Gypsy Pistoleros
Wild, Beautiful, Damned!
Evil Boy Records 2007
By Alissa Ordabai
(SugarBuzz London)
SugarBuzz Magazine
Gypsy Pistoleros mix glam rock with rumba catalana (a distant, pop-oriented cousin of flamenco), and as a result arrive at a stylistic hybrid with textures of rock and rhythms of the genre that so far has been completely alien to it.
The rumba influence equips their songs with timeless, ready-made rhythms that the band is happy to turn to over and over again. The album’s opener, “The Crazy Loco Loquito”, is a perfect example of the straightforward way in which Gypsy Pistoleros use the rumba grooves, introducing the sound and the feel that will continue for the rest of the record. It’s a feisty, direct song, danceable and very interested in chart action. The band’s chops are confident and sleek, but not too glossy to warrant the kind of criticism that has always been aimed at those who exploit flamenco purely for commercial success. The vocal is charged with sleazy sex appeal and sounds perfectly practiced, floated by the vigorous rhythm section that propels the beat with single-minded determination. All this works, so the band repeats the pattern on other songs, with rock and rumba themes spinning around each other with salsa-flavoured buoyancy throughout the album.
The album’s palette of moods is simple, but “Moonchild”, a ballad, brings in the much needed change, imbuing reflection into the sound that starts to become habitual as the record goes on. It is a beautiful, moving song with subtle backing vocals adding an extra delicate layer to the proceedings. The spare acoustic guitar parts not only contribute finesse, but carry enough meaning to evoke the scent of an age and a culture that up until now haven’t been touched by modern rock’n’roll. The result is stunning, adding to the drama already stirred by the spare but intense harmony.
“Moonchild” being an exception, the band’s sound doesn’t change much from song to song, but at times they simplify both rumba and rock’n’roll harmonies to the point where only the very basic structure is left to build a song on. This is the case on “Switchblade Kiss Comes Close”, an LA Guns-inspired frantic song with raw-edged guitar parts picking up on the heat generated by the clear-cut rhythm section. Even though the band doesn’t favour big rock riffs, the solo on this track is pure untainted rock’n’roll calling to mind the 1980s LA scene and bands like LA Guns, Faster Pussycat and early Motley Crue.
The song that follows, “Jet, Jet, Jet Boyz”, is another highlight of the album. It has a silly, but infections chorus and cooks up a delicious mix of rock swagger and pop-flavoured hooks.
Overall this is a solid album, and while Gypsy Pistoleros are certainly not aiming at changing the face of rock’n’roll, they successfully manage to add to it the emotional resonances that so far haven’t been heard in rock. Falling into a routine is easy when you engage in flamenco and its offspring styles, but the band knows how to manipulate the elements of this tradition to make their music genuinely entertaining.
http://www.gypsypistoleros.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/gypsypistoleros