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Sample Track 1:
"La Danza del Millonario" from Canibalismo
Sample Track 2:
"La Plata (en mi carrito de lata)" from Canibalismo
Sample Track 3:
"The Ride of the Valkyries" from Canibalismo
Layer 2
Album Review

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Perceptive Travel, Album Review >>

We say: Because one album paying tribute to Amazonian 60s surf music wasn't enough. I reviewed the debut Sonido Amazonico album from this group back in 2008 when it came out and confessed that I just plain didn't get it. Several years and one album later, I still don't. I like the whole idea of this band: a mixture of nationalities (French, American, Venezuelan and Mexican) playing cumbia and 60s surf music inspired by what originally came out of the Peruvian Amazon. Plus the name roughly translates to "free beer." Add in fun album covers and it's an appealing package. But I have to admit when it comes to the music itself, after a couple songs I'm done.

Chicha Libre plays a very specific, stuck-in-time kind of music. I'm all for throwback nostalgia---I love Pink Martini and Squirrel Nut Zippers---but apparently cheesy surf music is not my thing. Maybe it's yours, so here's an idea of what to expect: vintage synthesizers, 60s-style surf guitar with lots of reverb, mellotron, a mix of percussion, and vocals in Spanish with a bit of English. It's a little bit Brazil, a little bit Peru, a little bit Colombia, with a heaping helping of California 50 years ago.

This music is so niche that they turned to Kickstarter to raise the money to fund the making of this second album. Still, they've managed to perform in a dozen countries around the world at festivals and have had their music appear on The Simpsons and Weeds. If nothing else, Chicha music is certainly different than anything else you encounter. Follow the links to the right and give it a listen. You'll know pretty quickly whether this psychedelic surf party music is your thing or not.

 05/07/12 >> go there
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