It has also changes in mood, like after five minutes where it seems to explode, but nothing happens, and then it is repeated but now the song's direction is different. Pretty cool last track!

This is a great debut from this original band from Chile, post rock lovers should listen to it, I am sure you will like it. A nice introductory card, Jovenabuelo will surely have better things to offer. My final grade will be three stars (3.5 would be better).

Enjoy it!

That would be the literal translation of Jovenabuelo, a band from Chile who has entered to the post-rock since the late years of the past decade, since then they have released a couple of studio albums and one EP, the one I am reviewing right now. They have taken advantage of the internet facilities, and fortunately for us (the listeners) we can download their music for free and enjoy it.

Their 2009 self-released EP entitled "6123" consists of three songs that make a total time of 23 minutes. Jovenabuelo are an instrumental band that since the first moments will surely catch your attention, like they did with me. Well, the first track is a nine-minute song called "Va y Ven" which shows the compositional skills of the band. Great bass sound, cool drums and a sometimes delicate and sometimes raw guitar sound. The song has several inner passages which share different atmospheres and feelings. Very good!

"Situación" on the other hand is the shortest track here. A wonderful thing here and that I had not previously listened in a post-rock song, is the addition of the accordion which puts a wonderful flavor to the track. The bass sound is strong and cool, drums and guitars very constant but when accordion appears, the song seems to increase and become stronger. This track also have some changes in time and tempo, nice atmospheres here and there, and a cool sound overall.

Finally "Engranaje" has a distorted bass sound which I can't say helps the band, because at least to my ears does not sound that good. I like the idea of having a mixture of clean and distorted sounds, but the exercise itself is not my favorite at all. This song is also my least favorite of these three, but it is good actually, it has nice passages and cool guitar elements; however, I would have preferred to finish with one of the previous two, because I leave the EP with a kind of bitter taste of mouth.

Jovenabuelo is a young and interesting band from south-america that must be listened by post-rock fans, and I invite all the non-post rock lovers to listen to them, and download their albums, they are for free! My final grade for this EP is 3 stars.

Enjoy it!