By José Gandue @Gandour
Some know him for his long tenure in bands like Juana La Loca and Virus. Others may have heard the praise Gustavo Cerati bestowed upon his instrumental work. Many consider him one of the best drummers on the Argentine music scene, and yet he has always been someone who knew how to manage his quiet, unassuming profile. But his talents aren't limited to drums. In 2006 he launched his band. Calican Groove where he became known as a singer, guitarist and composer, and with whom he opened for Manu Chao at his performance at the Ferro stadium in 2015. Likewise, since 2014 he began to explore the possibility of performing as a soloist and six years later he has decided to launch, after presenting several advance singles some time ago, Apple, his first work under his own name: Aitor. I can assure you, from firsthand experience, that Aitor Graña is a great guy, but what concerns us in this note is mentioning him as a musician, and I can affirm, having listened to his nine-song album, barely half an hour long, We are facing a project that deserves the best possible exposure to be heard throughout the continent.
Apple It's an album that, no matter what climate or geographical circumstance we're listening to it in, makes us imagine the scent of the beach. But don't associate the proximity of the sea with sentimentality or banality. The sound of this production is very close to reggae and other similar Caribbean genres, but it dares to include moments of guitar virtuosity, or synthesizer accompaniments that we don't normally associate with this type of texture. Also, as we can see in the opening track, Road Runner, in Pimp my Carroça or in Ashes of Dawn, it feels a striking closeness with hints of flamenco rumba that soon transform into good old rock and roll.
It is worth noting At least for a while, its most open moment, where it slows down and plays with ambient keyboards and reverberating effects on the voice, with which he says one of the most remarkable phrases in his lyrics: «"I'm glad my heart is beating"». As can be seen in that sentence, with the serenity expressed by the instrumental part, His lyrics and internal discourses do not exhibit innocence, far from it; on the contrary. His poetry is simple, forceful, without needing to complicate things with elaborate vocabulary, and equally challenging the listener to react, to realize where they stand.
Apple It's a refreshing album, with an experimental spirit without straying from popular taste, Ready to be enjoyed by anyone waiting for new music to bring them relief in difficult times. This is a compilation that demonstrates not only the enthusiasm for creating good music for others: At the same time, This is a production that reflects the benevolent spirit of a good man who makes tunes that inspire combative tranquility, a fighting spirit. That's right, just like Aitor himself.