TV Gamma, TV GammaCazador, Chile
Rating: 78
By Carlos Reyes
“Es la revelación de tu imaginación, atento, viene la programación.” Beyond the multiplex and on to absolute engagement, TV Gamma’s disinterred debut combusts on its own landscape, yet it storms its beauty from the ripeness of the moment. That awesome album cover is warning enough, the album is at an alarming stage of manifestation, with all senses pointing to a desired symmetry. With the help of up-in-the-air pedals & reverbs, mystified drums and distorted hooks, TV Gamma constructs a naturally divisive self-titled record, some will flee from boredom, and others will appreciate a set of 10 songs with prime encoding.
The Chilean band mediates the idea of the coexistence of a programmable life, with that of the human intellect. They appreciate the interaction between one and the other, distinguishing the shared responsibility from both parts to maintain equilibrium. Of course, the key to achieving all the spectacles relies in processing of their methods. In “Las Cosas” they shout “tomalo con calma, tomalo con calma!” making a subliminal trip to database-error grounds, making it very clear they’re more concerned about the treatment of their methods than the actual songs themselves. Leading track “Nada Importante” has the right amount of jangle-pop, textures and Jorge Gonzalez to succeed as the album’s anthem. This is how the album succeeds its monotonous sound, by working within their own pixel.
Their most infectious pieces are founded on a video-game platform, “Me Pasa” walks, jumps, and fires in many directions, but it only shifts its head completely to either the left or the right, “yo ya no creo, me pasa.” We could talk about the album’s inherent relationship with density, but as they show in “Maria Antonieta” and “Guillotine”, space and mid-air precision is what they’re truly chasing. The album feels a bit heavy whenever they reduce the red light on the dark room, but things get really bright in “Tan Normal” and the thrilling voice by Valeria Jara, I swear I was listening to Quiero Club on this one. Like cautious entrepreneurs, TV Gamma is the kind of band that surveys the ground they step on, which is why their lo-fi aesthetic feels a bit ecstatic. TV Gamma’s mechanisms are questionable, thrilling, confusing and ultimately, effective.