ROBA ORGON DE PLANTASY ANIMALES, PEPEPE
The Poni Republic, Mexico ****
Rating: 80
By Carlos Reyes
If we were to hand-cut a bunch of little pieces of sound from the stuff around us, even those we can’t quite see on the eye, and try to give them some form while keeping a heterogeneous base, they would sound like Pepepe’s latest EP, his finest and most inspired moment yet. This is a conceptual piece that although seems like a collage of sounds on the surface, is a round stimulating experience on nature, its species and their creations. Pepepe is also the mind behind Pesina Siller and Los Amparito, and somehow all three projects make an appearance here; sometimes in dualistic encounters but most of the time working together in molding atmosphere, noise, and even more thrilling, its skill to build silent and impassive moments. Considering he is one of the only Mexican acts to actually get his remixes featured into actual releases, let it not be a surprise that the opening track here is a remix. Pepepe remixes Unsexy Nerd Ponies; “1986 Valerie” gets pixel congestion but rather than abusing it, it refines it. “Jacinto Cenobio” is an original track by Amparo Ochoa, a traditional music performer who would probably never imagined one of her songs to show up on a modern electropop album. “Sleep with You” brings a sense of nostalgia that is heart-trenching, very industrial and carrying a miserable vibe along. Cyane collaborates with beautiful vocals throughout the album, and is a pleasure to hear bites of a dazzling voice show up unexpectedly. It’s hard not to think of Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam in one of the ultimate highlights, the almost motionless piece “Mirar a los ojos es de mal gusto.” Roba Orgon de Plantas y Animales is like Goku’s Genki Dama, except that it doesn’t ask for permission, it steals things.