Michita Rex
When I downloaded Andrea Roca’s Arar EP, the genre tag that came up in my iTunes was “pop gore de la periferia.” Now, I normally trust anything endorsed by Michita Rex, but that tag made me wonder what I was getting myself into. I was bracing myself for some rattling chains, clicking heels, branches scratching on window glass-type experimental obscurity. I’ll admit I was a little scared, but mostly I was really intrigued.
The genre tag was misleading, though. Instead of the conceptual and difficult to digest upon first listen music that I expected, what I got was four gorgeous ambient songs. “Buenos Salvajes” is beautiful track that starts off serenely with bird chirps, like an early morning at Walden Pond. And that’s really what the song feels like, like waking with the birds at dawn and breathing in the fresh air and just allowing yourself to be a part of it all. Roca’s voice is full and enveloping, while still being soft and tranquil and in perfect harmony with the minimal instrumentation. Even the brief entrance of the drum machine near the end, though it should be jarring and feel out of place, integrates seamlessly into the song’s storyline.