There is a kind of pure bliss to just hearing music transcend boundaries. Whether that be the boundary between genres, the boundaries between artists and even the boundaries between language, music is one of the best ways to just have things connect, and the world is all the better for it. Take for example, the double-track release of Argentinian-based band El Poder De La Infancia of Campamento. Released through their amazing label Tunitemusic, the two tracks Ascensor and Purificacion segueing into each other to create a piece that is vibrant, free-flowing, groove-ridden and yet methodical in its mood.
In learning more from the band, which was an admittedly tougher than I initially thought otherwise given the disconnect in language, I have come to learn that the band had their name was taken from the Leon Tolstoi story of the same name and that the band was created around 2017 while the various members were studying cinema at the Audiovisual Arts School of Santa Fe city.
El Poder De La Infancia seem to take a series of influences from art-rock, progressive rock, post-rock, jazz, psychedelia and a plethora of multiple genres such as rock nacional or more commonly known as Argentine rock and even elements of chacarera as I can hear upbeat drum rhythms and a soft Spanish guitar in some of the progressions of their to ultimately create a fascinatingly unique style of instrumental music. I personally find this to be a pleasant blend of experimentation played with a healthy blend of passion, perseverance, and proper charm as you can hear every instrument coming in and out of the two tracks with the giddiness of hearing notes for the first time, learning the song as the musicians go and working around it; a real sense of MacGyver-type improvisation that was honed in a great environment and complemented by some really tasteful mixing.
The two tracks coalesce together like a prepared piece, and for a quick intermission: a prepared piano is a piano that has been altered to create unusual sounds and timbres by placing objects on or between its strings, with these objects called “preparations” composing of bolts, screws, rubber erasers, and mutes depending on what the artist feels like adding on. I bring this up because of Ascensor and Purificacion, each instrument bends and brightens and bounces like preparations, coming together in a way that is just pure bliss.
I did my best to keep this review rather vague in hopes not spoiling any of the surprises whilst at the same time doing my best to entice you into giving these two tracks a listen as discovery of these progressions itself is one to be believed. Give them a listen as soon as you are able and thank me later.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for publications in the US and former lead writer of Atop The Treehouse. Reviews music, film and TV shows for media aggregators.
