Loading ...Record Review: La Otracina – The Risk Of Gravitation
By Evan ~ August 4th, 2008. Filed under: review.
Rather than bore you with a long-winded introduction detailing my introduction to La Otracina, I’ll provide you with two simple links that will answer all your questions (”Who are these guys?”, “Why should I care?”, etc). That way I can skip right to the good stuff, or what we in the music journalism world like to refer to as the “meat-n-pussy” portion of a record review (that’s not actually what it’s referred to in the music journalism world, though I think it’d be hilarious to hear fellow Muhlenberg College alum and current senior editor of Rolling Stone David Fricke say “meat-n-pussy” in one of those stupid talking-head segments he does for VH1 all the time).
- Record Review: La Otracina – Tonal Ellipse Of The One
- Concert: La Otracina @ Echo Curio
Described as a “mini-album” in an e-mail from drummer (and self-professed Klaus Schulze nerd, much like myself) Adam Kriney, La Otracina’s latest recording — a limited-edition, seven-track, thirty-two minute sonic excursion entitled The Risk Of Gravitation — shows the band continuing to solidify their heavy space-rock sound while beginning to move in a bold new direction: the band has added vocals to their monstrous psych sound.
The addition of vocals is not the only alteration La Otracina has undergone lately. The band’s line-up has changed. Their first proper release, Tonal Ellipse Of The One, featured a lineup boasting Kriney (drums) and guitarists Tyler Nolan and Ninni Morgia. Nolan and Morgia are gone, and have been replaced with multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Evan Sobel on baritone guitar and Philippe Ortanez on guitar. It doesn’t take longer than a minute for listeners to hear Kriney’s voice for the first time. He kind of sounds like a cross between Ethan Miller (Comets On Fire) and — this one’s a bit of a stretch — an English-speaking Asahito Nanjo (High Rise). The echoed screams of “Yeah!” and “Alright!” during “Raze The Sky” and “Behind The Ocular Curtain” unquestionably draw attention away from the groups extended white noise jams, but this is to be expected when a band known for crafting deeply intense, instrumental psychedelic sagas makes such noticeable transition. Beneath the reverb/delay-drenched vocals remain the familiar heavy, charging rhythms and cosmic guitar explorations that make Tonal Ellipse Of The One, Love, Love, Love, and the Fauna & Animated Floral Arangements albums so damned good. By the way, those are the only one’s I’ve heard, so if you have any of the band’s limited-edition CDs or CD-r’s you should send them to me. As for the rest of the singing and lyrics on The Risk Of Gravitation, “Fight For The Night” might be a tune that leaves proponents of La Otracina’s instrumental approach feeling sour. Then again, I guess the alienation of one’s audience comes hand in hand with gravitating from a position of rebelliousness (no singing) to conformity (singing). Eh? Eh?! See what I did there!? Nevertheless, “Behind the Ocular Curtain” and “An Ancient Confusion” might be as “free” as the band has ever sounded, so the group certainly can’t be accused of “going mainstream”.
As previously stated, this release was originally limited to 200 copies, but their MySpace page says they are still available, so go there or check out the band’s official site (and the rest of the Colour Sounds Recordings website) for more details. One of these days I’ll get Adam to sit down for an interview and I’ll ask him all those burning questions about whether or not he remembers me stumbling into Sound Fix and drunkenly talking his ear off about Psychic Paramount after long drinking sessions at Mugs Alehouse. That, and other stories, maybe someday in the future!
La Otracina – Raze The Sky
La Otracina – Behind The Ocular Curtain
