UN DISPARO AL CENTRO, COMO ASESINAR FELIPES
Potoco Discos, Chile
Rating: 79
By Carlos Reyes
Objective CAF: “Derretir el tempano, porque estamos como tú, destruyendo el templo.” They’re Chile’s coolest coolest urban act and they have the coolest band name, Como Asesinar Felipes are back with yet another schycophrenic set of songs. Santiago’s bleakest quientet is already known for their rich tragic phrasing, the obtrusiveness of their rhymes, and the industrial manufacturing of their rap. Prior material had exposed a bold and confident band, but this time the orchestration has been broaden to fit the lyrics, sometimes even taking protagonism from the rappers, the fact that there are two instrumental pieces here is an indication of their jump into an actual band. 2009 has been weak for Urban music in general, but this would stand as one of the notable latin urban albums of the year along with Menuda Coincidencia’s Ai Con Permisito.
Como Asesinar Felipes are legit speakers of the human kind, while most rapers extract their juice from social-minded reasoning, these guys keep it classy and jazzy: “escucha en tu interior la palabra mas intima.” Un Disparo Al Centro is not a socio-political statement or a reinforcement of their ego, it’s a critique on music. It’s nothing like Calle 13’s critique on the industry, which deals mainly on them evolving music. The chilean band appproaches things through a deeper attack on authorship and by that, a critique on themselves since they are participants of the whole thing. It sees music as the fascinating art form it is and also as the harmful distraction that it ends up being to many of us. “Cuando la verdad no encaja” is in its mystery, a pessimistic song about music as an escapism, “ahora escribo lo que dicta mi latido, cuando la realidad no encaja, tu realidad sera un drama”, next time one of their songs depresses the heck out of you, remember they did warn you.
“Nos reune el proposito” is built upon the introductory sampling, a tool that becomes essential throughout the album. “La Puerta no se abre sola” is the result of criminal desire, they truly sound like a mafia trying to resolve tedious music, “tu musica dolorosa que nos obliga a pensar cosas, nos obliga a pensar cosas que pensar no queremos.” The jazz elements are especially prominent in “Un Disparo al Centro”, they emphasize their will to make a disaster out of ‘dumb easy music’, to strike it down in its core. Un Disparo Al Centro is only about 20 minutes long, gladly it's fully armed and round that it feels like a full feature, quoting the first sampling in the album: “Es un álbum de experiencias, yo le sugiero a cualquiera persona que escuche el disco, que lo oigan en su casa si es posible, completa tranquilidad, y que lo escuchen de principio a fin. Es un álbum de reflexión, puede bailar también si quiere, pero la intención no era crear ese frenesí de baile, si no una circunstancia más emocional, más reflexiva.”