It is difficult to find an artist in the
current pop scene who maintains an outstanding level of strength and power,
when he is already at the point of the third album. You could say that Alex and
Marina increasingly provide more substance to their successful recipe. They
insist and still do the same thing, which is not easy, while they continue enlarging
their leadership in no man's land.
It is appreciated when a band maintains a
balanced production rate between saturation and forgetfulness. When you are
missing them, they reappear to make life a little better. Klaus & Kinski come
again playing themselves, and outdoing themselves in "Herreros y Fatigas"-title
taken from a street in Murcia, their hometown, but that comes in handy given
the economic and social situation of the moment.
The band continues its commitment to eclecticism.
They maintain, however, some of their extra-musical identity such as a
meticulously design, referring not only to the title of the album. The album
cover, as on previous occasions, is signed by the singer, Marina Gomez
Carruthers. According to the press release of the CD, "She has chosen a
simple graphic design, that is elegant and full of symbolism, stylistically not
very far from the Russian posters of the 20s. Definitely a different cover to
their previous works, but well suited to the title and the content of the
record".
The disc voluntarily diminishing its intensity,
with a devastating start that gives way to more leisurely and reflective tracks
in a flawless progress. They continue the tradition of starting their disc with
long dark themes containing hints and topics from the rest. This time, we meet the
electronic and vintage face of Klaus & Kinski, with quite eighties schedules
and a bass line and a keyboard that approach gothic passages.
Marina sings clearer than ever, performing
awesomely complicated melodies and some really forced moments, like the harrowing
"Sacrificio", where Alejandro flirts with flamenco and Spanish
classics in one of the most lyrical compositionof the band. In "Poderoso
Caballero " they address country, one of the genres that never fails in a work by Klaus & Kinski.
Money also appears on the breathtaking
"Pension", a contrast of violence and motionlessness where the
strings take on an epic role. The review of the uncommon genres in the indie is
completed with a habanera, "In the Goethe", a story of love and
death, of tuberculosis, blood and suicide that fits perfectly to the
melancholic voice of Marina.
The more conventional pop, but no less
effective, comes with compositions like "Soneto" with a sonnet structure
in its lyrics. A song recognizable and easily remembered, like Chico y Chica or
Hidrogenesse hits. In turn, "Daño cerebral" has become one of the
favourites of their fans not only because of how sweet its music is, but for
the story it tells: living without ability to empathize. The single, "Ojo
por diente", is undoubtedly one of the most extreme love letters ever
written ever. It is amusing, unconditional and wild at the same time.
Towards the end we find another surprise,
"Cumbres profundas". It has a hard rock riff that is repeated several
times in the song and some very 90s riffs, referring to noise and, very nearly, to grunge. It follows "Relatividad
general", mixing distortion with a melody and some arrangements that make
Marina a singer of the 50s. The album closes with "Buceador",
somewhat disappointing and depressing, used to put the finishing touch to a
delicate experience.
Like every other CD by Klaus & Kinski, it
requires multiple listeners to enjoy it as it deserves an outlandish characteristic
in the time of fast consumption. Among such saturation, spend hours and hours
at a single artifact is a strange satisfaction. "Herreros y Fatigas"
is a wonderful way to enjoy autumn, walking while watching the leaves falling
around us or being warm at home in winter while we warm up our jammies on the
radiator.
