YONHOSAGO

Unusual, challenging, disjointed: three adjectives that pretty much sumarize what Yonhosago's musical offering is all about. Their approach to avant-garde rock is based on an electrifying eclectic confluence of noise, 73-75 King Crimson, "Western Culture"-era Henry Cow, electronic minimalism and XX Century chamber, plus touches of heavy-oriented jazz-rock: the latter element is exclusively operative in the articulated passages of the repertoire. The opener 'Depósito Ausente' is a quiet cry of musical rebellion in the shape of minimal synthesizer ornaments, gradually augmented by austere adornments on guitar, bass and violin. The cautious crescendo that is taking place leads to a rocking sequence past the 5 ½ minute mark: the main reference to this section is KC's "Starless and Bible Black", although the overall vibe is more polished. For the last two minutes, things shift to a set of noisy electronic ambiences, not unlike primitive krautrock (Kluster, Ralph & Florian). 'Enrique' is more notably Crimsonian, setting a bridge between the Wetton and the first Belew eras: tension and counterpoint are married in a prog-jazz setting, with the guitar, bass and violin creating an ever incendiary instrumental triangle while the synthesizer lines go flowing by (Tim Blake-style). The guitarist sets a rare mixture of Fripp and Holdsworth in his fantastic deliveries, which at times border on the metallic side of rock. Things move on toward a chaotic climax before the final two minutes, when the band returns to a minimalist stance: the duet of violin and bass during this epilogue is beautiful. 'Entomólogo' starts with a clear musique concrete direction (the soliloquy includes a mention of Premiata Forneria Marconi. mmm. unexpected really, this portion sounds more like something out of Area's "Caution Radiation Area"). The presence of free-form trumpet deliveries helps to add a stylish weirdness to the continuing development of ethereal moods. 'Sr. Osago' finds the quintet assembling a balance between heavy jazz- rock and "Uzed"-era Univers Zero for the first half. After this exercise on defiant languidness, the second half brings a Crimson-meets-Matching Mole jam, very exciting indeed. 'Treme' states yet another adventure based on the Henry Cow prototype, with the bass serving as provider of funk- oriented foundation. Once again, guitarist Santiago Blanco makes good use of his frenzy facet. The neurotic climax is a delirious display of deconstructive actions delivered with a subtly hidden sense of elegance. The closer 'Evangélico' recapitulates the energetic drive of 'Enrique' and the minimalist flows of 'Depósito Ausente' and 'Entomólogo'. This track's first half is the most explicitly organic moment in the album, but of course, this is a Yonhosago track, so it's reasonable to suspect that the angels of deconstruction will soon come along to bring sonic evil. And when they do, oh, how they do it! Cáceres brings back the trumpet in a particularly intense moment when the synthesizer seems to lead the way for the development of a guitar-violin duel. The way this track ends is the perfect closure for an album that all along has shown a merciless commitment to the delivery of clever inconsistency. "Descuento" is an avant-prog lover's dream; Yonhosago is an item to be relished by the proper audience.