CRÓ!

Every once in a while a certain band will staunchly eschew being pigeonholed into any particular genre and like a Japanese labyrinthine zigzag designed to keep the evil spirits at bay, the eclectic progressive rock band CRÓ! truly fits that bill. This band was formed in Vigo, Spain which is in the northeast region of Galicia and sits just north of the Portuguese border. The band began as part of the La Metamovida collective which included a disparate grouping of indie bands that included Unicornbot, Guerrera, Why Go, Durarará and Es un Árbol just to name a few. The band is known for it's multi-media performances which includes a full-time visual effect member.

CRÓ! formed in 2007 and has since released three albums with this self-titled debut featuring the lineup of David Santos (bass), Cibrán Rey (drums), Rubén Abad (guitars, vocals), Xavier Núñez (keyboards, vocals) y Borja Bernárdez (visuals). This album is very eclectic indeed as it meanders through the various genres of post-rock, space rock, jazz, classical, heavy rock and even a bit of heavy metal at times. The album was self-produced and exhibits the true independent nature of a band doing exactly what they wish to without a single restraint. This is both its curse and its blessing though.

The album has 12 tracks which exhibit a rather improvised mix of the different styles. The band both recorded and produced the album and in that department it sounds like a modern day release with every instrument resonating in its own place. The album is generally very guitar oriented with either soft clean post-rock cyclical melodic loops or heavy outbursts of rock with guitar solos. There seems to be absolutely no formula or compositional layout and although the album is quite melodic all the way through, the dynamics and timbres seems quite erratic which gives the album a rather schizophrenic feel. Lush post-rock atmospheres can suddenly burst into thunderous noise rock and back again. Vocals appear sporadically out of nowhere between lengthy jam sessions.

Part of the explanation for the sound of this band is apparently that the music is only part of the equation and to fully appreciate what's going on requires the visual aspects which basically means this is a live band. The band has done extensive touring and the recorded music is really just a souvenir for anyone who has stumbled onto one of the shows. The music is both edgy and placidly calm. The quieter parts often evoke a Mogwai style of post-rock but the meandering melodies and jazzy chords take it somewhere else. While sounding retro in some ways at times, there are no mellotrons used yet there are thick gloomy atmospheres and just a touch of Canterbury jazz rock that creeps in randomly.

I have to admit that CRÓ! sounds like no other yet they don't really totally jump out and grab your attention either. The whole thing comes off as more of an avant-garde classical project that happens to incorporate aspects of prog and jazz rather than the other way around. This is definitely one that will surely drive those who need structure friggin' crazy. It's about as meandering and nonchalant as things can possibly get. It's impossible to understand the context of the visuals and perhaps with half of your attention focused on a different part of the brain this would make a bit more sense. It's all very dreamy for the most part with even a touch of Raga rock but seems completely random for the most part. Interesting but not in a way that makes me want to return.