Artist: Los Explosivos
Label: Working On Your Career
Release: 2012
Length: 29:00
Rating: 2.8/5
Los Explosivos, the explosive foursome from Mexico, are back! A good five years of existence are crowned with a fifth studio album, two singles and an endless string of gigs around the world, and along the way the guys have dug themselves firmly into the ears and soul of Slovenian audiences, who caught them this year at Lent opening for their legendary countrymen Tito And Tarantula, among other things. That the sound of seventies garage still kicks like hell, and that what counts more than the polished shine of top-notch production is miles on the road, sweat and heartfelt devotion to juicy ideas and the right reasons for making music, hardly needs saying. Still, I can’t get past the fact that Satisfaction Woman is something not all that revolutionary but damn tasty, and this time we Slovenes can share the blame for the latest adrenaline-soaked string of novelties.
During their tour stop in Slovenia, Kasko, Sabu, Carlos and Alonso had a few days off, so in June and July of 2011 they headed to Ljubljana’s Soundgranded studio and recorded with Matej Gobec not just demos of a few ideas but, thanks to an instant spark and a bit of magic, a whole album, which, unlike their raw, unpolished past gems, has a lot more edge and clear vision. Satisfaction Woman is a record that really mirrors the live power of the foursome, except this time a set of studio microphones caught their drive and their libido from the stage. The result is a splendid combination of somewhat rustic, mildewy garage, with Sabu and Carlos, their furrowed guitars stripped of every unnecessary effect, dominating the band’s entire sonic picture. The Mexican temperament is Americanized this time to the point that the primal sound of Kasko’s drums and Alonso’s bass, combined with the guitar tandem, calls to mind a whole palette of names like The Hives, New Bomb Turks, The Cynics, Hollywood Sinners, and even some early The Stooges, while the guys stay true to their linguistic heritage and sing nearly all the lyrics in Spanish.
Their take on sixties and seventies garage is a match for the competitors who sowed their seeds in the past with a sound and music that had huge balls, and Los Explosivos bet on their cojones in their own way, one that doesn’t fuss over excessive aestheticizing. A Toda Velocidad is a direct hit to the senses, and five chords are plenty to tell a story about driving flat out, while the foursome’s full speed already slows down quite a bit on No Hay Vuelta Atras. The rock’n’roll contrasts are still raw, and besides Kasko’s just-right cheekily dirty vocals, what sticks in the memory most is Sabu’s gorgeous soloing, which just goes on and on, weaving through the whole skeleton of a nicely ragged song. Los Explosivos are no balladeers or troubadours, so with their cover of a song by The Litter, Action Woman, the contours slip back into the atmosphere of some smoky club or retro joint, and the only song in English doesn’t come off as unnatural or foreign at all, since the performance is solid and not spoiled by some obscure pronunciation that would give away that these youngsters come from the south side of the border between the US and the rest of America.
Cut from the same cloth as the opener, the sounds of Aguarras roll out next, and by the album’s halfway point it’s clear you won’t get any revolution, newly discovered hot water or leap into the unknown. A slightly more heartfelt rhythm speeds things up on Creo Que Esto, which for a few lonely bars, in the suspense between guitar, drums and vocals, recalls the moves of the aforementioned Tito & Tarantula, but the resemblance is soon broken down into prime factors, since Los Explosivos lean more toward an Americanized vision of garage. Still, I’d personally have expected a bit more of the promised explosiveness, anger, rebellious noise and a lot less conventional desire to please. The danceable tempo doesn’t bother, but after Quiza, which damn well reminds you of The Kinks hit You Really Got Me, it starts to feel like the Mexican quartet’s musical machine has been stuck in top gear for ages. After the limpness of Mieda, the beefier Me Quede Aqui is a real pick-me-up, though it feeds on moves that are far better known, and at least some time ago far more vital, from The Hives, but unlike the prominent Swedes, the Mexicans are less inclined to extremes. They wrap up their album of promised pleasure satisfyingly with a song that sounds just like the start of the record, and after not even a couple of minutes of Se Apago, which in Spanish means cooling down, the sub-half-hour trip into Mexican garage comes to an irrevocable end. Time to recap my thoughts, and there’s no shortage of confusion and divided feelings here.
From the name and the explosiveness you’d expect a cannonade of distortion and wild tempos, but instead of bombastic performances, the predictable and repetitive pops of firecrackers are anything but a complete satisfaction of all appetites and lofty standards. If you soften the strict criteria a bit, it’s true that Los Explosivos, with a charming and harmless product graced by a naked, randy young woman, have made a set of songs you could easily knock back a beer or two to at a gig, dance and have a pretty good time, but I think the guys are capable of much more live than on record, and I hope not all of their passion, know-how and aces are hiding in the core of Satisfaction Woman. The Slovenian final touch is, well, a Slovenian final touch, and given that the final mastering was entirely Matej Gobec’s own work, I’d guess the end results followed the logic: »Damn, it’s hitting the red again! Gotta take a bit off here and add a bit there …«, which makes the package less passionate and less punchy, and cozy bivouacking in the middle comfort-and-safety zone is anything but the essence of real garage rock’n’roll. More luck, daring and explosiveness next time, guys, and mediocrity can be turned into something with a pinch more, and with that added value the band’s so-far-empty pages can be filled in more confidently too. I’ve always associated Mexico with food, so let the closing words be a bit more culinary: instead of fast food and soft, overcooked, reheated-a-thousand-times hot dogs, next time give me something spicier with a bit more chili, please!
Lineup
Sabu – guitar
Kasko – drums, vocals
Alonso – bass
Carlos – guitar
Guests:
Matej Gobec – guitar on No Hay Vuelta Altras
Production
Matej Gobec
Tracklist
- A Toda Velocidad
- No Hay Vuelta Atras
- Action Woman
- Aguarras
- Creo Que Esto
- Gris
- Lo Que Me Excita
- Quiza
- Miedo
- Me Quede Aqui
- Se Apago
