Informática Romántica Para Avanzados, Capullo
The Poni Republic, Mexico
Rating: 79
by Carlos Reyes
Capullo provided us with two of 2009’s hits (at least in this blog), the Aguascalientes trio that sang about love via the web has released its first EP, Informatica Romantica Para Avanzados. Capullo embodies the true concept of fresh sounds, the kind of band one would swear comes from the Elefant Records catalog, except they’re even juicer. This is one of the most endearing projects out there, how can you not fall in love with a band that self-describes through emoticons or wonders why their songs aren’t on ARES. Capullo’s debut might not include a song as groundbreaking as “No Conectado” or “Merequeteke,” but if you’re into new media and have ever fallen in love, this is your record.
We once described Capullo’s sound as the coming together of jj, La Factoria, Micachu and the Shapes, and Los Socios del Ritmo, eclectic enough for you? Truth is, the band is so likable they have a kind of next-door band quality; that feeling that’s also present in bands like Piyama Party or Maria y Jose, all born outside Mexico’s big scenes. Listening to Capullo is like appreciating MySpace aesthetics to the fullest. Unlike the network leaded by Tom, there are no hypersexual hints here; it’s all post-puberty clarity, or an adolescent’s idea of it. Like “Power Point de Amor” suggests, these are songs that come from the intellectual, from the heart. “Prendo El Ordenador” opens the show with a tragedy; there’s no Internet on the block. This reminds me of Fernando Eimbcke’s Temporada de Patos, where two xbox fanatic teenagers had to make the best out of a lazy Sunday without power. Capullo does the same thing, creating a hiatus of a real world without real friends. Through the blend of heavy tropical percussion and electro-pop, they go on the hunt for social life.
The album’s production is underwhelming at times, mostly because it’s all over the place, while it doesn’t hurt the songs as much, it makes tracks like “Ritmo Prohibido” and “Camionero” go outside the coloring outline. The band’s web-configured vision is best captured in the album’s soft pieces. I know a couple of friends who are into email chains, “Power Point de Amor” captures the selective-idealism of such phenomenon, “no es una cadena de lo mismo, vamos abrelo!” Capullo also triumphs in “Reencarnacion,” with the highs of the song reach the level of pop sophistication as that of Quiero Club and Javiera Mena. Informática Romántica Para Avanzados doesn’t offer us the hits of the season, but it’s still a remarkable debut by one of Mexico’s most exciting new bands.
We once described Capullo’s sound as the coming together of jj, La Factoria, Micachu and the Shapes, and Los Socios del Ritmo, eclectic enough for you? Truth is, the band is so likable they have a kind of next-door band quality; that feeling that’s also present in bands like Piyama Party or Maria y Jose, all born outside Mexico’s big scenes. Listening to Capullo is like appreciating MySpace aesthetics to the fullest. Unlike the network leaded by Tom, there are no hypersexual hints here; it’s all post-puberty clarity, or an adolescent’s idea of it. Like “Power Point de Amor” suggests, these are songs that come from the intellectual, from the heart. “Prendo El Ordenador” opens the show with a tragedy; there’s no Internet on the block. This reminds me of Fernando Eimbcke’s Temporada de Patos, where two xbox fanatic teenagers had to make the best out of a lazy Sunday without power. Capullo does the same thing, creating a hiatus of a real world without real friends. Through the blend of heavy tropical percussion and electro-pop, they go on the hunt for social life.
The album’s production is underwhelming at times, mostly because it’s all over the place, while it doesn’t hurt the songs as much, it makes tracks like “Ritmo Prohibido” and “Camionero” go outside the coloring outline. The band’s web-configured vision is best captured in the album’s soft pieces. I know a couple of friends who are into email chains, “Power Point de Amor” captures the selective-idealism of such phenomenon, “no es una cadena de lo mismo, vamos abrelo!” Capullo also triumphs in “Reencarnacion,” with the highs of the song reach the level of pop sophistication as that of Quiero Club and Javiera Mena. Informática Romántica Para Avanzados doesn’t offer us the hits of the season, but it’s still a remarkable debut by one of Mexico’s most exciting new bands.