QUINTANA ROO, RH+
Nacional Records, Chile ***1/2
Rating: 74
By Carlos Reyes
Nacional unveils their latest inductee to their amazing catalog, RH+ formerly known as Rock Hudson in their native Chile bring their first internationalized production Quintana Roo, a pop-structured but pos-rock edgy revelation. It has been called sensuous and dreamy; I find it exotic and at times even animalistic, which is one of the most arousing faces synth-pop could manage to have. Quintana Roo is asymmetric, not a bad thing if handled right, one side portrays a very European influenced environment of soft electrics, while the other is heavier on drums and therefore more solid. Both personalities seem to search for an instant of dominance over the other, the lack of cohesive attachment lead to an overall mesmerizing duel. The opener “What About” is a stunner; it only took a couple of keys to grab me, builds up its way to tell its love story, grasps through aquatic waves and it resolves itself in lyrics and musical accompaniment. “Perry Frankie Miller Gajardo” is a cosmic ride, a very appropriate and not-at-all safe first single. Having two vocalists encloses the interesting duel, the female vs. male musical conversation is actually peaceful, but carry the proposal to a clever state of mind where reconciliation is found through instrumental songs with some tremendous samplings. The heart of the album is “El Elela” which kicks off with a fearful intro, moves on to steady celebration and a character named Fernando Fernandez tries to introduce Disney’s Dalmatian story. Intermediate tracks like “Curb” and “Robin Is The Last Cowboy” are standouts, and make it easier to answer the question. So, which side is better? Of course, it’s an objective question, but I must go with the well defined edgier personality because it breaks through the smoky electronic pop with much glamour.