The Singles Jukebox

From the Canary Islands, some “space-age exotica” (no I don’t hear it either).

[Video][Website]
[7.00]

Juana Giaimo: A disjointed but still cohesive narration is the essence of comics — what happens in between each frame? I’d dare say even more of comix, given their experimental nature. El Guincho’s new track sounds as disjointed as frames joined without criteria: his voice is sharp, there are strange synth-pop noises and the lyrics not only are almost impossible to understand, but when you do understand them, it’s a mess of words. Mala Rodríguez’s feature is probably what best shows the song’s diversity. She appears as if by magic and suddenly the mood of the song changes completely towards a sensual ground. La Mala is unfearful and dark as her voice goes up and down, building circles of yearnings and suspense with a hypnotizing result. “I wrap myself up in comix/frame by frame/until the catharsis” is one of the few intelligible lines El Guincho sings and that’s exactly how it feels: he is lost in frames to the point of being close to madness — but how can you worry when you are being constantly distracted by new images?
[8]

Iain Mew: Many listens in and neither of the singers are yet doing much for me, but the song gets by through its stately synth scales capturing pretty much the same ambience as Final Fantasy VII‘s MIDI soundtrack. That sound merges a lot more smoothly with something as laidback as this than chiptune does, so I’m surprised not to have heard more attempts along this line.
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: El Guincho is all over the place, and reminds me a bit of Beck in his polyglot-ness, if Beck used more samplers. “Comix” is delightfully off-kilter and features a bunch of mainpulated vocals from both Guincho and rapper Mala Rodriguez (a reminder that processing/AutoTune can be used as an instrument too, not just as an effect), and also its video is completely insane and highly recommended. This is kinda the bomb.
[8]

Edward Okulicz: I can’t hear either vocalist as anything other than a sound effect. “Comix” is basically a very dense fog of human and inanimate objects making pleasing, bright sounds. Weirdly, despite the swagger of the beat, I’m not moving an inch in my chair, but my brain’s nodding approvingly.
[6]

Micha Cavaseno: Latin-American neurofunk to counter the amount of shitty fake James Blake balladry I will no doubt see so much of my generation swoon over. Always good to know that someone in the world is willing not to simply weigh themselves with significance, but to break themselves with a yearn for the unfamiliar.
[7]

Brad Shoup: The muffled drum roll at about 1:40 is wonderful. It’s like someone accidentally punched in Kid Rock’s “Cowboy.” There’s care in a move that clumsy, I assume. He’s struggling in a web of vocal processing, but Rodríguez is content to ride the synth plumes up and down.
[7]