Search - Natas :: Corsario Negro

It's all about the vibe...

elcamaro | Durham, NC United States | 10/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It may seem over-analytical and perhaps just a little overly dramatic, but the first word that comes to mind when describing the music of Los Natas is 'Mystical'. Very dense, swirling, and---for lack of a better term---psychedelic, but not in the usual way that one would interpret the word. See, even though they inhabit the 'heavy' or 'stoner' world, it's not quite as easy to tag Natas with the obligatory and often cartoonish 70's retro baggage that so many other bands within the scene wear as a badge of pride. Sure, the superficial elements are there (wah-wah pedals, SG's, weed, analog fetish, etc.), but the VIBE is completely different. Gone are the overt and strictly defined Sabbath riffing and faux hot rod culture. The lyrics are well delivered (in Spanish, the band being from Argentina) and very cool, but they seem to be almost a side note and are definitely subservient to what one might call 'the jam'. With most lesser bands---or MOST bands in general---this would become very tedious and self indulgent, but Los Natas have that weird inability to give you the same thing twice. The music is based in mucho heaviness, but that does'nt mean it won't seamlessly fade into a soft, meandering, almost jazz-like vacation before winding back up into something truly massive. At first listen it might come off as being a little loose, but it does'nt take long to realize that, if not strictly intentional, every little feedback squeal, honk and sideways note was obviously meant to be there. The bulk of the material here would be impossible to orchestrate, these guys just have the very obvious and rare gift of musical communication. Regardless of how many times you listen, you will always hear something you did'nt notice the last time. If you like fuzzed out rock or jazz or psych or are over the age of 15, you need this record. Anybody that THINKS they know what heavy is needs to listen to the first 10 seconds of 'El Cono del Encono'."