By José Gandue @spinning zone
At this point in the 21st century, filled with cyber lies, unscrupulous charlatans, and fake news, of pathetic leaders sporting strange hairstyles and ridiculous double chins, of mobs of young people who have converted to the religion of indifference and cruelty, Is there any point in playing rock and roll? Is it worth discussing the new album by a legendary musician who uses her voice and her powerful music as a cry of protest amidst the chaos? Can we still believe that the classic forms that thrilled previous generations can return with their magic to save the latest masses and help them change their attitudes before it's too late? Many questions arise from such uncertainty, but in the meantime, It's time to enjoy the premiere of The chain of evil, the most recent album by Andrea Álvarez, accompanied by the guitarist Tomás Brugues and bassist Lonnie Hillyer.
For those who missed the music history classes, Andrea Álvarez is a renowned Argentine drummer, singer, and songwriter. in his country for having played and recorded as a session musician alongside the most important figures in popular music in his country (Soda Stereo, Divididos, Charly García, Attaque 77, Los Rodríguez, Natalia Oreiro among many others) and international (Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Draco Rosa). The chain of evil It is the fourth album in his solo career and comes as a way of coming back from the pandemic and what came after:
“I could say this is my best album. I started writing it before the pandemic, and it always maintained the same spirit, but that's because my greatest inspiration is discontent, and the album speaks of abuses of power and the death of the world that shaped us—it no longer exists—and my difficulty in accepting it. The death of friends, of role models, of ways of doing things. I think we were able to finalize it now because this was surely the right moment. I tried to rid myself of the pain and anger that this era we live in gives me because I like to be happy, and I don't accept the burden of complaining. Rock helps me to get rid of the anger and turn it into something worthwhile.». This last sentence sums it all up, how to combat the unease of these days. She achieves it by recording it, we do it by listening to it.
Okay, but now let's get technical and assume the role of music commentators. What does this album sound like? If I simply tell you that this is Rock, and then step back, more than one of you might get scared and feel that the definition is incomplete, but if I come back and tell you that what we can hear during eleven tracks with a total duration of forty minutes, It is the vindication of a musical style that continues to deserve the attention and respect of the audience, no matter how much insistence there is on preserving the classic forms. Rock, as the old cliché goes, is a matter of attitude, and singing isn't enough. Panic Show, from La Renga, in front of some proto-Nazi fans at Luna Park, to be a rocker. This needs to be experienced as such., Rock music, especially these days, It cannot waste the opportunity to continue being born from flesh, blood, and screams to make visible the reality of present times. At this point of resignation and cowardice, it is not easy to exclaim texts like these aloud:
That bullet is for me
I don't know what they're celebrating anymore.
the soldiers will march
This is a matter of faith
You are the death of rock
the death of rock
You are the death of rock
The prophets of hate
evangelizing thus
if everyone goes there
I already know where I'm going to go
You are the death of rock
the death of rock
You are the death of rock
You upholstered the armchairs with the skin of my friends
And you declared war on everyone who is alive
let go let go let go that there is nothing left
You didn't see that coming
You are the death of rock
the death of rock
You are the death of rock
You are the death of rock.
the death of rock
You are the death of rock.
This is an uncompromising, rough, raw album that grates on innocent ears. It's a compilation of tunes that, amidst distortion and a brilliant collection of riffs, turns anger into a heartbreaking art., while remaining deeply human, undisguised, forceful, necessary to combat so much seasonal farce. Likewise, amidst the onslaught, there are two beautiful ballads that bring instant peace. The first is called Two minutes, a song where Álvarez reveals his most tender voice and suddenly says:
The important thing is to talk and not say anything to each other.
It's looking but not seeing anything.
Why fly to the sky?
if I can stand on this strong ground
And in the end it sounds Uh Uh, which, as the title indicates, is a calming theme, a good ending to the storm we have just experienced:
I'm going to listen to a record, sides A and B.
The sky is falling, it's a cloud, I know.
Today is not tomorrow, nor is it better than yesterday.
The wind said it, and he said it too.
Let's close by addressing the initial questions: Is there any point in making rock and roll? Is it worthwhile to talk about the new album by a legendary musician who uses her voice and her thunderous music as a cry of protest amidst the chaos? The answer is simple: Good music is medicine, it is light, it is refuge., These are times of bewilderment and iniquity, both for the one who says it and for the one who hears it., It's time to put on your headphones and fight.
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