ESTIRPE LÍTICA

One of my favorite discoveries of recent years has been the excellent Chilean band La Desooorden, especially their amazing album Ciudad de Papel. I was saddened to hear that they had dissolved after their wonderful 2012 album, El Andarí­n.

However, sometimes an opportunity lost is another gained, and such was the case here as the founding members of La Desooorden-- Francisco Martí­n (bass) and Rodrigo González Mera (drums)-- recruited Pablo Cárcamo (guitar, keyboards) and Eliana Valenzuela as vocalist and formed Homí­nido shortly thereafter. Their first work, Estirpe Lí­­tica, debuted in 2014 and continues in a similar vein as La Desooorden. The unique combination of indigenous instruments, metal riffs, enchanting melodies, and occasional violin and brass is now coupled--more effectively even than before, I think--with the at once delicate and powerful female voice of Eliana Valenzuela.

Estirpe Lí­tica is a concept album that revolves around man's relationship with stone, being used in everyday ways and in sublime ways, like in the building of temples. I'll admit that the concept doesn't grab me--but the music most definitely does, and you don't have to understand a thing about the concept or the lyrics themselves to thoroughly enjoy this fascinating blend of folk, metal, jazz, and just straight up beautiful music. The music is at once powerful and delicate, driving and meandering. In particular, the addition of the indigenous instrumentation and percussion really adds to the diversity and breadth of this album. Eliana's voice further adds to the magic, sweet and fragile--then suddenly she turns into a banshee--well, not that extreme, but it is striking the emotional range she is able to reach, matched by the other musicians as well.

Overall an extremely satisfying album, one of the best of 2014, and a more than worthy successor to the ancestral band. Please visit their bandcamp page and listen and download this outstanding album. Or try to find one of the few physical copies available at a few retailers as I write this. This one hits all the right buttons for me--five stars.

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