By José Gandue @Gandour
Let's get straight to the point: I love finding bands that push their boundaries and strive to have an open, varied sound, where the songs don't repeat themselves. One day they achieve a punk tune, the next day they play with guitar effects and create a more spacey atmosphere, and in the following meeting, they bring out the acoustic guitar, turn up the volume of the keyboards and showcase their best pop qualities. That said, (and at this point we must say that we are talking about the Argentinian group) Osaka Passage), these types of projects, in order for them to work and have the possibility of reaching a growing audience, They must always pay attention to the fine melodic construction and ensure that their textual message comes across clearly and forcefully. In short, when material from these kinds of artists reaches our hands and ears, we can't miss the opportunity to listen to them, because it's a chance to feel in them the honesty of what in recent years has come to be called the Indie, the very expression of self-management, the music that emerges in garages and private rooms, in home studios and underground bars. And, it must be said: They were the ones who sacrificed the most during this pandemic.
Pasaje Osaka brings us a self-titled album of ten tracks, which barely exceeds half an hour in length, which simulates, in its own way, a kind of roller coaster. What this band from Buenos Aires, based in the Caballito neighborhood, offers us is a journey through diverse colors, reminiscent of what university bands from fifteen or twenty years ago on the American East Coast did, such as Superchunk or Polvo, although, on the other hand, as they themselves acknowledge, The influence of Latin American proposals such as Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado, Little Jesus and Paracaidistas is felt. During the listening of his compilation, we went through fast-paced moments like those offered by the first recording of the album, The Player, o The Highway, very rock and roll moments, some with inspiration from the fifties, before lowering the intensity, and transforming the atmosphere into a summer bonfire, as happens with Heart, then regaining strength with Rocco o Master of the world. However, the best moment of this album, in our opinion, is found in a beautiful new wave-inspired ballad called It's too late, where Anabella Cartolano, from Las Ligas Menores, participates as a guest voice. Total beauty.
That's right: Osaka Passage, with the publication of this material, It strengthens our faith and confidence in indie sound expressions amidst these tragic times. Albums like these arrive just in time to give us encouragement to celebrate having survived these times of confinement and scarcity of concerts among fans of good music.
