DeuoL – DeuoL

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A nice debut from this mexican trio!

If you say DeuoL, I bet the first thing that will spring to your mind will be The Wall, but well, it may be only a curious reference, because the music actually has nothing to do with it. This is a new and promising band from Mexico that has released their debut self-titled  album under Angelito Editor in 2011, and that consists of Sergio Aldama on drums, Eduardo Cruz on guitars and vocals, and Luis Cruz on bass. Now they are constantly playing in some pubs and stages here in Mexico, in order to gain some audience and enter to this difficult progressive rock realm.

The album features nine compositions that make a total time of 47 minutes. It kicks off with “Vamos a empezar”, which is a short composition whose sound is soft, folkish and may actually remind you of some Cuban music ala Buenavista Social Club. While the music follows, there is a male voice speaking in the background, it is Eduardo Cruz’s grandfather who is telling us about his memories in Mexico City in 1957. This, let’s say unexpected first track leads to “A ti mismo”, in which now we can actually listen to the rock element. It starts slow and then little by little the intensity is increasing. We can listen to cool guitar lines that are guide by drums and complemented by bass. This song is very well composed, with short but constant changes that make it more dynamic and that may remind you of some Rush’ moments. Cool instrumental track.

“Cerebro de tierra” is one of the few tracks with vocals (actually singing) by guitar man Eduardo Cruz. This song has a cool structure, nice mid-tempo rhythm with a nice chorus. After a minute there is a sudden change where the song becomes faster and shows off the trio’s technique. What I love is how in such a little time (five minutes) they can create several passages, different nuances and textures and even rhythms, which make us see their music is not that easy to classify because they offer a vast salad of sounds.  “El alma” has nice funky guitars, cool bass lines that sometimes sound louder, and constant drums that mark the perfect rhythm. The sound overall is soft, calm with some changes; the voice is mellow and good. It also has female backing vocals; and it finishes with nice guitar riffs.

“Monotono” is an electronic oriented track, with some strange effects, repetitive drums and a chaotic atmosphere. All of a sudden, an explosive new song begins with “Desproporciones”, another instrumental track that reflects the progressive rock concept in this band. There are once again a ton of inner changes in rhythm, style and mood, but the good thing is that after a hypothetical mess, the music always shows an interesting face, I mean, the structure might not be clear in the first listen, but then you’ll realize everything is connected, well-structured. In this cool piece the three musicians show their capacities because there are some moments to show off. After five minutes they implement a saxophone that adds cadence to that soft passage. And a curious thing I want to mention, is that this song finishes with a traditional sound of the centre of Mexico City, it is an instrument called cylinder, and the man who plays it is the “organillero”, I ignore how to say it in English.

“Ser interno” is the only song I knew before getting the album because it was released with a video clip. This is a shorter composition with a friendly sound, the vocals return here, accompanied by a nice structure with delicate guitars. Later (as you can imagine) the music changes, creating some moments of nice musicianship. After two minutes the song explodes along with a great female voice, powerful drums and excellent strings.
The longest composition comes next and is entitled “Déjame ir”. This is actually a very ambitious piece in which the trio demands the best of themselves. It starts with a soft and delicate sound with a clear post-rockish tendency. After a minute and a half it makes a crazy and sudden change when the bass of Luis Cruz sounds heavier and more powerful; later the guitar implements some effects that create different textures, while the drums always mark the most adequate compass. After three moments there is a softer passage where the rock is lighter, and when the music let us breath after those explosive moments. Though there are some little parts where the changes do not make the song better, I applaud the audacity of the band for creating these kind of complex tracks.

“Mozo de 50 centavos” is like the reprise of the first piece. The old man keeps telling his memories while that exquisite music sounds. With this song, the album has “formally” finished, but there is actually a hidden track that comes next. In it, we can listen to a rock ballad with soft vocals, acoustic guitars, nice drums and bass. This is a mellow track that reminds me of some 90s Spanish bands. Though this is not their brightest composition, I can say it is a nice extra track.

Well, I am happy with DeuoL’s first album, another example that in Mexico we have bands with good quality who need our support. So if you can, please go to their myspace and listen to them.

Enjoy it!

Tracklist:

1. Vamos a empezar
2. A ti mismo
3. Cerebro de tierra
4. El alma
5. Monótono
6. Desproporciones
7. Ser interno
8. Déjame ir
9. Mozo de 50 centavos
10. (hidden track)

Line-up:

* Eduardo Cruz Contreras – guitar, voice
* Sergio Doi Aldama – drums, percussion
* Luis Bassley Cruz – bass

Guest musicians:

* Donají Sánchez – backing vocals
* Addi Asaf Gallegos – sax tenor
* Pável González Sánchez – timbal

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