THE REDDEST RUBY, NUURO
Independiente, Venezuela ****
Rating: 81
By Carlos Reyes
The Reddest Ruby is the latest stellar and mystical album by Nuuro (Alejandro Ghersi), his first LP since the highly celebrated All Clear (2006). His music has been transitioning from the happy and jumpy songs of his Transit EP and Amigos EP, to the sharper and warmer tracks that showcase a more serious musical complexity, but either way, this guy carries a daring colossal artistry like very few in electronic pop. The album is inspired and structured by a poem that gives the album its title, and which is inserted musicality in the track “Avila.” This composition is very Olympian and astrological, the rest of the songs point to this direction, to a bridge of humanistic renaissance visualized through modern musical echoes. The intro moves accordingly to the beautiful poem, and it doesn’t take too long to be amazed once “Cotacachi!” unveils itself as one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard about commitment, full of willingness and promises, the strongest forces to ensure any relationship. If a Japanese tree would talk, what would he say? He would most probably enlighten us by revealing some truth; “Bari” takes us to this moment of musical recital that feels incredibly realistic. “Five Lakes (Near the Capital)” is a great gentle piece where birds singing and children’s smiles are our conductors through an irresistible paradise, heavy on drums, claps and tropical outburst. The Reddest Ruby is the Olympian record that mystifies its themes while keeping them available, “Hail and Farewell” sounds like a song for gods and goddesses, which can be interpreted in timeless conditions and its redemption message of “I know better than to make the same mistake.” The rise of the speed and music in the 23 seconds of “An owl waving goodbye” departures and rounds up a highly superior album that is now available on iTunes, but also available for open download, Nuuro has polished yet another valuable set of songs to his incredibly short but arousing resume.