Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Y todo lo planeado, lo que perfeccioné...

I really should wait a little while longer before writing about this group, at least give myself time to digest the album I've just got hold of and possibly to acquaint myself with their past work, but sometimes a song just strikes you the right way at the right time and you need to share it then, you know? I'll probably return to this group in the near future, once I've had more time to listen to the album. At any rate, Mexican group Moenia do come with a certain baggage: their frequently stated adoration of Depeche Mode has definitely led to some backlash in the forms of comparison and accusations of basically just stealing their style and not doing it as well. To be honest, acquainting myself with Depeche Mode is still on my to-do list, so I can't really address that. Still, Moenia has played a pretty important role in Mexican music, helping electronic-based pop music break in the country; though Moenia are still going, they've also created room for some other big groups that, even if they don't sound quite like them, still owe them a debt. I've only heard one Moenia album, their most recent one, Solar, and apparently it's a little bit of a change of direction for them (though I definitely want to hear more from them now). Though I wouldn't say it's a stylistically diverse album, the songs are diverse, if that makes sense. Really, the best introduction would probably be one of the more in-your-face catchy songs, but the following song is the one on the album that I find myself returning to the most right now.

(Side note: their official site doesn't seem to work any more, which is never a good thing.)

Me equivoqué--as I said, there are other songs on the album that are catchier, rockier, but this ballad, the title of which means "I was wrong," is the one I keep coming back to. Maybe that shows that I'm a sucker for the softer side of this sort of synth-pop, the more sensitive emotional side, but I think it shows more that it's a very well-done ballad. It never overwhelms you but still manages to be completely engrossing and...really, though the music is dark, this song is undeniably pretty. I could go into more details about the music, but I think this is the sort of song that's better just to discover for oneself, with none of its small twists and turns ruined.

To buy Moenia's most recent album, Solar, go here (physical) or here (digital). It's also available on iTunes, including in the U.S. I am very impressed with it so far.

Next up: the group of the singer featured in the above Moenia song, and one of those groups that should probably be glad that Moenia arrived upon the scene.

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